The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has identified a new carangid (Vatta) species from the Indian coast. It belongs to the ‘queen fish’ group and is named scomberoides pelagicus’ The fish is locally known as pola vatta.

The CMFRI confirmed it as a new species after detailed taxonomic and genetic analysis. “The new fish is distinct by 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,” said a communication.

There are over 60 species of carangids in the Indian seas and four of them belong to the ‘queen fish’ category. The newly-described one is the fifth queen fish from the Indian waters.

“In the wake of many resources being increasingly threatened by depletion owing to their increasing role in the human food chain, identification of more new fishes assumes significance as it helps enrich marine biodiversity”, said E.M. Abdussamad, principal scientist who identified the fish.

He said that the find would help better Indian marine biodiversity status. The identification, he said, would greatly help policy makers, marine scientists and other stakeholders to work on management and conservation plans.