Fish fossil discovered in Yunnan Province Photo: Sina Weibo

Chinese scientists discovered a new species of ancient fish fossil that can be dated back to 30 million years ago, China News reported on Thursday.

The fossil was identified as a new species of the genus Schizothorax: Dawning Schizothorax, and it might provide new clues for the early evolutionary history of ancient Schizothelia and even primitive Schizothelia, the report said. The discovery might also provide insights into biodiversity in the geological history of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

A team led by Professor Yan Defei from the School of Earth Sciences at Lanzhou University published the research in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.

The study suggests that the modern primitive Schizothorax may have originated in the northern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau during the Oligocene period.

The fossil has well-preserved fine scales and enlarged rump scales, similar to the primitive Schizothorax.

The plant fossils associated with the current fish fossils show that these fish lived in a warm and humid environment at that time.

The Schizothorax has a unique shape, and is only found in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and its surrounding mountains. Thus, its formation and evolution are closely related to paleoenvironmental changes in the Plateau, according to the report.