Shistura Hiranyakeshi in Sindhudurg Becomes Fifth Biological Heritage Site of Maharashtra

The Maharashtra government has declared an area at Amboli in Western ghats in Sindhudurg district as a biodiversity heritage site, following the discovery of a rare freshwater fish species.
The new freshwater fish species called ‘Schistura Hiranyakeshi’ was discovered in a pond at the Mahadev Temple at Amboli in Sawantwadi tehsil of Sindhudurg district by Tejas Thackeray (son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray), long with his team.
The 2.11 hector area has been declared as ‘Shistura Hiranyakeshi Biological Heritage Site’, under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, making it the fifth area in Maharashtra.
Schistura Hiranyakeshi is a rare sub-species of Schistura, a freshwater loach named after the Hiranyakeshi river near Amboli village.