Once declared extinct, the Belida fish "Chitala lopis" was found again in Java

The rediscovery of the belida fish species Chitala lopis (C. lopis) is the result of collaborative research by researchers from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Indonesian Green Harmony Foundation, Jambi University, Charles Sturt University Australia, Vienna Museum, Austria, and Universite Montpellier, France.

The rediscovery of the belida fish came from collections collected from November 2015 to September 2023 in 34 locations in Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan. The report on the findings was released in a highly reputable journal (Q1) in Germany, namely Journal of Endangered Species Research Volume 52, November 2023.

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The research team believes that the species isC. lopisafter analyzing the data. Analysis includes the results of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) barcoding sequencing with global Barcode of Life Data (BOLD) genetic data and morphological characterization compared with the Chitala lopis species collection i> which is stored in the Natural History Museum, London.

Researcher and Head of the Research Center for Conservation of Marine and Inland Water Resources, BRIN, Arif Wibowo, stated that this species of belida fish belongs to the Notopteridae family and the Osteoglossiformes order. This ancient fish species has fan-shaped fins. As for the evolution ofC. lopisis estimated to have occurred 1,200 years ago.

”When viewed intraspecifically, the genetic distance ofC. lopis, C. Hypselonotus, andC. borneensisis so low that differentiatingmitochondrialgenes between species are not identical. Morphological charactersC. lopishas a more dominant posterior body height and pre-dorsal length thanC. Borneensis," said Arif, who was involved in the discovery, in a press release received, Wednesday (6/12/2023).

The World Conservation Organization (IUCN) red list in 2020 released the extinction ofC. lopison the island of Java. Apart from breaking the extinction information, this discovery also answers the taxonomic problem of belida fish in Indonesia.

According to experts, the majority of belida fish in Indonesia belong to the speciesC. lopis. However, another type that is often found isC. borneensisandC. hypselnotus. “The abundance and distribution of these three types of fish has decreased in Sumatra and Java. In fact, the status ofC. hypselonotuswas last discovered in 2015," said Arif.

The population of belida fish is decreasing due to excessive fishing and the use of environmentally unfriendly fishing tools.

According to the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Regulation Number 1 of 2021 concerning Protected Fish Types, there are four species of the family Notopteridae that are protected. Three of these species areC. lopis, C. borneensis,andC. hypselnotus.

IUCN revealed that the Chitala species is included in the category of Least Concern which indicates that the level of extinction risk is still low in Indonesia, except for C. lopiswhich is thought to be extinct. With the findings ofC. lopis's conservation status at IUCN needs to be evaluated.

In addition, a revision of the conservation status ofC. hypselnotusandC. borneensis fromLeast Concern to Critically Endangered (critical) due to stock and distribution limitations.

Four species

Indonesia is recorded as having four species of belida fish, namely Borneo belida (Chitala borneensis), Sumatran belida (Chitala hypselonotus), belida lopis (Chitala lopis) , and Javanese belida (Notopterus notopterus). Belida lopis is the species with the largest size, it can reach 1.5 meters.

Of the four species, the lopis belida has been declared extinct by the IUCN based on a report and research by freshwater fish expert from the National University of Singapore, Heok Hee Ng. In his report, Heok stated that the lopis belida has not been seen in the freshwater waters of Java Island since its specimens were collected by Pieter Bleeker in 1851.

Also read: Last Efforts to Protect Belida Fish Species

Several research findings show that the population of belida fish is decreasing due to excessive fishing and the use of non-environmentally friendly fishing equipment. Fishing still continues because belida fish has a high economic value and is used as an ingredient in several foods, such as pempek and kerupuk.

Coordinator of the Fish Species Protection and Preservation Group at the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Pingkan K Roeroe, stated that the public is obligated to release any accidentally caught belida fish. This is because the government has clearly designated belida fish as fully protected.