Berhampur: Scientists at the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in Gopalpur have recorded two rare deep-sea eel species for the first time in Indian waters, marking a significant addition to the country’s marine biodiversity.
The specimen of the two rare eel species, Coloconger scholesi and Ophichthus erabo, were collected off the Kollam coast in Kerala during commercial bottom trawling by fisherman Sunil Raj. The discovery was made by a team of researchers at Estuarine Biology Regional Centre at Gopalpur in collaboration with Marine Biology Regional Centre in Chennai.
Dr Anil Mohapatra, a scientist at ZSI, explained that Coloconger scholesi belongs to the rarely reported eel genus Coloconger, which had only one species (Coloconger raniceps) previously recorded in Indian waters.
The newly identified Coloconger scholesi species exhibits a uniformly blackish-brown body, with the colour remaining consistent even after preservation. The fins, tongue, palatine region, peritoneum, and stomach are also black, and its tube-like cephalic sensory canals and lateral line pores are distinctly dark.
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Regarding Ophichthus erabo, Mohapatra said this species of blotched snake-eel had never before been documented along the Indian coast. “It is distinguishable from its close relative, Ophichthus polyophthalmus, by the presence of numerous dark brown semicircular blotches that are smaller and denser on the head and gradually become larger along the body and tail,” he said.
The eel features a brownish olive to pale yellow dorsal surface and a white underside. Its dorsal fin has oblong markings that match the body pattern, while the anal fin is fully white and the pectoral fi ns bear scattered small spots, he added.
Previously, Ophichthus erabo was known from regions such as South Africa, Japan, Ogasawara Island, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
The research was conducted by a team including Dr Mohapatra, Dr KK Bineesh, Dr Swaroop Ranjan Mohanty, Rajesh Kumar Behera, Sweta Beura, Moumita Das, Praveen Rosario, and Smrutirekha Acharya.
Detailed descriptions of Coloconger scholesi have been published in the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, while the study on Ophichthus erabo appeared in National Academy Science Letters.
Mohapatra said the discovery not only enhances India’s ichthyological records but also contributes to a deeper understanding of the distribution and biodiversity of deep-sea fish in the Indian Ocean region.
PNN
