Kerala: Identification of New Marine Species.

26 March 2022.

Introduction:

A new Carangid species has been identified by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) from the Indian coast of Kerala.

Overview:

  • This newly identified fish belongs to the group named ‘queen fish’.
  • The scientific name of this fish is Scomberoides pelagicus.
  • In the local language this fish is called ‘pola vatta’.
  • In the Indian ocean there are more than sixty species of carangids. Out of them, four belong to the ‘Queen Fish’ group and the newly identified fish is number five.
  • Across the globe, three queen fishes are extinct due to a lot of reasons like climate change, overfishing, etc.
  • The newly identified species is found in the coastal region of the country along with Kerala. This fish also fetch a good demand in the local markets.

Description the fish

  • It has been confirmed by CMFRI that the newly identified fish is a new species.
  •  This has been confirmed after detailed genetic and taxonomic analyses were performed on the fish.
  • The newly identified fish is distinct as it has a deep ovate body, its head profile is concave dorsal shaped, and has stout.
  • It also has fewer numbers of gill rakers on its first gill arch as compared to its other closely related species

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