New species of marine Parasitic Isopod found along Odisha coast

RESEARCHERS of Department of zoology, Berhampur University in collaboration with Zoological Survey of India(ZSI) have discovered a new species of marine parasitic isopod along the coast at Bahabalpur and Gopalpur.

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The species, named Lobothorax Bharat, belongs to the family Cymothoidae. The research team, during surveys at Bahabalpur and Gopalpur fish landing centres, collected six specimens of the isopod from the host fish Trichiurus lepturus (family Trichiuridae).

The newly discovered isopod is a buccal-attaching parasite that affixes itself to the tongue of its host species. Fresh specimens are creamy white but turn yellowish-brown or dark brown upon preservation.