Gitchak Nakana: First Blind Groundwater-Dwelling Fish Discovered in Northeast India

A new groundwater fish species named Gitchak Nakana was formally introduced to the world on February 26, 2026, after being published in Scientific Reports by Nature Portfolio. Specimens were pulled from a hand-dug concrete well sitting in a Garo village in the Goalpara district, western Assam, near the foothills of the Shillong Plateau in the Brahmaputra Valley. The find marks the first aquifer-dwelling fish ever recorded from Northeast India, a rare category even globally.

What is the Gitchak nakana fish in Assam?

The species belongs to a newly described genus within the family Cobitidae, the loach family. Its name comes straight from the Garo language; "Gitchak" means red, nodding to its striking blood-red color when alive, while "na-tok" and "kana" together refer to a blind fish, a name that fits perfectly.

What makes this discovery stand out isn't just the species itself, but where it lives. Most of the world's known subterranean fish, over 300 species, are cave dwellers. Fewer than 10% are found in groundwater aquifers, which are far harder to access and study. Gitchak Nakana falls in that rare minority.

Who Discovered Gitchak Nakana Fish in Assam?

The team behind this discovery spanned three countries: India, Germany, and Switzerland,  bringing together researchers from multiple institutions.

1. Dr. Ralf Britz of the Senckenberg Natural History Collections in Germany led the effort.
2. On the Indian side, Wimarithy K. Marak from Assam Don Bosco University contributed, as did Dr. Y. Lokeshwor Singh and Kangjam Velentina from Dhanamanjuri University in Manipur. Rajeev Raghavan, Amanda K. Pinion, and Lukas Rüber rounded out the international team.
3. Field collection happened across three separate visits to the site before the species was formally named and published, making February 26, 2026, the official date this tiny blind fish entered the scientific record.

About Gitchak Nakana Fish: Key Facts

Here's a quick look at what makes this species biologically unique, from its size and habitat to its unusual skull structure.