Scomberoides pelagicus                                                       

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Context: The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has identified a new carangid (Vatta) species from the Indian coast.

About Vatta species:

• It belongs to the ‘queen fish’ group.
• It is named scomberoides pelagicus’.
• The fish is locally known as “pola vatta”.
• Distinctive features: Deep ovate body, concave dorsal head profile and stout and less numerous gill rakers on the first gill arch compared to the closely related species.
• It is the fifth queen fish discovered from the Indian waters.

• Significance of this discovery:

  • Identification of new fishes assumes significance as it helps enrich marine biodiversity.
  • It would help better Indian marine biodiversity status.
  • It would help policy makers, marine scientists and other stakeholders to work on management and conservation plans.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/cmfri-identifies-new-fish-in-indian-waters/article38363721.ece?homepage=true