A new record of a garden EEL, Heteroconger tomberua (Actinopterygii: Anguilliformes: Congridae), from the Indian Ocean

Abstract

A specimen of garden eel, Heteroconger tomberua Castle et Randall, 1999, was collected from the traveling water screen of sea water cooling system of the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS), Kalpakkam located along the east coast of India. Previously, H. tomberua was recorded in Fiji, Pacific Ocean. The presently reported record greatly extends the fish range to the Indian Ocean and constitutes a new addition to the ichthy-ofauna of India. The described specimen of H. tomberua, with its total length 55.9 cm, seems to be the largest ever found.