DISCOVERY OF NEW SPECIES
Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India's Gopalpur regional centre recently discovered a new species of snake eel named 'Ophichthus Suryai' in Odisha.
About Ophichthus Suryai:
- It is anew species of snake eeldiscovered fromOdisha.
- The new speciescan be distinguishedfrom its closely allied congeners Ophichthus alleni, Ophichthus zophistius, and Ophichthus altipennis, and other members in this genus by
- having the dorsal fin origin(DFO)just aboveor slightly anterior to thegill opening
- itsunique vertebral count and teeth patternsconsisting of multiple rows on both maxilla and mandible
IAS-2026 - OPTIONAL / GEOGRAPHY / PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION / SOCIOLOGY / ANTHROPOLOGY / ORIENTATION ON 03 & 04-10-2025 
