SCHISTURA SONARENGAENSIS (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)
Context: A group of scientists has identified a new species of loach in Meghalaya’s South Garo Hills district, near Bangladesh border.
Schistura sonarengaensis
- About: It is a new species of loach.
o Loach is a freshwater bottom-dwelling fish and found across rivers in South East Asia.
- Geographic Range: Found in cave-dwelling populations within the Barak-Surma-Meghna drainage in the South Garo Hills district of Meghalaya.
- Physical Characteristics:
o Distinctive Appearance: Features prominent eyes and 13-26 vertically elongated to circular black blotches on a grayish-black mid-lateral stripe over a dull white or pale-beige body.
o Reduced Pigmentation: Shows less pigmentation compared to surface-dwelling relatives, but does not have the typical subterranean adaptations like blindness.
o Comparison to Other Species: Retains prominent eyes and differs from other Schistura species in the Barak-Surma-Meghna and adjacent river drainages of northeast India, except for Schistura syngkai.
