Kolkata, July 13, 2022

Scientists and research scholars of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered a new eel species based on two specimens collected from Petuaghat fishing harbour, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal. The new species has been termed as Bengal conger, stated Dr Dhriti Banerjee, Director, ZSI. The species belong to the family congridae and order Anguilliformes. The recently discovered species has been named as Ariosoma Bengalense in the name of collection locality. The species is distributed in the northern part of Bay of Bengal. The colour of the species is brown. The species has larger eyes in comparison to the similar congeners. The species has total vertebrae 146-149. Both supratemporal pores and myorhabdoi absent in the new species. The species has a total length 316-304mm.

The scientists and research scholars who were involved in this finding included different institutions from West Bengal as well as ZSI, Odisha. The Educational institutions included Bajkul Milani Mahavidyalaya, Jhargram Raj College, Estuarine Biology Regional Centre, ZSI, Gopalpur on sea, Odisha.

According to Dr Anil Mohapatra, Scientist, Estuarine Biology Regional Centre, ZSI, Gopalpur on sea, Odisha, two specimens were collected from the Petuaghat fishing harbour, West Bengal along the Bay of Bengal, India via a boat operating a trawl net at a depth of 168 m. The specimens were measured, photographed and deposited in the Museum of Estuarine Biology Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Gopalpur-on-Sea (EBRC, ZSI). The terminology, counts and measurements follow Böhlke (1989). Head pores and teeth were counted using a Leica EZ4 microscope. Morphometrics were made with digital calipers and recorded to the nearest 0.1 mm. Vertebrae were counted by means of digital radiograph.

This species is currently known from the northern part of the Bay of Bengal (West Bengal), India, 197 km away from the Deshpran fishing harbor, at a depth of 168 m (21047.752’N, 87052.869’E), within the Exclusive Economic Zone of India.

The new species differs from four of the seven species reported from India: Ariosoma majus, A. melanospilos, A. maurostigma and A. indicum with absence of supratemporal pores vs. three in all the species mentioned.

While collecting Eel samples from the East coast of India, the scientists collected two specimens of the genus Ariosoma from the Petuaghat fishing harbour, West Bengal and while identifying those specimens it was found to be an undescribed species. Herein, the scientists described the new species of the genus Ariosoma on the basis of two specimens collected from the northern part of the Bay of Bengal, India.

The discovery got a good mileage as the story has been published in Zootaxa, published by Magnolia Press, New Zealand recently.

*********

PG/SSS/