Kolkata, Oct. 27 -- Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered and described a new species of Electric Ray, Tetronarce ramanamurthyi sp. nov., from the deep waters of the southeastern Arabian Sea in the northern Indian Ocean.
The research was carried out under the Ministry of Earth Sciences' Deep Ocean Mission project, which focuses on the taxonomy, distribution, biology and status of deep-sea chondrichthyans (cartilaginous fishes) in Indian waters. The findings have been published in the international taxonomy journal Zootaxa.
The discovery marked the first confirmed record of the genus Tetronarce in the northern Indian Ocean, shedding new light on the rich and poorly explored biodiversity of India's deep-sea ecosystems.
The discovery was led by KK Bineesh (Scientist E) and Anil Kasinath (Junior Research Fellow) from the Marine Biology Regional Centre (MBRC) of ZSI in Chennai, in collaboration with David A. Ebert of the Pacific Shark Research Center of Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, San Jose State University, USA. The species has been named Tetronarce ramanamurthyi in honour of MV Ramana Murthy, Mission Director of the Deep Ocean Mission, Ministry of Earth Sciences.
"Deep-sea marine habitats remain among the most difficult ecosystems to study. By integrating classical morphological taxonomy with modern molecular tools, hidden marine life may be uncovered, evolutionary relationships may be clarified and critical baselines for ocean conservation can be established," a press statement issued by ZSI said, quoting the research team.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.