A routine fishing trip off the southern coast of India led to a thrilling discovery: a previously unknown species of eel. Trawlers hauling in their nets stumbled upon a 1-foot-long ocean predator with "bright" eyes, sparking a breakthrough for researchers.
Between 2021 and 2022, a team of scientists visited several fish landing sites and ports in Tamil Nadu and Kerala in search of long-fin short-tail conger eels, or Ariosoma dolichopterum.
Though similar eels had been documented off southern India before, these ones seemed different. To resolve the mystery, the researchers collected numerous eel samples and conducted extensive examinations, including DNA tests. The results were stunning: they had discovered a new species, which they named Ariosoma tamilicum—or the Tamil short-tail conger.
The Tamil short-tail conger eels are described as having "stout" bodies that can reach up to 12 inches in length, with "short" heads, "bright" eyes, "long" tongues, and "small" teeth.
Ariosoma tamilicum (#Anguilliformes: Congridae): a new #eel species from the Indian waters https://t.co/X4Jf0l9SD6 #Taxonomy pic.twitter.com/1eeRoWWcnp
— Zootaxa updates (@Zootaxa) March 12, 2025
According to the study, these eels are typically found on the "sandy bottom of shallow waters" and are carnivores, feeding mostly on small crustaceans and fish. Interestingly, these eels are often caught by accident by trawlers, who typically don't set out to catch them.
The study, published on March 12 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa, reveals that the new species appears to be widespread along India's shallow coastal waters.
Researchers believe this discovery could add to our understanding of marine life in the region, as it shows how much there is still to explore beneath the ocean's surface.
