A team of researchers from Berhampur University, working with scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), has discovered a new marine parasitic species. This tiny parasite, less than 3 centimeters long, was found in the coastal areas of Gopalpur and Bahabalpur, located in Odisha’s Ganjam and Balasore districts.

The newly identified species has been named Lobothorax Bharat as a tribute to India, the homeland of the scientists who made this discovery. “The name pays tribute to Bharat, the motherland of researchers involved in the discovery,” said Jaya Kishor Seth, assistant professor in the zoology department at Berhampur University and the lead researcher on this project.

The discovery happened during a research initiative titled ‘Molecular Characterization, Genetic Analysis, and Study of the Life Cycle of Parasitic Isopod Found Along the Northern Part of the East Coast of India and the Chilika Lagoon.’ 

This three-year project was funded by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) of the central government and had a budget of over Rs 37 lakh.

The project, which recently concluded, involved studying parasitic isopods, small crustaceans known for infecting fish.

The researchers retrieved six specimens of the parasite from ribbon fish caught at fish landing centers in Bahabalpur and Gopalpur in March and May 2023. 

“During our study, we found that the new species has several unique features,” Seth explained. He further described the parasite’s behavior: Lobothorax Bharat is a “buccal-attaching parasite,” meaning it latches onto the tongue of the fish it infects. Fresh specimens are creamy white in color but darken to yellowish-brown or deep brown after preservation.

Parasitic isopods are known to affect marine and estuarine fish by slowing their growth, which can harm aquaculture productivity. “They play an important role in the food chain in the marine and estuarine ecosystem,” Seth said.

Understanding the biology of these parasites is essential, not just for protecting biodiversity but also for improving aquaculture practices. Seth emphasized the need for more research to uncover the parasite’s evolutionary patterns and biological traits.

The discovery has been recognized internationally, with details published in the latest edition of Zootaxa, a respected taxonomy journal.

Other authors of the study include senior ZSI scientists Anil Mohapatra and Basudev Tripathy, along with research scholars Sandeep Kumar Mohapatra and Sanmitra Roy.

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