Hirodai ohtsukai (proper) and the host fish.
An ongoing research on deep-sea crustaceans off the Indian coast has led to the discoveries of a beforehand unknown household, two new genera, and 4 new species of millimetre-sized crustacean parasites that infest fishes and different marine life kinds.
The Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, University of Kerala, which is performing the biodiversity research in collaboration with the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore, described the discoveries as “groundbreaking.”
Researchers have named the brand new household Uranoscopicolaidae, as this parasitic copepod was found to dwell off the Dollfus’ Stargazer (Uranoscopus guttatus), a fish dwelling in depths starting from 300-550 m off the southwest Indian coast. This can also be the primary discovery and outline of a brand new crustacean household from India, they stated.
The journal Natural History has revealed a paper on the discovering authored by crew chief Aneesh P.T., Hiroshima University; A. . Helna, Regional Forensic Science Laboratory, Kannur; B.A.V. Maran, Nagasaki University, Japan; and A. Biju Kumar, undertaking chief and Head, Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, University of Kerala.
Off Colachel
The discovery of the brand new household Uranoscopicolaidae has additionally led to the creation of a brand new genus and species, Hirodai ohstukai, beneath it. The genus identify ‘Hirodai’ honours the Hiroshima University whereas the species is called ‘ohtsuka’ after Susumu Ohtsuka, famous marine biologist and skilled on copepods on the Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Japan. Found off Colachel, Tamil Nadu, these “parasitic copepods are known to infest a wide range of hosts, from sponges to marine mammals; among them, fishes are the most likely potential host,” the paper famous. The females of the species, about 5 to 6 mm in size, are bigger than the males.
“This discovery highlights the critical role of previously understudied deep-sea crustaceans in shaping marine biodiversity and ecological dynamics,” Dr. Aneesh was quoted in a press release. “The deep sea biodiversity studies are challenging and interesting as they reveal a new world of associations in the unknown marine habitats and enrich our knowledge of the marine food web,” Dr. Biju Kumar stated.
The crew additionally found a brand new genus and isopod species which has been named Glyptothoa sagara; ‘Glypto’ because the fish parasite was found in the deep sea fish Glyptophidium macropus, and ‘sagara’ for ocean. The discovering has been detailed in the worldwide journal Zoological Studies.
The crustacean parasite Glyptothoa sagara.
Another new isopod crustacean parasite species, named Elthusa aquabio, was collected from an unknown fish. Dr. Aneesh, who headed the research, named the species ‘aquabio,’ honouring the contributions made by the Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, Kerala University, in taxonomic analysis, particularly on parasitic crustaceans.
Elthusa aquabio
The fourth new species is a 11-12 mm “flesh-penetrating parasitic copepod,” which has been christened Cardiodectes vampire, after the legendary creature which feeds on the blood of the dwelling. The species, which has a “translucent red colour,” in line with a paper on its discovery in the journal Zootaxa, was found to infest the deep-sea fish Chlorophthalmus corniger. Its samples have been collected from trawlers working off Neendakara, Kollam.
