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Type: Article
Published: 2020-01-22
Page range: 283–288
Abstract views: 79
PDF downloaded: 3

Ophichthus kailashchandrai sp. nov. (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae): a new species of snake eel from Indian waters, Bay of Bengal

Estuarine Biology Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Gopalpur-on-Sea, Ganjam, Odisha, India-761002.
Bajkul Milani Mahavidyalaya, Kismat Bajkul, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India-721655.
Estuarine Biology Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Gopalpur-on-Sea, Ganjam, Odisha, India-761002.
Marine Fish Section, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India-700016
Pisces West Bengal new species Ophichthinae

Abstract

A new snake eel (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae: Ophichthinae) species, Ophichthus kailashchandrai sp. nov., is described from three specimens, collected from the Shankarpur fishing harbour located on the northern part of the Bay of Bengal, West Bengal, India. Ophichthus kailashchandrai sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners by having its dorsal-fin origin at the posterior third of the pectoral fin, preanal length 2.6–2.8 in TL, uniserial maxillary and mandibular teeth and vertebral count (predorsal vertebrae 14–15, preanal vertebrae 54–55, and total vertebrae 180–182).

 

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