New Loach species discovered in Meghalaya caves

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaAugust 2, 2024

A group of scientists, led by Dr. Khlur Mukhim, Principal of Lady Keane College, has discovered a new species of loach in three caves in western Meghalaya’s South Garo Hills district, which borders Bangladesh, officials said on Wednesday.

The loach, a freshwater bottom dwelling fish found across Southeast Asia, has been identified as a new species, Schistura sonarengaensis. This species was reported from Sonarenga Cave, Nakama Cave, and Chiabol Cave in the South Garo Hills district.

Funded by the Lucknow-based ICAR – National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, the discovery was made by a team from Lady Keane College and Guwahati University.

The research paper was officially published today by Wiley-Blackwell, an international journal of Fish Biology of the Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

According to Wiley-Blackwell, “A new species of nemacheilid loach, Schistura sonarengaensis sp. nov., is described from three cave-dwelling populations (Barak-Surma-Meghna drainage) in the South Garo Hills district of Meghalaya, India.”

The new species is characterized by prominent eyes but is easily distinguished from other Schistura species in the Barak-Surma-Meghna and adjacent river drainages of northeast India (except S. Syngkai). It has 13-26 vertically elongated to circular mid-lateral black blotches (brownish in life) overlaid on a grayish-black mid-lateral stripe on a dull white or pale-beige (golden brown in life) body. Although the new species lacks typical morphological adaptations usually associated with subterranean life, such as complete absence (or vestigial presence) of eyes and pigmentation, it exhibits a reduction in pigmentation compared to epigean congeners, Dr. Mukhim noted.

He further mentioned that genetic molecular analysis confirms the distinction of this new species from other known species in the region.