Scientists of the Zoological Survey of India have stumbled across new eel species in West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district, a top ZSI official said. Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) Director Dr. Dhriti Banerjee told PTI that the new eel species were collected from the Petuaghat fishing harbor in the district this year.
"We plan to list the eel discovery along with other biodiversity findings of ZSI next year," Banerjee said. The recently discovered eel species has been named Ariosoma Bengalense in name of its connection to the state. The species is distributed in the northern part of the Bay of Bengal, she explained. The color of the species is brown. The species has larger eyes in comparison to similar congeners.
The scientists and research scholars who were involved in this finding included different institutions from West Bengal as well as ZSI, Odisha. The educational institutions included Bajkul Milani Mahavidyalaya and Jhargram Raj College. ZSI scientist Dr. Anil Mohapatra said two specimens were collected from the Petuaghat fishing harbor, West Bengal along the Bay of Bengal on a boat. While marking those specimens it was found to be an undescribed one, Mohapatra said. Hence, the scientists described the new species on the basis of two specimens collected from the northern part of the Bay of Bengal.
The specimens were documented and photographed in the Museum of Estuarine Biology Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Gopalpur-on-Sea (EBRC, ZSI).
