New species of blind freshwater eel has been by four scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).

• Eel species was discovered from a well in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• As per scientists, eel is a blind freshwater hypogean.
• This is the first such discovered species from Maharashtra and Northern western Ghats.

• Species has been named as ‘Rakthamichtys mumba’ to pay tribute to the city it was found in.
• Newly discovered freshwater bright-pink coloured species is completely blind and a subterranean freshwater fish.
• The blind eel has a genetic distance of 21.6 – 22.8% as compared to other known species of Rakthamicthys genus.
• This is the 5th species from Rakthamicthys genus to have originated from India.

The species was discovered by four scientists namely, Anil Mohapatra, Tejas Thackeray, Praveenraj Jayasimhan and Annam Pavan Kumar. This discovery is the most remarkable one till date.