New species of Moray eel discovered off Cuddalore coast named after Tamil Nadu

A team of scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has discovered a new species of Moray Eel fish from the Cuddalore coast in Tamil Nadu. The new species has been named “Gymnothorax Tamilnaduensis” after Tamil Nadu and has been given the common name of “Tamil Nadu brown moray eel”.

About The Discovery of Moray eel:

A team of scientists from the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) have discovered a new species of moray eel fish in the Cuddalore coast, which has been named Gymnothorax Tamilnaduensis or Tamil Nadu brown moray eel.

After conducting an extensive exploration survey and analysis of the fish’s morphology, skeleton radiography and molecular markers, the researchers concluded that it is a distinct species of the genus Gymnothorax.

Significance of This Discovery:

This discovery increases the number of Gymnothorax species in Indian waters from 28 to 29, and is the first to be found in the south-eastern coast of India in the Bay of Bengal.

The holotype of the new species is registered at the National Fish Museum and Repository of ICAR-NBFGR Lucknow, and the species name is registered in the Zoobank, the online registration system for the international commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN).

About Moray Eels:

• Moray Eels occur in all tropical and subtropical seas, they live in shallow water among reefs and rocks.
• They are known for two types of jaws: one is regular (oral) jaws with big teeth and the second jaw is called the pharyngeal jaw (which drags prey inside the eels stomach).
• There IUCN red list status is Least Concern.