‘Humpback’ creature with golden body discovered in China cave is new species
In a dark cave in southern China carved out by a subterranean river, a “golden” creature sat hidden from the world.
It was a new species of cavefish — one of many poorly known or undiscovered fish living in a complex cave system about which researchers say “very little is known,” according to a May 13 study published in the journal ZooKeys.
Sinocyclocheilus zhenningensis, or the Zhenning Golden-lined Barbel, belongs to a group of fish found only in the southwestern karst area “adjacent to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China,” according to a 2016 study.
The species, which ranges from 3 to 7 inches long, is described as having a golden yellow body, with a distinct gold line down the middle and “many black bars of various sizes,” according to researchers.
While it’s body is covered with scales, the scales are “buried beneath” its skin, researchers said.
Unlike other species in the genus, the Zhenning Golden-lined Barbel has normal eyes and colorful pigment —features that are normally reduced or absent in cave-dwelling species, according to the study.
The fish has a “humpback,” but also lacks the horn above its eyes present on related species.
It was discovered in a cave in Zhenning County in China’s Guizhou Province, about 615 straight-line miles northwest from Hong Kong.
The research team included Leishan Wang, Qi Luo and Renyi Zhang.
This story was originally published May 13, 2025 at 5:02 PM with the headline "‘Humpback’ creature with golden body discovered in China cave is new species."
