Fish with a difference named after Hong Kong

Hong Kong has had a fish named after it following the discovery that the species - which was thought to be the same as one found in Vietnam - is unique to the territory.

The breed of freshwater black paradise fish, previously thought to be Macropodus spechti, has now been classified as an endemic species in Hong Kong and renamed Macropodus hongkongensis. It is the first time a fish species has been named after Hong Kong. The discovery followed a comparison by German researchers Joerg Freyhof and Fabian Herder earlier this year of living specimens of the fish. Previous comparisons of dead fish failed to show the colour differences between those from Hong Kong and Vietnam, said Professor David Dudgeon, head of Hong Kong University's department of ecology and biodiversity.

Print option is available for subscribers only.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.