Black Star Fatminnow, an Indigenous and Endangered Species

The Black star fatminnow is a cold-water fish that lives only in limited rivers or mountain vallyes such as the DMZ border area, the northernmost part of Korea, the upper reachers of the Namgang River in Goseong-gun, and the Jigyeoncheon stream.

They often coexist with Rhynochocypris, Mountain trout, and Nemacheilidae, and live in groups. It is rarely found in shallow waters in low flow. 

Its body is small, 7-10 cm long, short and thick. 

It is dark brown on the back...

...and pale on the belly. 

Its eyes and head are rather large, the muzzle is rounded at the tip, and the lower jaw is shorter than the upper jaw.

Its scales are small and difficult to distinguish with the naked eye. Its scales on the side of the body have a dense brown pigment on the edge, giving them a crescent shape.

It is characterized by a black spot on the lower part of the dorsal fin.