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The lesser known subterranean world of blind catfishes in
the Western Ghats now has some connection with the missile man of India, as a
newly identified species of blind cat fish was named after A P J Abdul Kalam,
former India President and well-known aerospace engineer who was instrumental
in developing India’s ballistic missiles and launch vehicle technology. Collected
from a dugout well of Irinjalakkuda in the South Indian state of Kerala, the new
cat fish species has been christened as Horaglanis
abdulkalami.
Third blind cat fish known to science
Horaglanis krishnai, Horaglanis alikunhii and Horglanis abdulkalami |
According to the research paper published in an Indian
journal regarding the discovery, the new species is physiologically different from
the two known blind cat fish species - H.
Krishnai and H. alikunhii.
Gill membrane
of the newly found fish is free at the base of the isthmus. They are united
only half distance towards the tip of the lower jaw from the base. Moreover, the
presence of 13 brancheostegal rays and the 21 unbranched rays on the dorsal fin
also makes it different from other known species. In addition, the newly
identified fish has a rounded caudal fin with 28 rays with six of them
branched.
The new fish is 3.8 cm long and was red blood in colour when
first collected. Like similar species, H.
abdulkalami is also blind, an adaptation for its dark subterranean habitat,
says researchers.
According to Dr. K K Subhash Babu who has collected the fish
and described it, the fish still retains respiration through the skin. “With
help of Scanning electron microscope (SEM), we can see its body with full of
pores, especially head region. Apart
from its gills respiration, they can respire through its skin also. It is very
common with all newly hatched fishes which slowly turn to gill respiration. But
H. abdulkalmi, seems to retain this
capacity”, says he.
Missile Man connection of H. abdulkalami
Illustration showing pectoral and pelvic fin of H. abdulkalami |
According to the researcher, he has decided to name the new
discovery after Kalam, whom he found inspiring as a researcher. “When I was in
Cochin University, I wrote to him about this fish and my intention to give his
name to this remarkable fish and he very much appreciated my work”, he said.
Presently an Assistant Professor at the Department of
Biology at University of Jimma in Ethiopia, Dr. K K Subhash Babu shares the credit
of describing another blind catfish under the same genus – Horglanis alikunhi with another researcher.
The new discovery now adds to our limited knowledge of the
unexplored word of subterranean eco system of the Western Ghats.
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