Apterichtus kanniyakumari

Why in news?

A new species of finless snake eel named have discovered in Kanniyakumari.

• It is a finless snake eel species.
• Scientific name – Apterichtus kanniyakumari.
• Genus – Apterichtus.
  • It is the 16^th species discovered by the National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR) team from the Indian coast.
• Discovery location – Colachel coast in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu.
• The specimens were collected from deep-sea trawl landings at a depth of about 100 meters.
• Nomenclature - Named after Kanniyakumari to honor the district’s cultural, linguistic, historical and geographical significance.
• Morphology -
  • Appearance - Golden-yellow body with a pale white underside on its head and three distinct black blotches.
  • One blotch is located behind the eye, one is at the corner of the mouth (rictus), and one is behind the origin of the rictus.
  • Size - The eel measures less than 40 cm in length.
• Sex - Sex of the specimens could not be confirmed.
• Distinguishing characteristics - It can be differentiated from similar species by its head length, tail length, and body depth at the gill openings.
• Genetical variation - Genetic analysis confirmed it as a distinct species.
  • It is closely related to another local eel, Apterichtus nanjilnaduensis, which was named after the ancient name of the same region.
• Significance – The finding highlights the unexplored biodiversity of the Arabian Sea and the rich marine ecosystem of the Kanniyakumari region.

Reference

The Hindu | Apterichtus kanniyakumari