RAMANATHAPURAM: Researchers of the National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR), functioning under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), have discovered two eel species, one each from the coasts of Gulf of Mannar in Ramanathapuram and Kochi in Kerala.
The newly discovered Congrid eels belong to genus Ariosoma, and research articles on the species have been published and approved by concerned authorities, sources said. The species collected from the Gulf of Mannar has been named 'Ariosoma kannani' (to honour the late Prof L Kannan, Former Director of Marine Biology at Annamalai University and former Vice Chancellor of Thiruvalluvar University) and the species from Kerala coast has been named 'Ariosoma gracile' in accordance with its morphological characters.
Stating that the discovery adds to the growing understanding of the marine bio-diversity in Indian waters, Dr TT Ajith Kumar, Principal Scientist & Head of the Centre for Peninsular Aquatic Genetic Resources in ICAR-NBFGR, said, "Eels, scientifically known as Anguilliformes, represent a fish group that has received limited attention in terms of research, particularly in India. This discovery adds to the growing understanding of marine biodiversity in Indian waters. Until now, only a handful of research institutes have been studying the biodiversity of this less-explored group, and NBFGR is taking the lead in conducting exploratory surveys in the water bodies from Himalayas to Lakshadweep."
Speaking about Ariosoma kannani, he said the species has been described on the basis of specimens collected through exploration surveys conducted along the landing centre of Rameswaram and Gulf of Mannar. "Researchers conducted extensive morphological analysis, skeleton radiography, and advanced molecular markers combined with species delimitation computational techniques to conclude that the Congrid eel specimens from Gulf of Mannar were distinct from other species of the same genus," he added.
According to NBFGR researchers, a comprehensive study is needed for a better understanding of the species and its evolution. The examination aims to grasp the characteristics of the fish group and bio-diversity along the Indian coast. The protein profiling of these eels will be analysed and based on the results, it will be recommended for public consumption, they added.
Further, they stated that the holotype specimens of the new species were registered at the National Fish Museum and Repository of ICAR-NBFGR, Lucknow, and published in the internationally renowned peer-reviewed journal 'Zoosystematics and Evolution'. The names of the species have also been registered in ZooBank, the online registration system for the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN). With the new discovery, NBFGR is credited for exploring 12 eel species, six each from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, in the recent past.