New deep-sea fish discovered

Kochi: A new deep-sea fish was discovered from Arabian Sea off southern Kerala. ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) discovered the new fish. Named Cyttopsis indica (Indian dory), it was found at depths of 350-500m along the continental slope of eastern Lakshadweep Sea.

The fish belongs to genus Cyttopsis, a primitive group of marine fishes commonly known as ‘dories’. The discovery is based on six specimens collected from deep-sea trawl landings at Sakthikulangara fishing harbour in Kollam. Researchers led by CMFRI scientist Ratheesh Kumar R confirmed the fish as a new species after carrying out traditional taxonomic analysis combined with advanced molecular tools. Until now, the fish seen in the Indian Ocean was believed to be Cyttopsis rosea, a species with distribution now confined to the Atlantic Ocean after this study.