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Type: Article
Published: 2019-04-16
Page range: 194–200
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Ophichthus chilkensis Chaudhuri, 1916 (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae)—resurrection as a valid species from India, with re-description

Marine Fish Section, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India-700 016
Estuarine Biology Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Gopalpur-on-Sea, Odisha, India-761002
Bajkul Milani Mahavidyalaya, Kismat Bajkul, Purba Medinipur, W.B., India-721 655
Estuarine Biology Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Gopalpur-on-Sea, Odisha, India-761002
Marine Aquarium and Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Digha, India-721 428
Pisces Ophichthinae Chilika Lagoon Bay of Bengal resurrection

Abstract

Ophichthus chilkensis Chaudhuri, 1916 has long been treated as a synonym of Pisodonophis cancrivorus (Richardson, 1848). O. chilkensis is hereby re-described on the basis of holotype from Chilika Lake, Odisha as well as ten fresh specimens from Talsari, Balasore district, Odisha and Digha, West Bengal. The present study confirms it belonging to the genus Ophichthus and resurrected as a valid species from the east coast of India. It is compared with its closest congener species, particularly with Ophichthus microcephalus Day, 1878, known from India.

 

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