We report on the detection of a large, extended HI cloud complex in the GAMAG23 field, located at a redshift of $z\,\sim\,0.03$, observed as part of theMeerHOGS campaign (a pilot survey to explore the mosaicing capabilities ofMeerKAT). The cloud complex, with a total mass of $10^{10.0}\,M_\odot$, lies inproximity to a large galaxy group with $M_\mathrm{dyn}\sim10^{13.5}\,M_\odot$.We identify seven HI peak concentrations, interconnected as a tenuous 'chain'structure, extending $\sim 400\,\mathrm{kpc}$ from east-to-west, with thelargest (central) concentration containing $10{^{9.7}}\,M_\odot$ in HI gasdistributed across $50\,\mathrm{kpc}$. The main source is not detected inultra-violet, optical or infrared imaging. The implied gas mass-to-light($M_\mathrm{HI}$/$L_\mathrm{r}$) is extreme ($>$1000) even in comparison toother 'dark clouds'. The complex has very little kinematic structure($110\,\mathrm{km}\,\mathrm{s}^{-1}$), making it difficult to identify cloudrotation. Assuming pressure support, the total mass of the centralconcentration is $>10^{10.2}\,M_\odot$, while a lower limit to the dynamicalmass in the case of full rotational support is $10^{10.4}\,M_\odot$. If thecentral concentration is a stable structure, it has to contain some amount ofunseen matter, but potentially less than is observed for a typical galaxy. Itis, however, not clear whether the structure has any gravitationally stableconcentrations. We report a faint UV--optical--infrared source in proximity toone of the smaller concentrations in the gas complex, leading to a possiblestellar association. The system nature and origins is enigmatic, potentiallybeing the result of an interaction with or within the galaxy group it appearsto be associated with.

Formation process(es) of galactic bulges are not yet clarified althoughseveral mechanisms have been proposed. In a previous study, we suggested onepossibility that galactic bulges have been formed from the cold gas inflowingthrough surrounding hot halo gas in massive dark matter halos at highredshifts. It was shown that this scenario leads to the bulge-to-total stellarmass ratio increasing with the galaxy mass, in agreement with the well-knownobserved trend. We here indicate that it also reproduces recent observationalresults that the mean stellar age of the bulge increases with the galaxy masswhile the age gradient across the bulge decreases. We infer that this formationpath applies mainly to high-mass galaxies and the bulges in lower-mass galaxieshave different origins such as secular formation from the disc material.