A team of scientists has discovered a new species of moray eel in river mouths of the Central Indo-Pacific. Interestingly, this discovery has a peculiarity, as moray eels usually live in saltwater, not in estuarine habitats, that is, in places where rivers meet the sea. The international team of scientists that discovered the animal nicknamed this striking species after the god of the underworld: Hades. This moray eel has a dark coloration, inhabits turbid waters with muddy and soft substrates and is highly sensitive to light. The scientists announced their discovery on December 31, 2024.
Scientists Wen-Chien Huang and Te-Yu Liao of the National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan, Rodulf Anthony Balisco of the Western Philippines University and Yusuke Hibino of the Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History and Human History in Japan describe this new moray eel in their peer-reviewed study, published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.
A peculiar and accidental discovery
This discovery is striking for the location where the scientists found the moray eel, the eel’s appearance and its behavior. Overall, there are 230 species of moray eel worldwide. And almost all of them live in seawater. The number of species that can tolerate a lower level of salinity and can adapt to estuarine (partly salt water, partly fresh water) habitats is extremely rare.
The team of scientists was investigating the underground river cave of Puerto Princesa in the Philippines, with the aim of studying the aquatic fauna. The intention was to study a cave eel species, the bean-eyed snake moray (Uropterygius cyamommatus). As its name suggests, this moray eel has very small eyes. This makes it a good candidate for studying the evolutionary processes that allow moray eels to adapt to cave environments.
But the researchers didn’t find any of the cave eel species, however. Instead, they collected a moray eel with a striking, intense, uniform dark color. This is the moray now known as Hades’ snake moray (Uropterygius Hades).
Habitat and behavior of the Hades moray eel
According to the study, the Hades species prefers turbid waters in estuarine habitats and muddy substrates. With this in mind, here’s one peculiar behavior. When it digs to hide, this eel does so by starting with its tail. Indeed, this is a rare behavior in moray eels. The scientists said:
Combining information from habitat type, body structure and behavior, we propose that U. Hades is an estuarine moray eel that inhabits turbid waters with muddy and soft substrates, using its tail to burrow and hide in sediments, among rocks or in fallen mangrove leaves.
On the other hand, this eel has fewer sensory pores on its head, and that fact might help the eel be an excellent digger. The scientists explained:
The reduction in the number of head pores is hypothesized to help avoid clogging by the substrate, as this phenomenon is observed in certain eel species that inhabit sand and mud burrows.
Furthermore, when the scientist kept the species in an aquatic tank, they observed that the animal is very sensitive to light and always tries to hide from it. In fact, the researchers think its small eyes are an adaptation to low-light environments. They said:
The small eye proportion of U. Hades may also indicate its adaptation to low-light conditions, wherein they primarily use their chemoreception rather than vision to detect prey or avoid predators.
The new animal god of the underworld
This slender, dark moray eel has thrived in the dark, muddy mouths of rivers, unlike most of its marine moray relatives. The Hades species is widely distributed across the Central Indo-Pacific and has been found in southern Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, southern Java and Fiji.
Huang chose the name after Hades, the god of the underworld, to emphasize its imposing appearance and habitat in dark, turbid environments. I couldn’t have come up with a better name myself!
Bottom line: A moray eel has been discovered and named after the god of the underworld: Hades. This species inhabits estuarine habitats, prefers turbid waters and muddy substrates and hides from the light.
Read more: Lifeform of the week: Axolotls, the key to eternal youth?
The post New species of moray eel discovered and named Hades first appeared on EarthSky.
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A team of scientists has discovered a new species of moray eel in river mouths of the Central Indo-Pacific. Interestingly, this discovery has a peculiarity, as moray eels usually live in saltwater, not in estuarine habitats, that is, in places where rivers meet the sea. The international team of scientists that discovered the animal nicknamed this striking species after the god of the underworld: Hades. This moray eel has a dark coloration, inhabits turbid waters with muddy and soft substrates and is highly sensitive to light. The scientists announced their discovery on December 31, 2024.
Scientists Wen-Chien Huang and Te-Yu Liao of the National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan, Rodulf Anthony Balisco of the Western Philippines University and Yusuke Hibino of the Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History and Human History in Japan describe this new moray eel in their peer-reviewed study, published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.
A peculiar and accidental discovery
This discovery is striking for the location where the scientists found the moray eel, the eel’s appearance and its behavior. Overall, there are 230 species of moray eel worldwide. And almost all of them live in seawater. The number of species that can tolerate a lower level of salinity and can adapt to estuarine (partly salt water, partly fresh water) habitats is extremely rare.
The team of scientists was investigating the underground river cave of Puerto Princesa in the Philippines, with the aim of studying the aquatic fauna. The intention was to study a cave eel species, the bean-eyed snake moray (Uropterygius cyamommatus). As its name suggests, this moray eel has very small eyes. This makes it a good candidate for studying the evolutionary processes that allow moray eels to adapt to cave environments.
But the researchers didn’t find any of the cave eel species, however. Instead, they collected a moray eel with a striking, intense, uniform dark color. This is the moray now known as Hades’ snake moray (Uropterygius Hades).
Habitat and behavior of the Hades moray eel
According to the study, the Hades species prefers turbid waters in estuarine habitats and muddy substrates. With this in mind, here’s one peculiar behavior. When it digs to hide, this eel does so by starting with its tail. Indeed, this is a rare behavior in moray eels. The scientists said:
Combining information from habitat type, body structure and behavior, we propose that U. Hades is an estuarine moray eel that inhabits turbid waters with muddy and soft substrates, using its tail to burrow and hide in sediments, among rocks or in fallen mangrove leaves.
On the other hand, this eel has fewer sensory pores on its head, and that fact might help the eel be an excellent digger. The scientists explained:
The reduction in the number of head pores is hypothesized to help avoid clogging by the substrate, as this phenomenon is observed in certain eel species that inhabit sand and mud burrows.
Furthermore, when the scientist kept the species in an aquatic tank, they observed that the animal is very sensitive to light and always tries to hide from it. In fact, the researchers think its small eyes are an adaptation to low-light environments. They said:
The small eye proportion of U. Hades may also indicate its adaptation to low-light conditions, wherein they primarily use their chemoreception rather than vision to detect prey or avoid predators.
The new animal god of the underworld
This slender, dark moray eel has thrived in the dark, muddy mouths of rivers, unlike most of its marine moray relatives. The Hades species is widely distributed across the Central Indo-Pacific and has been found in southern Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, southern Java and Fiji.
Huang chose the name after Hades, the god of the underworld, to emphasize its imposing appearance and habitat in dark, turbid environments. I couldn’t have come up with a better name myself!
Bottom line: A moray eel has been discovered and named after the god of the underworld: Hades. This species inhabits estuarine habitats, prefers turbid waters and muddy substrates and hides from the light.
Read more: Lifeform of the week: Axolotls, the key to eternal youth?
The post New species of moray eel discovered and named Hades first appeared on EarthSky.
from EarthSky https://ift.tt/vjy9MCU
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