Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray's son Tejas discovers new blind eel species in Mumbai

Blind eel. Pics/ Tejas Thackeray

Wildlife researcher and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray's son Tejas Thackeray, along with his team, has discovered a new blind eel in Mumbai. This is the first completely blind subterranean freshwater fish species to be described from Maharashtra and the Northern western Ghats.

Speaking to mid day, Tejas Thackeray said, "I am happy to introduce, to what I believe is my most remarkable discovery till date, a species we collected a few years ago and worked on throughout the pandemic. A journey full of ups and downs, and today it finally gets to see the light of the day. A new blind hypogean freshwater eel from my hometown - Rakthamichtys Mumba - the Mumbai blind eel! This is the first completely blind subterranean freshwater fish species to be described from Maharashtra and the Northern western Ghats."

According to Thackeray, the species name 'Mumba' refers to the type locality, the city of Mumbai.

"The word 'Mumba' derives its roots from the Marathi language, which honours Mumba Aai, a deity worshipped by the inhabitants of this city. It is used as a noun in apposition. With a genetic distance of 21.6 - 22.8 per cent from other known species of Rakthamicthys, it is the 5th species from the genus to be described from India."

He also pointed out that Hypogean and Cavernicolus species and their habitat systems are so poorly studied and the data available to formulate conservation strategies is not sufficient.

"The level of endemism, distribution pattern and biographic barriers causing speciation are factors which we know virtually nothing about. A surreal species like this is a reminder to always stick to the basics, like the need to conserve the water table beneath the soil and help keep the aquifer clean to help enigmatic beauties like these," Thackeray added.