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First Record of a Rare Eel Dysomma bucephalus (Synaphobranchidae) in the Arabian Sea

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Abstract

A report of the first occurrence of species Dysomma bucephalus Alcock in the Arabian Sea. The species first recorded outside its type locality in the Bay of Bengal. Dysomma bucephalus is described from three adult specimens collected in the Arabian Sea off the Laccadives at a depth of 193 m. The larval form of the species D. bucephalus was first found in the Bay of Bengal near the Nicobar Islands and is also described herein. These findings expand the known range species westward.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I express my gratitude to L.G. Manilo (National Museum of Natural History, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, former Zoological Institute, Kiev, Ukraine) for sending a small collection of fishes among which were specimens for this study. I sincerely thank David R. Smith (Smithsonian Institution, Museum Support Center, Suitland, MD, USA) for helpful comments on the manuscript. I am grateful to A.A Lunina and A.L. Vereshchaka (Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences) for identifying the shrimp and also to my colleagues in the Laboratory of Oceanic Ichthyology (Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences): Ya.Yu. Bolshakova for careful reading the manuscript and her comments, I.B. Shakhovskoy and A.V. Mishin for their help in preparing radiographs and photographs of the dentition of specimens.

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  1. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences—IO RAS, Moscow, Russia

    E. S. Karmovskaya

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Correspondence to E. S. Karmovskaya.

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Karmovskaya, E.S. First Record of a Rare Eel Dysomma bucephalus (Synaphobranchidae) in the Arabian Sea. J. Ichthyol. 63, 616–626 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0032945223040094

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