Ophichthus kailashchandrai is the newest species of snake eel from Shankarpur fishing harbor, West Bengal in India. The common name proposed for this species is Kailash Chandra’s snake eel. The description is based on three collected specimens from the north part of the Bay of Bengal. The new snake eel is about 16.5-18 inches in length. The preserved specimens light brown, with white dorsal, anal and pectoral fins.
The first specimen was collected on 12 December 2015. Currently, this species is only known from the Bay of Bengal (West Bengal), India. The species is named in the honor of Dr. Kailash Chandra, Director, Zoological Survey of India. Who has given his vast contributions to the Indian animal taxonomy.
In the future, we should expect many more species being discovered from India which is an ideal location for marine life. There is more to the newly described Ophichthus kailashchandrai, if you want to read more about this species. [ZooTaxa]
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