Berhampur: A group of scientists has for the first time recorded the goby fish (Bathygobius meggeti) in Indian waters, from Aryapalli near Gopalpur in Odisha’s Ganjam district.
Although the species is found in the Indo-West Pacific region, including Japan, Australia, East Africa and the Persian Gulf, it had not been reported in India before, said Anil Mohapatra, senior scientist at the Zoological Survey of India’s (ZSI) Estuarine Biology Regional Centre in Gopalpur.
Three live specimens were collected from an artificial rocky intertidal zone in Aryapalli, a fishing-dominated village, in December last year. After detailed studies, the scientists confirmed the species as a goby fish and new to India.
A report on the Meggitt’s goby (Bathygobius Meggitti ) from a coastal habitat in the Bay of Bengal was published in National Academy Science Letters, an international journal on Monday, he said.
Describing the discovery as biologically important and scientifically noteworthy, Mohapatra said the species is very small, with a nearly cylindrical head and without scales.
These small fish use rock for hiding and feed on algae or small invertebrates, and also serve as a good food source for the larger organisms. The discovery of this small species from a small artificial ecosystem emphasises the study of the microhabitat along the coastline for a better understanding of the biodiversity of a certain region, said Smrutirekha Acharya, a senior research fellow and co-author of the article.
Other scientists and researchers who were involved in the study included Bhaskar Behera (Fakir Mohan University, Balasore), Subhrendu Sekhar Mishra (Retired Scientist, ZSI), KK Bineesh (Scientist, ZSI), Rajesh Kumar Behera (Senior Research Fellow), TKS Thatachari (Senior Zoological Assistant) and Swarup Ranjan Mohanty (Research Associate).