THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Research conducted at the University of Kerala has led to the unprecedented discovery of a new crustacean family off the Indian coast. Additionally, collaborating with the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum of the National University of Singapore, the research team has identified two new genera of crustacean parasites, signifying a crucial advancement in marine biology and the understanding of symbiotic relationships within the world’s oceans.
Under the leadership of KU researcher P T Aneesh, currently affiliated with Hiroshima University, Japan, the team has unveiled a novel family of parasitic copepods known as Uranoscopicolaidae.
These copepods were observed infesting the Dollfus’ stargazer Uranoscopus guttatus in the deep waters off the southwest coast of India, at depths ranging from 300 to 550 metres.
The findings from this pioneering study have been published in the latest edition of the Journal of Natural History by the authors Aneesh P T, A K Helna (Regional Forensic Science Laboratory, Kannur), B A V Maran (Nagasaki University, Japan), and A Biju Kumar of the University of Kerala.
This discovery has led to the establishment of a new genus and species, Hirodai ohtsukai, within the newly identified Uranoscopicolaidae family.