Researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered a new species of sea slug named 'Melanochlamys Droupadi' in West Bengal and Odisha and have named it after the country’s president.

Environment

Researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered a new species of sea slug named 'Melanochlamys Droupadi' in West Bengal and Odisha and have named it after the country’s president. The marine slug is brownish-black with a ruby red spot and grows to a maximum length of up to seven millimetres. They collected nearly 150 specimens from the north-eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal and a thorough molecular analysis confirmed the novel status of the species. All the specimens were collected from the Digha coast of West Bengal and the Udaipur coast of Odisha state, along the north-western Bay of Bengal. Sea slugs live in marine habitats and are found across the planet from the shallow intertidal areas, to the deep sea, and from the polar to tropical regions. They feed on other small animals, including other species of smaller sea slugs, marine worms, as well as small fishes. It is the second species from the Indian region and the third true tropical species.


     

     

     

 

     


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