Kolkata, October 27, 2026 

 

Scientists from Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered and described a new species of Electric Ray, Tetronarce ramanamurthyi sp. nov., from the deep waters of southeastern Arabian Sea in the northern Indian Ocean.

The discovery marks 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 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.

Described from nine specimens collected off India’s southwestern coast, the new species—commonly named the Arabian Black Electric Ray—is distinguished by several unique physical and genetic traits:

•    Morphology: Features a uniformly dark bluish-black to dark-brown dorsal coloration, absence of papillae around the spiracles, a disc wider than its length, relatively large endolymphatic pores, and small electric organs.

•    Vertebral Count: Possesses a total vertebral count of 99 (30 monospondylous and 69 diplospondylous centra).

•    Genetic Divergence: DNA sequencing of mitochondrial COI and ND2 genes confirmed Tetronarce ramanamurthyi as a distinct evolutionary lineage. COI analysis showed genetic divergence ranging from 2.2% (compared to T. tokionis) up to 6.7% (compared to T. nobiliana).

The discovery was led by Dr. K. K. Bineesh (Scientist E) and Shri Anil Kasinath (Junior Research Fellow) from the Marine Biology Regional Centre (MBRC) of ZSI in Chennai, in collaboration with Dr. 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 Dr. M. V. Ramana Murthy, Mission Director of the Deep Ocean Mission, Ministry of Earth Sciences, recognising his outstanding contributions to marine science, ocean engineering, and marine hazard mitigation in India.

According to the research team, "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." Continued deep-sea explorations under the Deep Ocean Mission are expected to yield further discoveries, expanding understanding of biodiversity in the northern Indian Ocean.
 

**********

SSS/Kol/27.10.26…..

(रिलीज़ आईडी: 2328914) आगंतुक पटल : 20