New blind groundwater fish species discovered
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 11 2026: A new genus and species of blind, groundwater-dwelling fish, Gitchak nakana has been discovered in North East India.

Dr Y Lokeshwor Singh, a fish taxonomist from the Department of Zoology, Dhanamanjuri University (DMU) was part of an international multi-disciplinary research team that identified this remarkable species in Assam's Goalpara district during February-March 2026, said the Dhanaman-juri University in a statement.

The species was found in a hand-dug well in a Garo village in Assam's Goalpara district, near the foothills of the Shillong Plateau.

The name Gitchak nakana is derived from the Garo language. "Gitchak" refers to its blood-red coloration in life and "nakana" denotes a blind fish.

Measuring only about 2 cm in length, this miniature cobitid loach is completely blind, lacks visible eyes, has a translucent, pigmentless body, and uniquely possesses no bony skull roof, leaving its brain covered only by skin-a feature unprecedented among known loaches.

Scientifically, this discovery is highly significant as it represents the first aquifer-dwelling (phreato- biotic) fish ever recorded from North East India and the Eastern Himalayan region, providing critical insights into previously unexplored subterranean biodiversity.

The research, conducted in collaboration with scientists from Assam Don Bosco University, the Senckenberg Museum, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, and the Natural History Museum Bern, was published on February 26, 2026 in Scientific Reports.

This groundbreaking finding underscores a vast, hidden biodiversity of underground aquatic ecosystems in the region and highlights an urgent need for continued exploration and conservation of these fragile habitats, notes the DMU .

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