Cyttopsis indica, sp.nov., a new species of dory (Zeiformes: Parazenidae) from the Indian Ocean

Sreeja, A and Ratheesh Kumar, R and Raju, Aju K and Augustina, Treesa X and Anand, S (2026) Cyttopsis indica, sp.nov., a new species of dory (Zeiformes: Parazenidae) from the Indian Ocean. Indian Journal of Fisheries, 73 (2). pp. 1-9. ISSN 0970-6011

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Abstract

A new species of dory fish of the genus Cyttopsis Gill, 1862 (Zeiformes: Parazenidae), Cyttopsis indica sp. nov., is described based on six specimens collected from deep waters off south-west India, caught at depths of 350–500 m along the continental slope of the eastern Lakshadweep Sea. The new species is distinguished from its congeners, Cyttopsis rosea (Lowe, 1843) and Cyttopsis cypho (Fowler, 1934), by a unique combination of meristic and morphometric characters, including the presence of 2 anal fin spines, caudal fin formula of 3+13+3 and a relatively high number of lateral line scales, a broader interorbital region, fewer number of lower gill rakers (1–2+5–7 vs. 1–2+8–10 in C. rosea), and a shorter post-orbital length (12.7–13.9% SL). Cyttopsis indica sp. nov. formed a distinct clade in the phylogenetic tree based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequence and exhibited 4.6–11% genetic divergence from its congeners, providing molecular support for its recognition as a new species.

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