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A new species of finless
snake eel has been discovered and named Apterichtus kanniyakumari.
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The name honours the
Kanniyakumari district. The discovery was made by scientists from the National
Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR) in Kochi.
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NBFGR operates under the
Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
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The eel was found near
the Colachel coast in Kanniyakumari.
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It was collected during
deep-sea trawling at a depth of around 100 meters.
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Researchers examined two
specimens for the study. They conducted detailed anatomical, vertebral, and
genetic analyses.
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These confirmed that the
eel is a previously unknown species. The findings were published in the journal
"Zootaxa".
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The species belongs to
the genus "Apterichtus". It has unique body proportions, such as a head
length of 9.6–9.7% of total length.
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The tail length is
1.8–1.9% of total length. It has three preopercular pores and nine
supratemporal pores.
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Its teeth are conical and
arranged in a single row. The body is golden-yellow in colour.
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The underside of the head
is pale white with yellow lines along the lower jaw.
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There are three black
blotches: one behind the eye, one at the rictus, and one behind it.
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This is the 16th marine
species identified by the NBFGR team along the Indian coast.
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The name reflects the cultural
and geographical importance of Kanniyakumari.