Guwahati, Oct 21 (PTI) Two previously unknown subterranean fish species have been discovered in wells in Assam’s Goalpara district, state environment and forests minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said on Wednesday.
Scientists have identified Gitchak nakana, a tiny, transparent and blind loach, and Rakthamichthys anchi, a transparent, eel-like fish, marking a significant contribution to biodiversity research, Baruah said in a social media post.
Gitchak nakana measures around two centimetres and has a reddish appearance because its transparent body reveals its blood and internal organs.
Rakthamichthys anchi, meanwhile, is a slender subterranean fish belonging to the swamp eel family.
Both species are adapted to life in underground groundwater environments, making their discovery particularly significant for scientific research.
The specimens were collected by researcher Wimarithy K. Marak, who shared a photograph with her supervisor.
The second discovery followed when one of her relatives found another subterranean fish while cleaning a well, the minister said.
These observations helped researchers document species that had remained unnoticed for years, he added.
The research involved collaboration with international scientists, including the use of micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scanning to examine the specimens in detail, Baruah said.
The discoveries underline the need to protect groundwater ecosystems as pollution affecting surface water can also reach underground habitats, potentially threatening these little-understood species, he said.
Researchers withheld the exact locations to reduce the risk of exploitation, the minister added.
(PTI News)
