Latest news with #Schisturadensiclava
Deccan Herald
4 days ago
- Science
- Deccan Herald
Unique cave fish species found in Meghalaya by Gauhati University, Lady Keane College researchers
Dr Kangkan Sarma and his team from #GauhatiUniversity have discovered Schistura densiclava ~ a new species of cave-dwelling loach from #Meghalaya, marking their ninth such discovery. This remarkable contribution to global biodiversity has been featured by @BBC News, bringing… — Gauhati University (@GauhatiUniv) May 30, 2025 Intrigued by the discovery of a new blind cave dwelling fish species 'Schistura 'densiclava'' in Krem Mawjymbuin, a limestone cave near Mawsynram, Meghalaya. This is the sixth discovery of unique cave fish species in Meghalaya. These discoveries are testament to Meghalaya's… — Conrad K Sangma (@SangmaConrad) May 30, 2025
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
Cave-dwelling fish that can survive on surface found in Meghalaya
A team of zoologists from Gauhati University, Lady Keane College in Shillong, and the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources in Lucknow discovered Schistura densiclava — a new species of fish that thrives underground but can adapt to surface conditions as well — in Krem Mawjingbuiñ, a cave in Meghalaya. The limestone cave is located just 15 kilometres from Mawsynram, one of the wettest places on earth. Most hypogean (underground-dwelling) species lose their eyesight and pigmentation over generations, relying on heightened non-visual senses to navigate pitch-dark waters. Unlike them, this unique species of stone loach has eyes and shows off its colours too. Published in the Journal of Fish Biology, a prestigious journal by the Fisheries Society of the British Isles, the discovery has drawn international attention and national applause. Assam's education minister Ranoj Pegu took to social media platform X to congratulate the team, calling it 'a proud moment for Northeast India's scientific community.' With a pale yellow-green body and bold black bars numbering between 14 and 20, the fish sports a distinctive thick stripe near its dorsal fin — the very feature that earned it the species name densiclava, meaning 'dense stripe' in Latin. 'This discovery highlights the untapped biodiversity thriving in Meghalaya's underground ecosystems. It's the ninth new fish species we've described from Northeast India, and the sixth known cave-associated fish from Meghalaya' said Professor Dandadhar Sarma, head of Zoology department at Gauhati University. Unlike fully cave-adapted species such as Schistura papulifera and Neolissochilus pnar — which are pigmentless, blind, and cannot survive in a surface environment— Schistura densiclava thrives inside caves but isn't entirely dependent on subterranean life. Researchers said that the fish was found exclusively in a cool, fast-flowing stream some 60 metres inside the cave, where water temperatures hover at a chilly 18°C and oxygen levels are low. The fish's resilience in such nutrient-scarce conditions is remarkable. Its diet includes copepods, tiny shrimp, insect fragments, and even bat guano. According to Kangkan Sarma, one of the study's lead authors, the species shows clear sexual dimorphism. 'Males are slimmer with irregular patterns and puffier cheeks, while females are more robust and display more uniform markings,' he noted, adding, 'DNA sequencing confirms that this is a genetically distinct species, unlike any other Schistura found in the region.' The East Khasi Hills region, where Krem Mawjingbuiñ lies, is a part of Meghalaya's celebrated cave systems — one of the richest and least explored subterranean landscapes in the world. With over 1,700 caves and cave locations documented, but only a fraction thoroughly studied, Meghalaya is considered a global hotspot for cave biodiversity. 'There were no visible signs of human disturbance inside Krem Mawjingbuiñ,' said one researcher, noting how seasonal access and the surrounding dense forest have kept the cave largely untouched by tourism or ecological isolation, researchers said, is a double-edged sword — protecting species for now, but making them vulnerable to even minor intrusions.
The Hindu
25-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Meghalaya's new cave-dwelling fish adapts to streams overground
GUWAHATI An underground cave in Meghalaya, in focus for a conflict over a Shivalinga-like stone formation, has yielded a new-to-science fish that adapts to streams overground. A team of zoologists, led by Kangkan Sarma of Gauhati University's Department of Zoology, has recorded Schistura densiclava as a new species of troglophile loach from Krem Mawjymbuin in the State's East Khasi Hills district. A troglophile animal is essentially a cave-dwelling animal that can thrive and reproduce in epigean, or aboveground, environments. Krem means cave in the indigenous Khasi language. Mr. Sarma and D. Khlur Baiaineh Mukhim are the lead authors of the study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Fish Biology, a peer-reviewed publication of the Fisheries Society of the British Isles. The other authors are Hrishikesh Choudhury, Rajdeep Das, Rejani Chandran, Rajeev K. Singh, Deisakee P. Warbah, Wandalin Lyngdoh, Uttam Kumar Sarkar, and Dandadhar Sarma. A 206-metre-high cave, Krem Mawjymbuin, has a surveyed length of about 1.6 km. The newly described loach, a bottom-dwelling fish with barbels hanging from the mouth, was found in a cool, fast-flowing stream about 60 meters inside the cave, where the temperature was 18°C and oxygen levels were low. Belonging to the Nemacheilidae family, Schistura densiclava is adapted to the dark, subterranean environment but can also survive in surface waters. According to the authors, it retains pigment and eyesight, unlike other cave-dwelling fishes such as Schistura papulifera or Neolissochilus pnar, also recorded from Meghalaya. The newly described loach has a pale yellow-green body 'marked with 14-20 greyish black to faint black bars' and a thick stripe near the dorsal fin. This stripe gave the loach its name – densiclava, which means 'thick stripe' in Latin. The study said the Schistura densiclava males are slimmer with irregular patterns and puffier cheeks, while the females are sturdier with consistent markings. 'Genetic testing confirmed it as a completely new species... The distribution of the new species is limited to the cave, which suggests endemism in this cave system,' the researchers said. Schistura densiclava is the sixth cave-dwelling fish recorded from Meghalaya, three of which were described by Gauhati University scientists. Krem Mawjymbuin, among the most difficult to access, is one of several complex limestone cave systems in Meghalaya. The cave was in the news in 2024 when the Mawsynram Dorbar Shnong, the traditional village institution that controls the area, cited ecological reasons for banning the worship of the Shivalinga-like structure inside it.
