Subterranean Fishes of the World

Country

Types

Holotype: BNHS FWF 980 25.4mm SL.

Paratypes: BNHS FWF 981-996 22.1mm-26.4mm SL.

Distribution

Type locality: a 6m deep well at Cherinjal, Kozhikode District, Kerala State, India (11°17’42”N, 75°52’7”E, altitude 40m).

Also known from: Indianoor (10°58’56.20”N, 76°2’32.51”E, 37 m. asl) near the town of Kottakkal, India (Sundar et al. 2022), which is 40km south of the type locality.

Habitat

In common with other subterranean fishes in the area (Horaglanis krishnai, H. alikunhii, H. abdulkalami, Kryptoglanis shajii, Kryptoglanis undet, Rakthamichthys indicus, R. roseni, R. digressus and Aenigmachanna gollum) this species probably inhabits very small openings within the laterite aquifer. These are probably of the order of 5-10cm maximum diameter though there may well me many kilometers of tunnels overall. Animals are only seen, and sampled, via man-made well used for water-supply purposes.

Systematics

The two subterranean Pangio species are each others sister species (see below). Britz, Ali and Raghavan 2012 described Pangio ammophila from the Western Ghats. A phylogenetic tree of the genus Pangio, based on mitochondrial co1 gene, given in Sundar et al. (2022) shows that P. ammophila is the sister species to a clade composed of the two subterranean Pangio species, P. bhujia and P. pathala. It seems very likley that either P. ammophila is the direct ancestor of both subterranen species, or that all three of these are derived from a fourth, so far unknown, species.

Biological Notes

Pangio bhujia appears to be a relatively long evolved troglomorph. It has little or no pigment, tiny eyes covered with skin, and a further, and not often seen troglomorphic character, of relatively very big eggs.

Eyes greatly reduced, pigment greatly reduced (GR/GR phenotype of Farley (2021), see also Metadata section for more details of this classification).

Museum Holdings

As above only.