‘Large’-eyed creature with 4 nostrils found in China river. It’s a new species
In an underground river of southern China, a scaly creature with four nostrils tucked itself into a burrow. Its “large” eyes scanned the aquatic landscape, but it wasn’t the only one looking around.
Visiting scientists found the lurking animal — and discovered a new species.
A team of researchers spent eight years surveying aquatic cave life in the Beipanjiang River system near Panzhou City, according to a study published June 20 in the peer-reviewed journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.
During a survey in 2019, the team caught just over a dozen cave fish that looked vaguely familiar, the study said.
But when they took a closer look, researchers couldn’t match the fish to any known species and realized they’d discovered a new species: Sinocyclocheilus panzhouensis, or the Panzhou golden-lined barbel.
Panzhou golden-lined barbel fish have “elongated” bodies reaching about 5 inches in length, the study said. Their “short” heads have “large” eyes, four nostrils and “wide” mouths with rows of “curved and pointed” teeth.
Photos show the new species after being caught and preserved. In life, the fish is “light golden yellow” with see-through fins and “irregular black markings,” the study said.
Panzhou golden-lined barbel fish were found in “burrows connected to surface rivers,” researchers said. Much about the new species’s lifestyle remains unknown.
Researchers said they named the new species after Panzhou City near where it was first discovered and, so far, the only place where it has been found. Panzhou City is in Guizhou province of south-central China.
The new species was identified by its head shape, body scales, markings, mouth shape, fin structure and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 1.5% genetic divergence from other related fish species.
The research team included Zhi-Xia Chen, Tao Luo, Zi-Fa Zhao, Ming-Yuan Xiao, Jia-Jun Zhou and Jiang Zhou.
This story was originally published June 23, 2025 at 2:01 PM with the headline "‘Large’-eyed creature with 4 nostrils found in China river. It’s a new species."
