Pointy-toothed creature with long tail and spots found in India. It’s a new species
A long creature covered with dark spots slithered through the water off the coast of India — and straight into a massive net dragging along the ocean floor.
Scientists at the Mudasalodai fish landing center were checking fishing nets when they came across the creature, and four others like it, and realized they had discovered a new species of snake-eel, according to a study published Nov. 14 in the Journal of Fish Biology.
The snake-eels, named Ophichthus naevius, were distinguished by their “unique color pattern” and their “pointed” teeth, researchers said in the study. The specimens, which are not considered endangered, were dead when they were found in the trawl.
The new species is a type of Ophichthidae, an eel also known as a “snake-eel” or “worm-eel,” according to the study.
The eels “thrive along the intertidal to the deep-sea region,” researchers said. Ophichthus naevius specimens were collected approximately 80 feet to 100 feet underwater.
Scientists said the creatures are “moderately” long — one of the specimens measured just under 15 inches. Their tails are especially long, ranging from 58.1% to 60% of their total body length.
The eels also have “tiny” teeth on their jaw that are “pointed” and “conical,” according to the study.
Researchers described the eel as having “numerous dense dark spots” on their head and body that extend down their tail. Their front side is lighter in color and has fewer spots.
The eels have a yellowish to translucent fins on their sides, the study said. Their dorsal and anal fins are white and brown, and the tip of their tail is “yellowish brown.”
Scientists named the new species after its spots, according to the study. “Naevius” is the Latin word for moles or spots.
The new species is from the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean, researchers said. Specimens were collected off Cuddalore, which is on the southeast coast of India.
This story was originally published November 20, 2023 at 1:55 PM with the headline "Pointy-toothed creature with long tail and spots found in India. It’s a new species."
