Missing Miss Kerala

She’s svelte and got a ‘red line torpedo barb’ running across her midriff. And after coming third in a competition, demand for Miss Kerala, a freshwater fish, has soared.

She’s svelte and got a ‘red line torpedo barb’ running across her midriff. And after coming third in the Aquarama competition, demand for Miss Kerala has soared. This year, this captivating freshwater fish, whose gender ratio is favourably skewed towards females, was tagged on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Populations of Miss Kerala or Denison’s Barb, found in the Western Ghats, are in decline, says the journal Current Science. After debuting in Germany in 1996, this eye-catcher became a hobbyists’ muse and a highly promoted export-item that’s gone from boom to bust. Current Science says this freshwater species is one of the most important conservation challenges in the Western Ghats.

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Pramila N. Phatarphekar