- The scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered a new species of a vibrant orange coloured deep-water marine fish in Digha Mohana, West Bengal.
- Named Pterygotrigla intermedica, it has characters quite similar to species like Pterygotrigla hemisticta.
- It is the fourth species of Pterygotrigla genus reported in India, and there are 178 species of the Triglidae family worldwide.
- On October 20, 2018, local fisher caught these species along with other fishes, in which researchers collected 24 specimens for study.
- The newly discovered species of Triglidae are commonly known as gurnards or sea-robins.
- These species exhibits distinct characteristics, including a distinct pectoral-fin with black membranes on the inner surface, white posterior margin, and three small white spots basally fin.
- It had a long opercular spine and a very short cleithral spine, a lateral line, gill rakers on upper limb, 12-13 gill rakers on the lower limb and a large black blotch between the 4th and 6th spines of first dorsal fin.
- The detailed characteristics of these new species were published in Thalassas, an international marine science journal on September 20, 2023.
Source - Down To Earth