A new congrid eel, Rhynchoconger randalli sp. nov. (Congridae: Anguilliformes), with a pentagonal pattern of vomer dentition from the Bay of Bengal, Indian waters

摘要

A new species Rhynchoconger randalli sp. nov. is described herein on the basis of 2 specimens collected from Paradeep fishing harbor, Odisha, India along the Bay of Bengal from a depth of about 36-40 meters. The pentagonal vomerine teeth pattern is unique among all the Rhynchoconger species described to date. The new species is characterized by predorsal vertebrae 7-8 and preanal vertebrae 29-31. The new species closely resembles the recently described Rhynchoconger smithi, but differs in having a larger eye diameter (12.5?12.9% HL vs. 9.5?9.7% in R. smithi), smaller interorbital space (13.1?13.5% HL vs. 15.0?18.1 in R. smithi), lower dorsal-fin ray count before vent 44?47 vs. 54?58 in R. smithi, and unique pentagonal vomerine teeth pattern.