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ICAR-CMFRI scientists have described a new conger eel species from the deep Arabian Sea and named it Ariosoma cmfriense. The name marks the institute's 80th anniversary year.
The specimen was collected in January 2026 off Kollam, Kerala, at about 300 m depth, and confirmed as new by morphological and molecular analysis.
It differs from the 12 recognised Ariosoma species known from Indian and neighbouring waters. For example, it has 135 vertebrae and 127-130 lateral-line pores.
The work was done under the Ministry of Earth Sciences' Deep Ocean Mission and published in Zootaxa. The holotype is in CMFRI's Marine Biodiversity Museum.
Research on marine fisheries, mariculture and marine biodiversity; runs the Marine Biodiversity Museum
Runs the Deep Ocean Mission, under which the specimen was studied
Explore deep-sea living and non-living resources and develop deep-sea technology
Key: Approved June 2021 with ₹4,077 crore for five years; includes Samudrayaan (crewed submersible Matsya6000, rated to 6,000 m) and deep-sea biodiversity exploration
The eel was collected in the south-eastern Arabian Sea off Kollam (Kerala), on the continental slope at about 300 m depth.
GS Paper III > Biodiversity; Prelims > New species
General Awareness > Environment
Which Indian state has the longest coastline?
Answer: Gujarat
The single specimen designated as the name-bearing reference for a new species
A marine eel of the family Congridae, found in coastal and deep waters
Using DNA sequences to separate closely related species