New Delhi, March 13 -- A team of international scientists have discovered and described a new type of 'killifish' that is endemic to a Kenyan forest. But it is already critically endangered and may become extinct soon.

Killifish are oviparous or egg-laying fish that are mainly found in the fresh or brackish waters of the Americas, southern Europe, much of Africa, the Middle East and Asia. There are around 1,270 species of killifish.

The fish was discovered in the ephemeral swamps of the Gongoni Forest in south-eastern coastal Kenya by the team of scientists who conducted expeditions in 2017 and 2018.

It was given the scientific name Nothobranchius sylvaticus, from the Latin meaning "pertaining to the forest". It is also the first known...