Work

Description of a new species of hound shark, of the genus Iago (Carcharhiniformes: Triakidae) from the northern Indian Ocean

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Sharks of the genus Iago Compagno and Springer, 1971 (Carcharhiniformes: Triakidae) that commonly occur in the deep waters of the Indo-Pacific, are an interesting group phylogenetically. Currently, three nominal species of Iago are known globally, namely, Iago garricki, I. omanensis and I. mangalorensis. In this study, we describe a new species of hound shark, Iago gopalakrishnani sp. nov. from the deep waters of eastern Arabian Sea, India. Iago gopalakrishnani sp. nov. is distinct in its dark chocolate brown to blackish colouration and low fins; pre-oral length 4.7–6% TL, 22.4-25% head length; first dorsal height 5.8-7% TL, first dorsal length 10.6–14.1% TL, first dorsal base length 6.7-9.8% TL, second dorsal length 8.9-10.9% TL and vertebral counts 117-123. Iago gopalakrishnani sp. nov. is genetically distinct from congeners. COI based analysis of Iago gopalakrishnani sp. nov formed a distinct clade in phylogenetic reconstruction with a genetic distance of 4.5-5.2% when comparing K2P parameters with congeners. Keywords: Diversity, Genetics, Indian Ocean, Morphology, Sharks, Taxonomy

Source: Indian Journal of Fisheries

DOI: 10.21077/ijf.2025.72.1.152519-03

Authors: K. K. Bineesh, Sweta Beura, Moumita Das, M. Nashad, K. V. Akhilesh

Institutions: Zoological Survey of India, Fishery Survey of India, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute

Language: English

Topic: Ichthyology and Marine Biology

Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Life below water

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute