MORAY EEL - ENVIRONMENT
News: New
species of Moray eel discovered off Cuddalore coast named after Tamil Nadu
What's in the news?
● Researchers
have discovered a new species of Moray eel at the Mudasalodai fish landing
centre off the Cuddalore coast, Tamil
Nadu.
Key takeaways:
● About
28 species of Gymnothorax have been
documented in Indian waters so far. The species discovered off the Cuddalore
coast represents India and increases the total number of species of Gymnothorax
to 29.
Gymnothorax
tamilnaduensis:
● The
species has been named after Tamil Nadu as Gymnothorax tamilnaduensis with
common name as Tamil Nadu brown moray.
Different from others:
● The
new species are notably different from its known Indian water congeners
(organisms of the same genus) by having a series
of lines of small dark spots present on the head and a single line of black
spots on the mid-line of the body.