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Description of a new congrid eel, Ariosoma albimaculata sp. nov. (Anguilliformes: Congridae), from the southwest coast of India, Arabian Sea

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Abstract

Ariosoma albimaculata sp. nov. is described herein based on ten specimens [240–487 mm total length (TL)] collected from the deep-sea trawl landings at Colachel fishing harbour, off Kanyakumari, Arabian Sea, west coast of India. The new species is easily distinguished from all other congeners reported earlier, except its sympatric species, Ariosoma maurostigma Kodeeswaran, Mohapatra, Dhinakaran, Kumar and Lal 2022, having dark mark or streak present in the posterior-dorsal margin of eye orbit, but it readily differs from A. maurostigma with the presence of more total vertebrae (161–164 vs. 136–142 in A. maurostigma); more preanal vertebrae (66–68 vs. 47–51); occurrence of white spot or dot on just before the dorsal-fin origin (vs. absent in A. maurostigma); larger preanal length (49.7–55.7% TL vs. 44.0–48.8% TL); larger trunk length (30.4–33.3% TL vs. 23.5–30.2% TL); shorter tail length (44.6–48.2% TL vs. 47.8–54.6% TL). Further, A. albimaculata differs from its sister taxon A. maurostigma with a divergence of 8.1% and other congeners with the genetic distance of 15.0–28.8% in partial mitochondrial COI gene.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Director of ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR), Lucknow (Grant No. IXX12641), for providing financial support under the Institute project on Exploration in marine islands and encouragement. Dr. Anil Mohapatra, Scientist-E, Zoological Survey of India, is acknowledged for his valuable suggestion regarding species identification. The authors extending their thanks to Mr. Rujan, M. F. Sc., student of ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, for his assistance in sample collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 226 002, India

    Paramasivam Kodeeswaran, Deepa Dhas, Thipramalai Thangappan Pillai Ajith Kumar & Kuldeep Kumar Lal

  2. Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Kochi, Kerala, 682 506, India

    Paramasivam Kodeeswaran & Deepa Dhas

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  1. Paramasivam Kodeeswaran
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Correspondence to Thipramalai Thangappan Pillai Ajith Kumar.

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Kodeeswaran, P., Dhas, D., Kumar, T.T.P.A. et al. Description of a new congrid eel, Ariosoma albimaculata sp. nov. (Anguilliformes: Congridae), from the southwest coast of India, Arabian Sea. Ichthyol Res 70, 233–242 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-022-00882-1

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