Environment News

Two New Marine Fish Species

October 23 , 2026 16 hrs 0 min 19 0

Researchers from the Marine Biology Regional Centre of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Chennai, have discovered two new marine fish species—a sandperch and an electric ray.
The sandperch is a bottom-dwelling fish found over sand or rubble in shallow seas and feeds on crustaceans, polychaetes and juvenile fishes.
The electric ray was found in deeper waters of the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, with four specimens collected by researchers.
The specimens were collected from waters off Chennai, Digha, Visakhapatnam and Kakinada at depths of 30–80 metres.
The discovery shows that the demersal fish diversity of India’s eastern continental shelf is still insufficiently explored.
17 species of sandperches have so far been reported from Indian waters.