(ORDO NEWS) — A new species of troglobiont fish has been found in caves in northern India.
Adult specimens are completely blind, but grow up to 40 centimeters – one and a half centimeters more than the previous champions from the caves of Australia.
Zoologists have described a new species of carp fish, which are found only in limestone caves in the Indian state of Megalaya.
Faded and completely blind, they reach over 40 centimeters in length, making them the largest fish of all living in the meager conditions of the caves.
Today, about 30 species of fish of the genus Neolissochilus are known that inhabit freshwater reservoirs in the countries of South and Southeast Asia.
Many of them are caught and even bred for human consumption. Dungeon dwellers are also known in this group: for example, N. subterraneus living in the caves of Thailand.
Neolissochilus of a previously unknown species was found in the north-east of India, in the mountains of the Shillong Plateau. They were named N. pnar, after the local Pnar people.
According to scientists, there have long been stories of “white cave fish” among the hill tribes.
However, until now they have been attributed to other cyprinids, which are widely found in these mountains and in dim light can easily appear colorless.
The earliest reliable observations of the new species date back to the 1990s, and the first specimens were caught only in 2019.
As it should be for cave creatures ( troglobionts ), these fish have no pigmentation and the organs of vision are greatly reduced. In young animals, they can still be seen, and in adults, the eyes are completely overgrown.
On the other hand, N. pnar has strongly elongated antennae, with the help of which they orient themselves in space.
At the same time, the largest specimen studied by scientists exceeded 400 millimeters in length, which makes N. pnar the largest of the cave fish.
Previously, the record belonged to the Australian blind eel Ophisternon candidum and was 385 millimeters.
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