Gitchak Nakana: Blind Groundwater Fish

Category: Environment & Biodiversity | GS Paper III

SEO Title: Gitchak Nakana Blind Groundwater Fish: Discovery, Features and Habitat in Assam

UPSC Notes

Gitchak nakana is described in the source as a newly identified subterranean loach and a significant discovery for freshwater biodiversity in Northeast India.

  • Habitat: Underground aquifers; such organisms are known as phreatobitic.

  • Discovery location: A dug-out well in a Garo village in Goalpara district, Assam, near the Meghalaya border.

  • Publication: The source records its description in Scientific Reports in February 2026.

  • Taxonomy: A new genus and species belonging to the loach family Cobitidae, according to the source.

  • Physical features: Approximately 2 cm long, pigmentless and translucent, with a reddish appearance caused by visible blood vessels.

  • Distinctive feature: Absence of a skull roof.

  • Name origin: Derived from the Garo language; gitchak means red, na·tok means fish, and kana means blind.

  • Conservation consideration: The exact collection location was withheld to reduce the risk of over-collection.

  • Scientific significance: Adds to knowledge of subterranean aquatic biodiversity in the Eastern Himalaya.

Key Pointers for Prelims

  • State: Assam.

  • District: Goalpara.

  • Family: Cobitidae, according to the source.

  • Habitat: Underground aquifer.

  • Conservation concern: Protecting small, specialised subterranean populations.