Many of these are apparently endemic. The Myanmar fish fauna is already known to include many peculiar fish species. Among them is the miniature stickleback-like fish Indostomus paradoxus , first described from Indawgyi Lake in northern Myanmar. The species has been placed in its own order, and research into its phylogenetic position continues to yield ambiguous results. Another lake, Inle Lake, is renowned for its crystalline waters, leg-rowers, and many endemic species.
Further exploration is likely to yield more species and information of global interest.
Fishermen on Inle Lake, Shan States, Myanmar. Photo S.O. Kullander, 1994. Systematic collections of Myanmar fishes are scarce, however. NRM Researchers Sven O Kullander and Fang Fang have recently continued the description and exploration of Myanmar fishes. Simultaneously, Carl J Ferraris, Jr., of the California Academy of Sciences , is working on a guide to the commercial inland fishes of Myanmar for the FAO, and initiated research into the systematics of Myanmar catfishes in particular.