News Excerpt:

Researchers at Odisha’s Berhampur University have discovered a new species of marine amphipod - a shrimp-like crustacea of genus Parhyale - from the state’s Chilika Lake, Asia’s biggest brackish water lagoon on India’s east coast.

• The new species has been named ‘Parhyale odian’ after Odisha’s native language, Odia.

About the new species ‘Parhyale odian’:

• The study revealed that the new species is brown and around eight millimetres long. 
• It has 13 pairs of legs. The first pair of legs is used for capturing prey and feeding.
• It differs from all other 15 species by having a stout robust seta - a spine-like structure on the surface of the propodus of the male gnathopod (first pair of legs).

About genus Parhyale: 

• The genus Parhyale was first reported by Stebbing in 1899 from the Virgin Islands. 
• The genus is represented by 15 species globally, occupying both marine and brackish water environments. 
• The genus is cosmopolitan, distributed in intertidal and littoral environments along tropical and warm temperate regions. 
• They are mostly found underneath stones with attached vegetation and also in the burrows of isopods.

About Amphipods:

• Amphipods are a significant group in the marine ecosystem and play a vital role in the marine food chain. 
• They also serve as indicators for studying the impact of climate change and the health of coastal ecosystems.