South Asian river dolphin display the variances needed to support their classification as separate species. Thus, at present, a single species with two subspecies is recognized in the genus "Platanista", "P. g. gangetica" (Ganges river dolphin) and "P. g. minor" (Indus river dolphin). An assessment of divergence rates in mitochondrial DNA of the two subspecies indicates that they diverged from a common ancestor around 550,000 years ago. This ancestor is thought to have been a marine Platanistid inhabiting the epi-continental seas in South Asia during the sea level rises in the middle Miocene. The earliest fossil identified as belonging to the species is only
Harike Wetland (6 & 32 taxa), Crustaceans (27 taxa), Annelids (7 taxa), Nematodes (7 & 4 taxa), Rotifers (59 & 13 taxa), and Protozoans (5 & 21 taxa). The Indus dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor) supposed to have become extinct in India after 1930, but largely found in the Indus river system in Pakistan, was recently sighted in the Beas River in Harike wetland area. This aquatic mammal classified as an endangered species in the Red Data Book of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources is considered a significant find. The dolphins were discovered by Basanta Rajkumar, IFS