A team of researchers found in the depths of a cave in China a
new species of blind fish
that has
a horn on its head
, according to a study published in the journal
ZooKeys.
The size of the body of the fish reaches 10 - 14 centimeters, it has tiny rudimentary eyes, which have already lost their functions.
The morphological characteristics of the new species allowed it to be attributed to the genus of Chinese endemic fish "Sinocyclocheilus" that usually inhabit small dark ponds, reports
LiveScience.
Most of them, like other cave dwellers, have little or no vision, no scales and no pigmentation in a process known as regressive evolution, in which species lose complex features over generations, he reports.
RT.
found in a cave
The new species, named "Sinocyclocheilus longicornus", was found in a small
mountain cave
pond just 1.8 meters wide and 0.8 meters deep in China's Guizhou province, during a survey expedition. of cave fish, indicates
RT.
The size of the body of the fish reaches 10 - 14 centimeters, it has tiny rudimentary eyes, which have already lost their functions.
Thus, two pairs of whisker-like wattles
help it orient itself in the dark
.
Two pairs of whisker-like wattles help it orient itself in the dark.
On the sides it also has a layer of highly sensitive cells, which react to changes in pressure, temperature and salinity of the water, says
RT
.
At the moment, scientists have not been able to clarify the main function of the
horn
, which is also present in some other species of this genus such as "Sinocyclocheilus angularis" or "Sinocyclocheilus microphthalmus".
look also
Sex, drugs and rock: the 20 most famous groupies in history
look also
They report the world's first case of Alzheimer's in a 19-year-old patient
look also
The Dodo, a flightless bird that has been extinct since the 17th century, will be revived
GML
