Search

Rhynchoconger randalli sp. nov. Proposed common name: Randall’s conger eel (Figures 1–4, Table 1) Holotype. EBRC /ZSI/ F13832 (596+ mm TL), Paradeep fish landing centre, Odisha, India, depth of capture: 36–40 m, date of collection: 3 Nov. 2021 Paratype. EBRC /ZSI/ F13833, 1 (599+ mm TL), Paradeep fish landing centre, Odisha, India, depth of capture: 36–40 m, date of collection: 3 Nov. 2021 Diagnosis. A species of the genus Rhynchoconger clearly distinguished from other congeners in having the following combination of characters: distinct pentagonal vomerine tooth patch (Figs. 3–4); posterior tip of vomer clearly ends with single tooth before anterior level of eye; vomerine tooth patch with 48–52 teeth in 8–9 rows; ethmovomerine tooth patch with 60–64 teeth in 7–8 rows; posterior margin of eye just before rictus; dorsal-fin origin slightly anterior to level of gill opening; predorsal vertebrae 7–8; preanal vertebrae 29–31; dorsal-fin rays before vent 44–47; peritoneum and stomach colour pale. Description. A long conger eel of the genus Rhynchoconger with reduced tail tip. Body compressed gradually towards tail (Fig. 1). Dorsal-fin origin slightly anterior to level of gill opening. Posterior margin of eye just before rictus. Width and depth of body at gill opening comparatively larger than those at anus. Head comparatively shorter than trunk (92.63–93.68 % of trunk length). Preanal length (PAL) 3.25 times in TL. Eye diameter 7.73–8 in head length (HL). Snout length 4.63‒4.68 in HL. Elongated pectoral fin (13.66‒13.59% PAL; Table 1). Anterior nostril tubular on ventrolateral side of snout tip, posterior nostril oval in front of mid-eye. Upper jaw clearly extends beyond tip of lower jaw. Upper jaw with unique pentagon-shaped vomerine tooth patch with pointed posterior end. Ethmovomerine teeth remain uncovered when mouth closed. Ethmovomerine tooth patch broader than long, with 60–64 blunt and granular to conical teeth arranged in 7–8 irregular rows, vomerine tooth patch is longer than broad, with 38–52 teeth arranged in 8–9 rows. Vomer, ethmovomerine, and maxilla clearly separated by narrow space from each other. Jaw and vomerine teeth comparatively smaller than ethmovomerine teeth. Maxillary and mandibular teeth mostly conical and blunt, some granular, starting with 5–6 rows anteriorly and narrowing down to 1–2 rows posteriorly (Figs. 3–4). Arrangements of head pores: 3 supraorbital pores, 2 pores present on anterior end of snout and comparatively larger 3 rd pore on dorsal side of anterior snout end; 5 infraorbital pores, 1 st pore present on posterior dorsal side end of anterior nostril, along upper half of upper lip, 2 nd –4 th pores visible on head, and 5 th pore behind rictus; no frontal pore; 7+3 preoperculo-mandibular pores, first two very small pores close to each other among 7 pores along lower jaw, located at end of underside of lower jaw, 6 th pore behind rictus, and 7 th pore situated next to rictal pore, 3 preopercular pores, all preopercular pores comparatively larger than mandibular pores (Fig. 2). Lateral-line pores: 7 predorsal pores, 8 prepectoral pores; 29 (29–31) preanal pores; 125+ (not visible to count after 125) total lateral-line pores. Vertebrae: 8 predorsal vertebrae, 29–31 preanal vertebrae, 125+–136+ total vertebrae. Colour. When fresh, body slightly reddish brown dorsally and pale white ventrally with a silvery streak along the body near the lateral line. From posterior margin of eye to gill opening, a bright silvery patch is observed. The dorsal fin has a black margin from anterior part to posterior end, but the anterior one third portion of anal fin is pale in colour and the rest has a black margin. Pectoral fin pale. Peritoneum and stomach colour pale. After preservation, the basic pattern of colour remains same. The reddish brown colour turns to faint brown colour in preserved specimen. Distribution. Collected from the northern part of the Bay of Bengal, Paradeep, Odisha, India. Etymology. The new species is named in the honour of the renowned ichthyologist John Ernest Randall (USA), posthumously.

Ariosoma bengalense sp. nov. Proposed common name: Bengal conger (Figures1–5, Table 1) Holotype. EBRC / ZSI / F 12898, 304 mm TL, Petua Ghat, West Bengal, India, 29.11.2019. Paratype. EBRC / ZSI / F 12899, 216 mm TL, same data as holotype Diagnosis. A medium sized conger eel with dorsal-fin origin above the gill-opening margin and above the 9 th lateral-line pore, comparatively large circular eyes, mouth cleft below middle of eye, no supratemporal pore, lateralline pores 135–136. Teeth multiserial, moderately large, blunt and granular. Two pale bands cross dorsal surface of head, the first located at the posterior edge of eyes and second on the supratemporal canal. Teeth unequal in size, bluntly pointed teeth interspersed with granular ones on maxilla and vomer. Vomerine tooth patch extends posteriorly to the level of anterior margin of orbit. Vertebral count, 9–10 predorsal; 46–49 preanal; 146–149 total. Description. Morphometric measurements in proportion with TL and HL of the holotype are documented. Data for paratype in parentheses. Body stout and elongate, compressed at tail region, caudal tip stiff. Anus located anterior to midpoint of body, preanal length 41.1% (40.7%) TL. Anal-fin origin just behind anus; anal opening small and oval-shaped. Head length 18.3% (16.7%) TL. Dorsal-fin origin of both holotype and paratype located above the 9 th lateral-line pore and above gill opening margin. Pectoral fin well-developed, tip pointed, with 16 (15) rays, 41.2% (31.9%) HL. Gill opening moderately large, greater than eye diameter. Anterior nostril tubular at tip of upper lip. Posterior nostril elliptical in front of eye at lower level of pupil but not in contact. Eyes relatively large, almost circular, 8.6 (7.3) in HL. Rictus below middle of eye. Snout pointed. Upper jaw 1.2 (1.5) times longer than lower jaw. Head pores small with some slightly enlarged pores. Supraorbital canal with 4 pores; first small ethmoidal pore present at ventral tip of snout, second small pore at immediate above of anterior nostril, third slightly enlarged pore just behind anterior nostril, fourth enlarged pore closer to anterior edge posterior nostril, on level with upper eye. Infraorbital canal with 7 (4+3) pores, first between the nostrils, second just behind posterior nostril, third on mid-eye level, fourth just behind the rictus; three pores present just behind eye. Mandibular pores 9; preopercular pores 3; supratemporal pores absent; predorsal lateral-line pores 9 (Fig.2), preanal lateral-line pores 46–49, total lateral-line pores 135–136. Each series of teeth moderately large, blunt and granular. Maxilla and inter maxillary teeth are continuous (Fig 3). Intermaxillary teeth with 3–4 rows of teeth mixed with both blunted and granular teeth. Maxilla with 1–4 rows of teeth mixed with blunt and granular teeth.. Teeth unequal in size; and blunted teeth are variable in size. Vomer with 1–3 rows in patch that extends posteriorly to mid–eye with blunt teeth from snout tip to middle of vomerine patch and granular teeth towards posterior end; maxillary and intermaxillary teeth patches continuous (Fig.3), without gap or suture between patches. Myorhabdoi absent. Vertebrae: 9–10 predorsal; 46–49 preanal; 61–66 precaudal; 146–149 total. Colouration (in preservative). Body brown, dorsal and anal fins with thin black margins; eye pupil black; two pale bands cross dorsally on head, the first located at posterior end of orbit and second on the supratemporal region. Pectoral fin pale. Distribution. This species is currently known from the northern part of the Bay of Bengal (West Bengal), India, 197 km away from the Deshpran fishing harbor, at a depth of 168 m (21047.752’N, 87052.869’E), within the Exclusive Economic Zone of India. ......continued on the next page TABLE 1. (Continued) ......continued on the next page TABLE 1. (Continued) Note: The upper jaw measurement of A. gnanadossi (Holotype), A. indicum (Non types) and A. majus (from Indian waters) were done by authors. Etymology. The new species is named after the type locality (Bay of Bengal). Comparison. Among all the 35 species reported worldwide, seven Ariosoma species are reported from India to date: A. anago, A. dolichopterum, A. gnanadossi, A. indicum, A. majus, A. maurostigma and A. melanospilos (Kodeeswaran et al. 2021; Roy et al. 2021; Kodeeswaran et al. 2022a, b). However, records of A. anago and A. dolichopterum need to be revisited as the identity of both the species from Indian waters is doubtful. The new species differs significantly from the remaining five species. The new species possesses significantly less preanal vertebrae counts than A. anago (46–49 vs. 54–56) (Smith et al. 2018). The new species differs from A. dolichopterum by substantially higher total vertebrae count (146–149 vs. 127–134) (Karmovskaya, 2015). In the new species the snout length is longer than eye diameter, but in A. gnanadossi, the snout length is almost equal to the eye diameter (11.7–13.7% vs. 18.8–23.6 HL). In addition, in the new species the interorbital space is lesser than A. gnanadossi (7.5–9.8% vs. 18.2% HL) and the trunk length is longer than A. gnanadossi (23.6–24.2% vs. 22.3% TL) (Talwar & Mukherjee 1977, Kodeeswaran et al. 2021). The new species differs from A. indicum by the absence of supratemporal pores (3 in A. indicum) also the new species has comparatively smaller eye diameter than A. indicum (11.7–13.7% vs. 15.3–17.6% in HL in A. indicum) (Kodeeswaran et al. 2022b). The new species differs from A. majus by the absence of supratemporal pores (vs. 3 in A. majus), dorsal-fin origin (dorsal-fin origin above the gill opening in the new species vs. well before gill opening in A. majus) and fewer preanal vertebrae (46–49 vs. 51–55 in A. majus) (Smith et al. 2018, Roy et al. 2021). The new species differs from Ariosoma maurostigma by less preanal length in comparison to percentage of total length 40.7–41.1% vs. 44.0–48.8% in TL (Kodeeswaran et al. 2022a). The new species lacks black coloration near eye and mid dorsal temporal region, whereas Ariosoma melanospilos has two black patches at the posterior margin of the eye and two black spots on each side of mid-dorsal temporal region, for which the new spcies can be easily differentiated from A. melanospilos (Kodeeswaran et al. 2021). Additionally, the preanal vertebrae are fewer in the new species in comparison to A. melanospilos (46–49 vs. 55–56). From remaining 28 species of world seven species: A. balearicum (Delaroche,1809), A. emmae Smith & Ho, 2018, A. gilberti (Ogilby, 1898), A. megalops (Fowler, 1938) A. obud Herre, 1923, A. scheelei (Strömman, 1896) and A. sokotranum Karmovskaya, 1991 have significantly fewer vertebrae than the new species (114–141 vs. 146–149 in the new species) (Castle 1968, Karmovskaya 1991, Karmovskaya 2018, Smith et al. 2018). Seven species, namely A. coquettei Smith & Kanazawa, 1977, A. fasciatum, A. multivertebratum Karmovskaya, 2004, A. nigrimanum, A. sereti Karmovskaya, 2004 A. shiroanago (Asano, 1958) and A. selenops, Reid, 1934, have significantly more vertebrae than the new species (154–172 vs. 146–149) (Smith et al. 2018, Smith & Kanazawa 1977, Karmovskaya, 2004, Castle, 1968). Two species of Ariosoma, namely A. anale (Poey, 1860) A. meeki (Jordan & Snyder, 1900), possess significantly more preanal vertebrae than the new species (52–66 vs. 46–49 in the new species), (Karmovskaya 2018, Smith et al. 2018). Among the remaining 12 species, six species: A. anagoides (Bleeker, 1853), A. bauchotae (Karrer, 1983), A. howensis (McCulloch & Waite, 1916) A. kapala (Castle, 1990), A. mauritianum (Pappenheim, 1914) and A. sazonovi Karmovskaya, 2004, have an overlapping vertebral count with new species. Ariosoma anagoides, A. howensis and A. sazonovi differ from new species in having three supratemporal pores (vs. absent in the new species) (Karmovskaya 2004, Karmovskaya 2018). Ariosoma anagoides possesses more preanal lateral line pores than the new species (54 vs. 46–49). Ariosoma bauchotae differs from the new species in having larger eyes (17.0–18.6% vs. 11.7–13.7% HL) (Karrer 1983). Ariosoma kapala has a lower lateral-line pore count (139) than the new species (135–136), higher precaudal vertebrae count 74 vs. 61–66 in new species and has supratemporal pores (absent in the new species) (Castle 1990). The new species also differs significantly from the remaining eight species. Ariosoma bowersi (Jenkins, 1903) can be distinguished by having a larger eye diameter (4.0 vs. 7.3–8.6 in HL), more preanal length (1.25 vs. 2.4–2.5 in TL), small and sharp teeth (Jenkins 1903) vs. conical and granular teeth in the new species. Ariosoma hemiaspidus (Wade, 1946) possesses significantly fewer lateral-line pores (116 vs. 135–136 in new species) and more preanal lateral-line pores (51 vs. 46–49) (Wade 1946). Ariosoma mellissii (Günther, 1870) has a short snout compared to eye diameter, equal in length to the eye, but in the new species, snout length is 1.42–2.02 longer than the eye diameter. In addition, the eye diameter of Ariosoma mellissii is 0.2 times of head vs. 0.12–0.13 times in the new species and A. mellissii has villiform teeth on jaws vs. blunt and granular teeth in new species (Günther 1870). Ariosoma ophidiophthalmus Karmovskaya, 1991 has more preanal lateral-line pores (54–57) than the new species (46–49); teeth arranged in 7–8 rows on both jaws (vs. 1–4 rows on jaws) and 6–7 rows of vomerine teeth (vs. 1–3 rows in the new species) (Karmovskaya 1991). Ariosoma opistophthalmum (Ranzani, 1839) differs from new species in having a dark brown pectoral fin with black edge (vs. pale pectoral fin without black edge) (Ranzani 1839). Ariosoma sanzoi is described from leptocephali with myomere count of 123 (D’Ancona 1928), far fewer than 146–149 vertebrae of the new species. Ariosoma vomerina Myers & Wade, 1941 differs from the new species in having a very small vomerine tooth patch and the maxillary teeth having similar shape and size to mandibular teeth vs. comparatively long vomerine tooth patch and larger maxillary teeth than mandibular teeth (Myers & Wade 1941). Comparative material: Ariosoma majus — 2 specimens (EBRC / ZSI / F 11528, 225– 291 mm TL), Ariosoma gnanadossi — Holotype (ZSI F 7146 / 2, 283 mm TL), A. maurostigma – Paratypes — 4 specimens (EBRC / ZSI / F12905, 206– 273 mm) and A. indicum — Paratypes: 2 specimens (EBRC / ZSI / F13597) and 7 specimens non types ((EBRC / ZSI / F13604)

Ophichthus kailashchandrai sp. nov. Proposed common name: Kailash Chandra’s snake eel (Figures 1–3, Table1) Holotype. ZSI F 13135 /2 (420 mm TL), date of collection: 12 December 2015, Collection site: Shankarpur fishing harbor, West Bengal, India. Paratypes. EBRC / ZSI/ F10790 (462 mm TL), EBRC /ZSI/ F10791 (421 mm TL), Collection details same as holotype. Diagnosis. A medium-sized species of Ophichthus with preanal length 2.6–2.8 in TL, dorsal fin origin above posterior third of pectoral fin, pectoral fin well developed, posterior nostril a hole in the upper lip opening towards the mouth, covered by a flap. A single barbel between anterior and posterior nostrils. Teeth moderately elongated, conical and sharp. Vomerine teeth start with single tooth, followed by two rows of biserial teeth and uniserial thereafter. Maxillary and mandibular teeth uniserial throughout. Four intermaxillary teeth in two rows. Predorsal vertebrae 14–15, preanal vertebrae 54–55, and total vertebrae 180–182. Description. A moderately elongated eel with DFO above posterior third of pectoral fin. Dorsal fin and anal fin medium. Tail tip finless; dorsal and anal fins end shortly before tail tip. Snout pointed but not sharply, upper jaw slightly longer than lower jaw; lower jaw reaches to below anterior nostril. Anterior nostril small and tubular, nearly reaching the tip of the snout. Posterior nostril a hole in upper lip, opening towards the mouth and covered by a flap. Upper lip with a broad barbel between the anterior and posterior nostrils. Eye moderate, closer to rictus than snout; eye diameter 2.4–2.6 in upper jaw. The details of proportionate measurements are given in Table 1. The details of head pores are shown in Fig. 2. Head pores small frontal pore 1, supraorbital pores 1 + 4; infraorbital pores 4 + 2; preopercular pores 3; mandibular pores 5; 11 lateral-line pores before gill opening & pectoral fin origin; 15–16 pores before dorsal fin and 54–56 lateral line pores before anus. Teeth sharp and conical. Four teeth in the pre-maxilla arranged in almost two rows. Vomerine teeth started with single teeth followed by two rows of biserial teeth and uniserial thereafter. Maxillary teeth uniserial throughout, about 12–14 teeth in each side. Lower jaw teeth in single row throughout with 20–22 teeth each side. The anteriormost part of lower jaw toothless. The details of the arrangements of the teeth in the holotype are shown in Fig. 3. Predorsal vertebrae 14–15, preanal vertebrae 54–55, and total vertebrae 180–182. Colour of the preserved specimens light brown throughout the body, much lighter ventrally. Dorsal fin, anal and pectoral fins white. Eye rim white. Head pores within white rims. Distribution. Known only from the Bay of Bengal (West Bengal), India. Etymology. The species is named after Dr. Kailash Chandra, Director, Zoological Survey of India, in honour of his vast contributions to the Indian animal taxonomy.

Mishra, Subhrendu Sekhar, Mohapatra, Anil, Ray, Dipanjan, Mohanty, Swarup Ranjan, Tudu, Prasad C. (2019): Ophichthus chilkensis Chaudhuri, 1916 (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) - resurrection as a valid species from India, with re-description. Zootaxa 4586 (1): 194-200, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4586.1.13

Ophichthus chilkensis Chaudhuri 1916 (Table 1, Figs. 1���2, 3A, 3B) Ophichthus chilkensis Chaudhuri 1916: 445, Figs. 12���13 (Type locality: Rambha Bay, Chilka Lake, Orissa [Odisha], India). Diagnosis. An extremely elongate snake eel, with head 18.1���20.4 times in TL, about 6.6���7.0 times in preanal length; anterior tubular nostrils on the upper lip; upper lip with a small flap-like barbel between anterior and posterior nostril; eye very small; maxillary and mandibular teeth biserial (inner row discontinuous); vomerine teeth two or three rows; pectoral fin base restricted to the dorsal half of the border of the gill opening; pectoral fin with 13 or 14 branching rays, dorsal fin origin just above pectoral fin tip or slightly behind, total vertebra 206���214 (10��� 11/68���69 /206���214). Description. Body rounded and elongate, slightly tapering towards tail (Fig. 1); tail tip hard and pointed, projects beyond the dorsal and anal fins. Head slightly depressed, 35���43 times in TL and 6.6��� 6.8 times in pre-anal length; upper jaw much longer than lower jaw (nearly 25% greater than the lower jaw); anterior nostril tubular, placed on upper lip and directed downwards; posterior nostril at upper lip edge and covered by a flap; single short flap-like barbel present between anterior and posterior nostril on edge of upper lip; eyes very small 12.5-16.8 times in head length and interorbital width 7.6���9.5 times in head length. Supra orbital pores 1 + 4, infraorbital pores 6, preoperculo-mandibular pores 5 + 2. Lateral line pores distinct along entire length of body. Lateral line pores to pectoral fin 9���10 and to anus 69���71. Vomerine teeth triangular with broad base and pointed teeth arranged in two rows, pre vomerine teeth 3 in rosette (holotype) and 5 in some recently collected specimens and arrangement is as shown in Fig. 3B, prevomerine and vomerine teeth slightly separated from each other; maxillary teeth conical and pointed, biserial (outer row continuous and inner row discontinuous); mandibular teeth conical and biserial anteriorly with 3 teeth each side with single continuous outer row throughout, only 3 teeth in inner in holotype (Fig. 3A), while in two other specimens irregularly biserial (inner row discontinuous) (Fig. 3B). Two specimens have three rows of vomerine teeth (Fig. 3B). Dorsal fin low, originating above tip of pectoral fin (holotype and some recent collections) or slightly behind; pectoral fin fan shaped not elongated, with 13���14 branching rays; pectoral fin base restricted to the dorsal half of the gill opening; anal fin low. Predorsal vertebrae 10���11, preanal vertebrae 68���69 and total vertebra 206���214 (holotype���11/68/206) based on radiograph of 7 specimens including holotype (MVF 11/69/210). Coloration: The colouration is dark olive brown and slightly faded to the abdomen in fresh condition. The portion of gill opening is slightly faded brown colour in comparison to the dorsal portion of the body. Pectoral and dorsal fins dull white, first two third of anal fin is dull white last one third is dark. After long preservation the colour is uniformly faded brown. Distribution. It was described from the Chilika Lagoon, Odisha, India (Chaudhuri, 1916). It���s subsequent collection from Talsari (Balasore district, Odisha), Digha, (West Bengal) along north-western bank of the Bay of Bengal and recently from Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) suggests a broader distribution of the species along the coasts of West Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh (north-eastern coast of India) with high influence of estuarine water., Published as part of Mishra, Subhrendu Sekhar, Mohapatra, Anil, Ray, Dipanjan, Mohanty, Swarup Ranjan & Tudu, Prasad C., 2019, Ophichthus chilkensis Chaudhuri, 1916 (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) - resurrection as a valid species from India, with re-description, pp. 194-200 in Zootaxa 4586 (1) on pages 195-197, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4586.1.13, http://zenodo.org/record/2642659, {"references":["Chaudhuri, B. L. (1916) Fauna of Chilka Lake. Fish (Part II). Memoirs of the Indian Museum, 5, 441 - 458."]}

Ophichthus johnmccoskeri sp. nov. Proposed common name: McCosker���s snake eel (Figures 1���3, Table1) Holotype. ZSI F 12811 /2 (365 mm TL), date of collection: 24 February 2016, Collection site: Shankarpur fishing harbor, West Bengal, India. Paratypes. EBRC/ ZSI/F9971 (342 mm TL), EBRC/ZSI/F9972 (246 mm TL), Collection details same as holotype. Diagnosis. A moderate-sized species of Ophichthus with a preanal length 2.6 in TL, DFO well behind pectoral-fin tip, pectoral fin well developed and rounded, posterior nostril a hole in the upper lip opening towards the mouth, covered by a flap. A single barbel between the anterior and posterior nostrils. Teeth elongated, conical and sharp. Vomerine teeth biserial anteriorly, multi to triserial and biserial medially, and in a single row posteriorly. Maxillary teeth biserial anteriorly and triserial posteriorly, lower jaw teeth in a single row followed by biserial and triserial teeth posteriorly. Tip of the lower jaw toothless. Predorsal vertebrae 24, preanal vertebrae 51���52, and total vertebrae 156���158. Description. A moderately elongated eel with DFO well behind the pectoral fin tip. DFO about 3 pectoral-fin lengths behind the tip of the pectoral fin. Dorsal fin medium and anal fin high. Tail tip finless; dorsal and anal fins end shortly before the tail tip. Preanal length is 2.6 times and tail length 1.6 in TL. Depth at gill opening is about 48.7���52.8 times in TL; head about 11.8���12.7 in TL and 3.5���3.8 in trunk. Snout pointed, upper jaw is slightly longer than the lower jaw; lower jaw reaches to below anterior nostril. Anterior nostril small and tubular not reaching the tip of the snout. Posterior nostril a hole in the upper lip, opening towards the mouth and covered by a flap. Upper lip has a barbel between the anterior and posterior nostrils. Upper jaw 3.7���3.9 in head length (HL) and lower jaw 4.1���4.4 in HL. Eye moderate, closer to the rictus than the snout; eye diameter 3.2���3.7 in upper jaw and 12.4���13.7 in HL. Head pores small (Fig.2). A single frontal pore; supraorbital pores 1 + 3; infraorbital pores 4 + 2; preopercular pores 2; mandibular pores 6; nine lateral-line pores before gill opening & pectoral fin origin; 25���26 pores before dorsal fin and 53���54 lateral line pores before anus. Teeth sharp, tall and conical (Fig. 3). Five teeth in the pre-vomer. Vomerine teeth biserial anteriorly with 4 teeth in each row, followed by 3���4 rows of irregularly placed teeth, followed by triserial teeth with 7���8 in each row, followed by biserial teeth, posteriorly ending in a single row. Maxillary teeth biserial anteriorly, about 12���13 teeth in each row and triserial posteriorly with about 11���12 teeth in each row. Lower jaw teeth in a single row anteriorly followed by biserial teeth in between and tri-serial teeth posteriorly. The anterior-most part of the lower jaw is toothless. Predorsal vertebrae 24, preanal vertebrae 51���52, and total vertebrae 156���158. Colour. The colour of the preserved specimens are light brown colour throughout the body, much lighter ventrally. Dorsal, anal and pectoral fins white. Eye rim white. Head pores within white rims. Distribution. Known only from the northern part of the Bay of Bengal (West Bengal), India. Etymology. The species is named after John E. McCosker, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, in honour of his vast contributions to the taxonomy of ophichthid eels., Published as part of Mohapatra, Anil, Ray, Dipanjan, Mohanty, Swarup R. & Mishra, Subhrendu Sekhar, 2018, Ophichthus johnmccoskeri sp. nov. (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae): a new snake eel from Indian waters, Bay of Bengal, pp. 251-256 in Zootaxa 4462 (2) on page 252, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4462.2.7, http://zenodo.org/record/1441589