Why in News? 

A team of researchers from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research – National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBFGR), Kochi, recently discovered and identified a new species of finless snake eel. The species, named Apterichtus kanniyakumari, was found off the Colachel coast in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, highlighting the rich yet underexplored marine biodiversity of the Arabian Sea. The discovery has been formally published in the internationally renowned peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa.

Key Points

• Species Name: Apterichtus kanniyakumari.
• Classification: It is a species of finless snake eel belonging to the genus Apterichtus and family Ophichthidae.
• Discovery Location: Colachel coast in the Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu.
• Habitat: Collected from deep-sea trawl landings at a depth of about 100 meters in the Arabian Sea.
• Nomenclature: Named after the Kanyakumari district to honour its cultural and geographical significance.
• Distinguishing Feature: The new species has a distinct golden-yellow body with three characteristic black blotches on its head (behind the eye, at the corner of the mouth, and behind the origin of the rictus).
• Significance: This marks the 16th new species discovered from the Indian coast by the NBFGR team, underscoring the need for further taxonomic research to strengthen India's biodiversity catalogue.

Important Terms

• Apterichtus: The genus of the eel, meaning "fish without fins," referring to the absence of pectoral and other typical fins.
• Ophichthidae: The scientific family commonly known as Snake Eels, characterized by their burrowing behaviour using a rigid, pointed tail.
• Finless Snake Eel: An eel that lacks pectoral, dorsal, and anal fins, giving it a smooth, serpentine appearance, and typically burrows into sand or mud substrate.
• CO1 Gene Analysis: Molecular analysis of the mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I gene, a common technique in biology for species identification and genetic distinction.
• Zootaxa: A widely recognised international scientific journal for animal taxonomy.