4-year-old sees ‘translucent' creature in water tank — and discovers new species
In a village of southwestern India, a child peered into a water tank and noticed a 'translucent' creature with visible bones. She didn't know it at the time, but she'd just discovered a new species.
Scientists visited Naduvannur village in December 2021 to survey local aquatic life. The village was part of a 'potential hotspot for subterranean fish diversity,' and 'a four-year-old girl, Juhu,' had noticed some interesting fish in a 'water tank filled with water drawn from a (local) dug-out well,' according to a study published April 11 in the peer-reviewed Indian Journal of Fisheries.
Researchers checked the well and found several unfamiliar-looking fish inside, the study said. They took a closer look at the animals and quickly realized they'd discovered a new species: Pangio juhuae, or Juhu's pigmy eel-loach.
Juhu's pigmy eel-loaches have 'thin, slender' bodies reaching less than 1.5 inches in length, the study said. Their 'small' heads have tiny eyes that look like 'small black specks.'
A photo shows the 'translucent' new species, which is 'devoid of melanin.' Its skeleton is visible, running along the top half of its body. Its belly looks reddish from its 'internal organs and blood vessels.'
Juhu's pigmy eel-loaches live underground, but much about its lifestyle remains unknown, the study said.
Compared to other underground-dwelling fish, the new species has 'intermediate' adaptations, such as more prominent eyes and fins, the study said. Researchers suspect it 'might still be in the process of evolving towards a fully (underground) life.'
'Further research into this loach has the potential to shed light on broader evolutionary patterns and the remarkable biodiversity thriving in the hidden world beneath our feet,' researchers said.
So far, Juhu's pigmy eel-loaches have only been found at Naduvannur, a village in the southwestern state of Kerala and a roughly 1,450-mile drive southwest from New Delhi, the study said.
The new species was identified by its fins, eye size, lack of pigmentation, body shape, skeleton and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 1.5% genetic divergence from other related fish species.
The research team included K. R. Sreenath, B. Pradeep, K. R. Aju, Sandhya Sukumaran, Wilson Sebastian, Alvin Anto and Grinson George.
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