Brahmapur: Researchers from Berhampur University have discovered a new marine nematode, a tiny worm-like species, along the Gopalpur coast in Odisha’s Ganjam district.
The researchers of the Marine Science Department of the university had collected around 15 specimens of the new species, named ‘Ceramonema leduci’ — a microscopic marine nematode — from the sandy sediments of Gopalpur coast in December 2024.
The findings were published in the ‘Journal of Natural History’ Friday.
“After thorough studies on the collected species, we confirmed these are new to science,” said Shesdev Patro, assistant professor of Marine Science.
The new species is named ‘Ceramonema leduci’ in honour of renowned nematologist Daniel Leduc of New Zealand, in recognition of his significant and continued contributions to marine nematode taxonomy, said Suman Patra, a research scholar and co-author of the paper.
The marine nematodes are well-known for their ecological role in marine ecosystems and are considered bio-indicators for assessing ecosystem health, Patra said.
The new species, which is about 600 micrometres in length, was identified through an integrated approach combining detailed morphological examination and DNA sequencing, providing evidence of its distinct taxonomic identity and evolutionary relationships.
The research was supported by the Odisha government under the Mukhyamantri Research and Innovation Programme (MRIP-2023), which provided fellowship support to Patra.
With this discovery, the number of recognised species within the genus Ceramonema has increased to 27 worldwide, while their number in Indian waters rose to seven, he said.
The team had earlier discovered three new species of free-living marine nematodes of a different genus from the Odisha coast.
The researchers pointed out that the Odisha coast remains comparatively underexplored for free-living marine nematodes.
Since 2023, the research team from the Marine Science Department has discovered 16 new marine species from the Ganjam and Chilika coast.