Malabar swamp eel

The Malabar swamp eel (Rakthamichthys indicus) (not to be confused with Ophichthys fossorius, also known as the Malabar swampeel) is a species of troglobitic swamp eel endemic to subterranean springs in Kottayam in the Indian state of Kerala.[2]

Malabar swamp eel
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Synbranchiformes
Family: Synbranchidae
Genus: Rakthamichthys
Species:
R. indicus
Binomial name
Rakthamichthys indicus
(Eapen, 1963)
Synonyms

Monopterus indicus Eapen, 1963
Monopterus eapeni Talwar, 1991
Rakthamichthys eapeni (Talwar, 1991)

Taxonomy

It was originally described as Monopterus indicus by K. C. Eapen in 1963,[3] but another fish with the same scientific name, the Bombay swamp eel (formerly also Monopterus indicus, now Ophichthys indicus) had already been described 2 years prior. Due to this causing a homonym the species had to be renamed but due to the lack of specimens, it was tentatively referred to as Monopterus "indicus". It was later redescribed as Monopterus eapeni in 1991.[4] A 2020 study found M. eapeni to form a clade with two other troglobitic species from the Western Ghats and one fossorial species from Northeast India, leading it to be reclassified in the new genus Rakthamichthys, lifting the homonym problem and allowing the original specific epithet of indicus to be revived.[5][6]

Status

Due to the subterranean nature of this species, very little information is known about it, and it had not been collected from the type locality since 1979 till 2021 March when it was found while cleaning a well at Panthalam, Kerala. Due to this, it is classified as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List.[7]

References
  1. Assessment), Rajeev Raghavan (Western Ghats Freshwater Species; Assessment), Anvar Ali (Western Ghats Freshwater Species (1 July 2010). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Monopterus eapeni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  2. "Monopterus eapeni". www.fishbase.de. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  3. "Monopterus indicus Eapen, 1963". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  4. "Monopterus eapeni". cavefishes.org.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  5. "Osteology of 'Monopterus' roseni with the description of Rakthamichthys, new genus, and comments on the generic assignment of the Amphipnous Group species (Teleostei: Synbranchiformes)". Dr. Friedrich Pfeil Publishing. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  6. "Monopterus eapeni". www.fishbase.de. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  7. Assessment), Rajeev Raghavan (Western Ghats Freshwater Species; Assessment), Anvar Ali (Western Ghats Freshwater Species (1 July 2010). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Monopterus eapeni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
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