Brahmapur: Scientists at the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Gopalpur, have identified a new species of fish, Bathymyrus perplexus, from the coastal waters off Paradip.
The species was first collected from the Paradip coast in 2021. Between 2021 and 2025, researchers recorded 32 specimens from Paradip, West Bengal, the Godavari region and Kakinada.
Although the specimen collected in 2021 had been preserved, it had not been identified. After another specimen was collected from Paradip in 2025, it was brought to the ZSI centre at Gopalpur for detailed examination.
A team comprising Dr Smrutirekha Acharya, Dr Dipanjan Ray, Dr Swarup Ranjan Mohanty, Subhendru Sekhar Mishra, Dr Jitendra Kumar Sundaray and Dr Anil Mohapatra conducted morphological examinations and DNA analysis of the specimens. The findings were submitted to the Bulletin of Marine Science, where scientists reviewed the research. The study was published in the international marine science journal September 24.
