A new species of conger eel, Ariosoma (Congridae: Bathymyrinae), from the Bay of Bengal, India Author Ray, Dipanjan Bajkul Milani Mahavidyalaya, Kismat Bajkul, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India- 721655 Author Acharya, Smrutirekha 0000-0001-8990-8311 Estuarine Biology Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Gopalpur-on Sea, Ganjam, Odisha, India- 761002. & smrutirekhalucy @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 8990 - 8311 smrutirekhalucy@gmail.com Author Khatua, Tapan 0000-0003-1106-7027 Bajkul Milani Mahavidyalaya, Kismat Bajkul, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India- 721655 & khatua. tapan 95 @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 1106 - 7027 khatua.tapan95@gmail.com Author Roy, Debnarayan 0000-0003-2522-6957 Jhargram Raj College, Jhargram, West Bengal, India- 721507 & drzoology @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 2522 - 6957 drzoology@gmail.com Author Mohapatra, Anil 0000-0003-3547-7039 Estuarine Biology Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Gopalpur-on Sea, Ganjam, Odisha, India- 761002. & anil 2 k 7 @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 3547 - 7039 anil2k7@gmail.com Author Mishra, Subhrendu Sekhar 0000-0003-4672-8374 Estuarine Biology Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Gopalpur-on Sea, Ganjam, Odisha, India- 761002. & subhrendumishra @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 4672 - 8374 subhrendumishra@gmail.com text Zootaxa 2022 2022-07-13 5165 1 133 143 journal article 96829 10.11646/zootaxa.5165.1.8 09d674ec-2c2c-47bb-b19b-087b61b46e7d 1175-5326 6825751 14487140-89AF-4E0D-9A1B-32A3823E1B69

TABLE 1. Comparative Morphometric and meristic characters of Ariosoma bengalense sp. nov., with most similar species A. meeki, A. gnanadossi, A. melanospilos, A. indicum, A. majus and A. maurostigma.

Characters	Ariosoma benga- lense sp. nov. Holotype Para- type	Ariosoma meeki Smith et al. (2018)	Ariosoma gnanadossi F 7146/2 Holotype	Ariosoma melanospilos Kodeeswaran et al. (2021)	Ariosoma indicum Kodeeswaran et al. (2022b)	Ariosoma majus Smith et al. (2018), Roy et al. (2021) *	Ariosoma maurostigma Kodeeswaran et al. (2022a)
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TABLE 1. (Continued)
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TABLE 1. (Continued)
Note: The upper jaw measurement of A. gnanadossi (Holotype), A. indicum (Non types) and A. majus (from Indian waters) were done by authors.
TL (mm)	304 (216) n=2	232–497 n=32	283 n=1	296.5–302.3 n=2	223–362 n=19	213–470 n=25	181.4–295.8 n=24
%TL
Head length	18.3(16.7)	16.6–19.9	17.49	16.9–19.7	16.3–18.1	15.9–18.9	18.0–20.1
Predorsal length	17.2(16.8)	16.8–19.9	16.25	16.4–18.1	15.8–16.8	14.4–17.1	15.5–18.4
Preanal length	41.1 (40.7)	47.7–51.5	40.99	49.8–52.0	42–43.5	42.4–47.7	44.0–48.8
Tail length	64.8 (57.4)	48.5–52.3	60.07	49.8–52.0	56.5–57.9	52.3–57.6	47.8–54.6
Trunk length	23.6 (24.2)	28.9–32.8	22.26	29.7–29.2	24.6–25.7	24.9–29.7	23.5–30.2
Depth at gill opening	9.2 (7.6)	5.5–9.2	6.89	5.2–7.7	6.0–6.7	4.5–7.2	5.1–8.5
Depth at anus	7.4 (7.2)	4.6–8.3	5.30	5.5–6.6	5.7–6.1	4.3–6.4	5.3–7.6
Body width at anus	3.9 (4.6)	–	3.8	5.2	4–4.5	3.7–4.1*	3.8–5.5
Body width at gill opening %HL	5.3 (5.2)	–	5.3	–		3.6–4.2*	–
Eye diameter	13.7 (11.7)	18.2–22.9	19.19	20.6–19.8	15.3–17.6	17.1–20.3	15.3–21.6
Interorbital space	9.8 (7.5)	13.7–19.0	18.18	10.3–12.9	12.1–13.7	12.7–18.2	5.9–19.0
Snout length	23.6 (18.8)	17.2–21.5	19.19	20.0–20.1	18.3–20.5	20.9–25.2	19.6–24.3
Upper jaw	32.2 (26.1)	24.4–30.7	28.28	28.1–28.2	25.8–29.4	27.5–31.5	26.2–34.3
Lower jaw	21.1 (22.2)	–	20.02	–	23.1–25.9	25.6–23.6	–
Gill opening width	14.7 (15.2)	15.1–19.2	18.18	22.0–16.1	16.3–20.6	11.3–17.7	11.0–23.1
Interbranchial width	13.7 (13.9)	14.3–21.7	12.12	25.0–30.3	10.2–12.5	13.0–19.4	7.2–14.9
Pectoral fin length	41.2 (31.9)	33.1–37.2	42.42	34.3–34.1	38.4–46.7	27.4–36.3	27.6–39.8
Meristic count
Predorsal vertebrae	9–10	7–12	8	8–7	9–10	6–9	7–8
Preanal vertebrae	46–49	54–66	47	56–55	49–51	51–55	47–51
Precaudal vertebrae	61–66	76–89	Unclear	62–60	–	68–73	54–57
Total vertebrae	146–149	144–155	146	144–153	141–145	140–149	136–142
Predorsal LL pores	9	7–10	10	7	8–10	4–8	5–8
Preanal LL pores	46–49	51–64	44	54–57	44-47	50–55	47–51
Total LL pores	135–136	134–148	147	136–141	135–137	132–147	129–134
Supratemporal pores	0	0	0	3	3	3 *	3
Infraorbital pores	4+3	5 or 6	4+3	4+4	4+4	4+3 *	4+4
Preopercular pores	3	3	3	3	3	3 *	3
Mandibular pores	9	7	7	7	7	6 *	7
Supraorbital pores	4	4	4	5	4 or 5	7 *	6
Dorsal-fin origin	Directly above gill opening margin	Just behind pec- toral-fin base*	Slightly advance of gill opening	Just above the pec- toral- fin base	Before the level of the pectoral-fin base	Well before gill opening	Before the pectoral-fin base
Two Black spots on mid-dorsal temporal region	Absent	Absent	Absent	Present	Absent	Absent	Absent
Maxillary	1–4 rows	1–3 rows irregu- larly arranged	irregularly arranged 4 rows anteriorly, regular 2 to 3 ones posteriorly	2–3 rows	anterior part wider with three or four rows, middle portion with two irregular rows	5–6 rows	anterior part with five or six rows, middle por- tion with two rows
Intermaxillary	3–4 rows (teeth are continuous multi- serial, both blunted and granular)	No distinct rows irregularly ar- ranged	4 rows	3–4 transverse rows slightly up- turned at anterior end	four transverse rows	anteriorly, 2 rows at posterior end innermost row of maxillary blunt	curved with 4–5 transverse rows
Mandibular	1–5 rows	–	5 irregular rows anteriorly etc and 2 rows posteriorly	2 rows, wider an- teriorly, narrower posteriorly	1–4 irregular rows.	1–4 irregular rows	anterior part with 5–6 rows, middle portion with 2 rows
Vomerine	1–3 rows; patch extends just in front up to eye.	No distinct rows irregularly ar- ranged	2–4 rows	short 2 rows	3–4 rows anteri- orly	3–4 rows; sharp anteriorly	1–3 rows