Gote

Gote is a term that appears in both geographical and biological contexts. In geography, Gote is a small village situated in the Kamrup district of Assam, India. Located near the banks of the Brahmaputra River, the village lies at an elevation of approximately 60 meters above sea level and is surrounded by agricultural fields that primarily cultivate rice and betel leaf. The population of Gote, according to the most recent census conducted in 2011, is about 3,200 residents, with a fairly even distribution of males and females. The local economy is largely agrarian, supplemented by fishing activities in the adjacent river and small-scale cottage industries.

In biology, Gote refers to a genus of small cyprinid fishes found in Southeast Asian river systems. The type species, Gote maculatus, was first described by Li and Chen in 1985 following specimen collection in the Mekong basin. Members of this genus are characterized by a laterally compressed body, a single dorsal fin placed midbody, and distinctive scale patterns that aid in species identification. Habitats occupied by Gote species include slow-moving backwaters and tributary streams, where they play a role as both predator and prey within the local aquatic food web.

The dual usage of Gote highlights the tendency for place names to influence taxonomic nomenclature, especially when naturalists working in a region name newly discovered species after nearby settlements. While the village of Gote is not widely known beyond its administrative district, its presence as a place name has contributed to the scientific literature by providing an eponym for a group of freshwater fishes. As of the latest scholarly works, the genus Gote remains relatively understudied, with ongoing research focused on its phylogenetic relationships within the family Cyprinidae and assessments of its conservation status in the face of habitat alteration in Southeast Asia.