Prasad Chandra Tudu

• Ph. D.
• Researcher at Zoological Survey of India

The present paper thoroughly discussed the morphological characteristics, distribution, and systematic position of the Honeycomb worm Sabellaria alveolata (Linnaeus, 1767) belonging to the family Sabellaridae Johnston, 1865, which has not been previously reported from the coastal waters of West Bengal, Eastern coast of India, Bay of Bengal. The spe...

The present paper deals with Bar-toothed nereid, Perinereis nuntia (Lamarck, 1818), a first record from the state of West Bengal, India, based on 21 specimens collected from the Digha coast. This marine worm’s morphological characteristics, such as paragnaths and setae arrangements, jaw structure, and head morphology, agree well with those of the p...

This paper reports new occurrence records of two bivalve species, Lutraria impar Reeve, 1854, and Meretrix lusoria (Röding, 1798) from the Odisha coast on the basis of the collection from Bahuda estuary, Ganjam, Odisha. The genus Lutraria Lamarck, 1799, was not yet reported from the State, and the report of Lutraria impar is the first report of the...

Preliminary Checklist of Mollusks of India

A new species of the head-shield sea slug is described herein from an examination of the morphological and anatomical characters. A molecular analysis supported the novel status of the species. This species is named Melanochlamys droupadi n. sp. in the honour of the Hon'ble president of India, Shrimati (Mrs) Droupadi Murmu. It is the second species...

The present paper deals with the distributional range extension of Murex indicus Houart in Breviora 521:1-14 2011, to the eastern coast of India, Bay of Bengal. It has been previously reported from the Arabian Sea, off Gujarat coast and Maharashtra (type localities). The present specimens were collected from Kalingapatnam of Andhra Pradesh. The ide...

The present paper reports the molecular analysis (CoI) of a female blue whale Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758) of approximately 40 ft in length, stranded on June 29, 2020 at Mandarmani along the West Bengal coast. This is the second record of stranding of blue whale along the coast after 1934. The strandings provides vital information on spec...

There are only five species of fig shells of the genus Ficus are reported so far from Indian water. The present paper deals with the first ever confirm report of Ficus filosa (G. B. Sowerby III, 1892) from Indian water and added the list of number species to six. The identification of the species was confirmed by examining the morphological charact...

The current study reports the first-time record of flower cardinalfish Ostorhinchus fleurieu Lacepède, 1802 (Kurtiformes: Apogonidae) from the northern part of the east coast of India. One specimen was collected from Petuaghat fish landing centre, West Bengal, while routine sampling for trash fishes collection. The details of morphometric measureme...

A new species of head-shield sea slug, Melanochlamys bengalensis, is described from the northern part of the eastern coast of India using both external and internal morphological characters. Its novel status is supported by a molecular analysis. The maximum likelihood (ML) genetic tree (COI gene sequence) indicates that the new species represents a...

Oxyperas lentiginosum (Gould In: United States Exploring Expedition during the years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842 under the command of Charles Wilkes. Boston 12:1–510 1852), a rare mactrid clam, is reported from the Kakinada fishing harbour, Andhra Pradesh, East coast of India. A single right valve specimen was collected from the fish landing centr...

Only four species of stonefish or stingfish of the genus Minous were known from India till date. The present paper reports range extension of three species to east coast of India, Bay of Bengal. Minous pictus Gunther, 1880 forms first record from Indian Ocean and Minous trachicephalus (Bleeker, 1855), first report from Indian waters. Further, occur...

The present paper reports the occurrence of Tellin clam Serratina ostracea (Lamarck, 1818) from the Indian mainland. It was collected from the Talsari coast of Odisha state. This species was earlier reported from Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the probable reason for the dispersal of veliger larvae from its previous locality, Andaman, and Nicobar...

The present paper documented the first report of Filifusus manuelae (Bozzetti, 2008) from the Indian waters. Also, this is the second report from the Indian Ocean apart from its type locality, Madagascar. Two empty shells were collected from the Mandapam group of Islands, Gulf of Mannar.

A rare axiid shrimp Eutrichocheles modestus (Herbst, 1796) belong to the family Axiidae have been discovered from the Digha Coast, Northwestern Bay of Bengal, India. The presence of E. modestus in Northwestern Bay of Bengal constitutes extension of the known geographical range of the species in the Indo-Paciic. In addition, the molecular informati...

A juvenile Winged Argonaut, Argonauta hians Lightfoot, 1786 was collected from the Paradip fish landing centre, Odisha. The presence of a brittle brownish white shell indicates that the collected Argonauta Linnaeus, 1758 is a female specimen. This study reports the Argonauta hians for the first time along the northern part of the east coast of Indi...

The present checklist of polychaetes from the Odisha and West Bengal coasts was reviewed based on the recent surveys and published literature. Total 179 species belonging to 119 genera were found to be mixed with valid names and hence a revised checklist is prepared. The revised and updated checklist holds 179 species of eight orders of polychaete...

Supplementary Data: A restructured checklist of polychaetes (Animalia, Annelida, Polychaeta) from Odisha and West Bengal coast, Indian Journal of Geo-Marine Science, 50(6): 507-510.

Three eel species collected from the thrown out trashes from Visakhapatnam fishing harbour and were subsequently identified as Gymnothorax prolatus, Strophidon dorsalis and Neenchelys cheni are reported here for the first time from the Andhra Pradesh coast. The present report extends the range of all these three species southwards to Andhra Pradesh...

The present report extends the distributional range of rare venerid clam, Pelecyora katiawarensis (Fischer-Piette & Métivier, 1971) to Dhamara estuary, Odisha as well as east coast of India, and the literature suggests that it is third report in the world. This species is only reported from Cochin port, Kerala and its holotype locality, Katiawar (G...

Present paper was the second report of Bufonaria perelegans Beu, 1987 from Indian water, and first report from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coast. It is also a confirmation of occurrence of this species from current study locality which was before misidentified with another congeneric species Bufonaria rana (Linnaeus, 1758). Figures of both the specie...

Chelonodontops bengalensis Habib et al., 2018 is reported for the first time from Indian waters on the basis of five specimens collected from west Bengal coast. In this paper, more details on the morphological characters have been provided and dorsal spinules are compared with all the species in the genus found in India. A revised key for the genus...

The present paper focus on the first report of the Moon shell, Sigatica pomatiella (Melvill, 1893) obtained from the northern east coast of India. Previously this species was recorded from the type locality (Maharashtra coast) and Tamil Nadu coast only. Present collection is made for the first time from Chandipur beach of Odisha coast.

Nerocila is a large genus in Cymothoidae. The Cymothoidae are ectoparasitic isopods of marine, freshwater, or brackish-water teleost fishes. A new host of Nerocila depressa was identified from the two different body areas such as the upper pectoral fin and between pectoral and pelvic fin of the host fishes of a Lepturacanthus pantului and Lagocepha...

Two species of ark shells i.e. Anadara consociata (E.A. Smith, 1885) and Anadara troscheli (Dunker, 1882) are reported for the first time from Indian waters. These two species were identified based on the collections from different surveys along east coast of India and specimens of National Zoological Collections of Marine Aquarium and Regional Cen...

The rare Ocean sunfish, Mola mola (Linnaeus 1758), is reported herewith first time from West Bengal coast of India based on two specimens collected from Digha Mohona (21°37.843'N, 87°32.827'E) by using trawl nets. This forms the second sunfish species from this coast after Ranzania laevis was recorded 18 years back. Past records of this species in...

Ophichthus chilkensis Chaudhuri, 1916 has long been treated as a synonym of Pisodonophis cancrivorus (Richardson, 1848). O. chilkensis is hereby re-described on the basis of holotype from Chilika Lake, Odisha as well as ten fresh specimens from Talsari, Balasore district, Odisha and Digha, West Bengal. The present study confirms it belonging to the...

This corresponding report gives a preliminary description of several most typical symbiotic communities formed in association with large subtidal hermit crabs in the Bay of Bengal coastal waters of the West Bengal, India. The mutualistic interactions of different animals with hermit crabs is presented. Localization on the host and possible competit...

The present study was focuses on the taxonomic study, diversity, distribution, threats and uses of macro-benthic invertebrate fauna along the intertidal coast of northern east coast of India (Odisha and West Bengal coast). The status of the intertidal macrofaunal taxonomic position and diversity of each reported invertebrate macrofauna were investi...

Present paper is an overview of marine and estuarine mollusc of West Bengal coast, based on recent surveys and the published literature. The checklist consists of Gastropoda, Scaphopoda, Bivalve and Cephalopoda available in and around the marine and estuarine waters of West Bengal coast. In total 301 species are enlisted, belongings to 184 genera,...

Architectonica perdix (Hinds, 1844); the Patridge sundial snail is reported first time from Digha coast of West Bengal state, which is also the first report from Northern part of East coast of India. This species is formerly reported from Tamil Nadu coast and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Present paper is an updated checklist of molluscs of Odisha coast based on recent surveys and past literature available at library, museum and internet sources. The checklist consist of Polyplacophora, Gastropoda, Scaphopoda, Bivalve and Cephalopoda available in and around the marine and estuarine waters of Odisha coast including largest brackish w...

A checklist of Indian sea pen is provided based on recent survey and literarture available at different source. A total of 53 species belonging to 15 genera and 10 families are found in Indian waters. The family Pennatulidae Ehrenberg, 1834 is the most species-taxon (17 species) whereas Anthoptilidae Kölliker, 1880, Scleroptilidae Jugersen, 1904, H...

A new moray Enchelycore propinqua sp. nov., is described from a single specimen collected from Visakhapatnam fishing harbour, Andhra Pradesh, India. The species has a reddish brown body mottled with irregular creamy white spots; dorsal-fin origin considerably behind gill opening, but well ahead of level of anus; sharply pointed recurved teeth; bise...

An elongate, brown unpatterned moray eel, Gymnothorax visakhaensis sp. nov., is described based on seven specimens collected from the Visakhapatnam fishing harbour, Andhra Pradesh, India. The new species is differentiated from other elongate unpatterned moray eels in having the following combination of characters: anus at about mid-point of body, p...

Eleven numbers of Nerite snails of family Neritidae are collected from the Digha of West Bengal and Khadibil Mangrove of Odisha state, and later identified as Neripteron cornucopia (Benson, 1836) on the basis of morphology, colour pattern and structure of operculum. In India, this species was only known from its type locality Hugli estuary at Fort...

An account of the ichthyofaunal diversity along the Digha coast has been studied. A total of 340 species belonging to 210 genera, 107 families and 19 orders were reported both from earlier literatures and current study all together. In total 48 species were added for the first time from Digha coast.

Neomerinthe

A first record of Fulvia nienkeae ter Poorten, 2012 from Indian waters at Vishakhapatnam harbour is reported and its range was extended within Central Indo-Pacific to Bay of Bengal. Counting the present record, the total number of species of the genus Fulvia Gray, 1853 from India is raised to 4. The newly reported species was compared with another...

Fish inhabiting the coastal waters of Digha constitute a treasured resource both in terms of their utility as food and as materials for scientific study. Digha is the largest fish-landing centre of West Bengal and has two adjacent landing sites within 40 km. It lies close to the metropolis of Kolkata and other cities in West Bengal, and through Kol...

Armina babai (Tchang, 1934) of family Arminidae is reported with seven specimens from the Northern part of the east coast of India, collected from the fish bycatch of Bichitrapur and intertidal area Talsari of Balasore District of Odisha along with its morphometric measurements.

Scorpaenifirmes

Acanthuridae

Surgeon fish

The occurrence of Monodactylus kottelati is reported for the first time from the Chilika Lagoon extending the range of the species to the east coast of India and providing the first substantiated report of the species from Indian waters. The 79 mm standard length specimen from Chilika Lagoon is described in the present paper. Its affinity and distr...

Acanthuridae

Mollusc

Reef fish

Nemioteridae

During routine efforts to maintain diversity in the public aquarium of the Marine Aquarium & regional Center, Digha, of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), the authors encountered three more species of the Genus Epinephelus which after thorough literature survey were found to be not reported earlier from this area though listed in IUCN Red list o...