Researchers of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Berhampur University, Estuarine Biology Regional Centre, have discovered a new species of fish parasitic isopod (Lobothorax bharat) from the Bahabalpur and Gopalpur fish landing centres of Odisha coast.
Fish parasitic isopods of the family Cymothoidae are known to attach to the buccal cavity, branchial cavity, and body surfaces, and they can be embedded in the body tissues of the host fish species, according to the group of researchers.
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The isopods were collected from the Bahabalpur fish landing centre and Gopalpur fish landing centre of Odisha. The isopods were removed from the mouth of the host fish species using a pair of forceps. The collected isopods were preserved in 90 per cent ethanol in 10 ml vials. The microphotographs of the specimens were captured by a Leica S9i camera microscope, they said.
The specimens of L. typus species were physically verified from specimens deposited in the National Repository of Zoological Survey of India. The prevalence and intensity of the isolated isopod among the infested host species were also calculated. The type specimens were deposited in the National Repository at Estuarine Biology Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Gopalpur-on-Sea, Odisha.
The new species was found to be morphologically distinct from the earlier described species of the genus. The molecular characterisation of L. bharat sp. nov. and the species L. typus, will help in understanding their evolutionary divergence and aid in their identification. ”We conclude it as a new undescribed species that coexists with L. typus in the marine waters of the northern Bay of Bengal,” the researchers added.
The ZSI conducted the research with the support of Odisha’s Berhampur University, and it was financially assisted by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science & Technology of the Union Government.
