Important Facts For Prelims
Two New Species of Eels
- 30 Aug 2019
- 2 min read
Recently, two new species of Marine Eels have been discovered by Estuarine Biology Regional Centre (EBRC) of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).
- One of them, a short brown un-patterned Moray Eel, named Gymnothorax andamanensesis, is found near the south Andaman coast.
- 10 species of short brown unpatterned moray eels have been discovered in the world, out of which two were found in Indian waters.
- Another is a new white-spotted Moray Eel, now named Gymnothorax smithi.
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.
Zoological Survey of India
- The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), a subordinate organization of the Ministry of Environment and Forests was established in 1916.
- It is a national centre for faunistic survey and exploration of the resources leading to the advancement of knowledge on the exceptionally rich faunal diversity of the country.
- It has its headquarters at Kolkata and 16 regional stations located in different geographic locations of the country.
