Cave creature with ‘visible’ internal organs found in China. It’s a new species
At the mouth of an underground river in southern China, a cave creature with “visible” internal organs moved “slowly” through the clear water. Something about it caught the attention of passing scientists — and for good reason.
It turned out to be a new species.
A team of researchers visited the Baishuijiang National Aquatic Germplasm Resources Reserve for Endemic Fish several times in 2023 as part of a project to survey aquatic cave ecosystems, according to a study published Sept. 26 in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys.
During the visits, researchers used “dip nets” to collect some unfamiliar-looking fish from a cave entrance, the study said. Intrigued, they took a closer look at the animals, analyzed their DNA and quickly realized they’d discovered a new species: Triplophysa baishuijiangensis, or the Baishuijiang high-plateau loach.
Baishuijiang high-plateau loaches have “elongated” and scaleless bodies reaching about 3 inches in length, the study said. Their eyes are “reduced to black pigment spots,” and their “slightly pointed” snouts have six whisker-like barbels.
Male and female Baishuijiang high-plateau loaches vary slightly, the study said. Males have “bell”-shaped heads, while females have “triangle”-shaped heads.
Photos show the “semi-transparent” and “flesh-colored” new species. Seen from below, its “internal organs (are) vaguely visible,” researchers said.
Baishuijiang high-plateau loaches are cave fish and live near the entrance of an underground river, the study said. The fish “moves slowly and is easy to capture,” responding to changes in light but being “insensitive to vibrations.”
The new species “notably” showed classic cave-adaptations, such as “extreme ocular degeneration and pigment loss,” but it still “retains the ability to survive briefly outside the cave near its outlets,” the study said.
Researchers said they named the new species after the Baishuijiang National Aquatic Germplasm Resources Reserve for Endemic Fish where it was first discovered and, so far, the only place where it has been found. The reserve is in northern Yunnan, a province of southern China bordering Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
The new species was identified by its coloring, fin shape, internal anatomy, eyes and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 10% genetic divergence from related species.
The research team included Min Shi, Yuan-Chao Chen, Xing-Jin Che, Wei Dao, Wen-Ming Liu, Deng-Shan Wang, Jun-Xing Yang and Xiao-Ai Wang.
This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 7:28 AM with the headline "Cave creature with ‘visible’ internal organs found in China. It’s a new species."
