DNA barcoding of deep-sea shrimp Sicyonia parajaponica Crosnier, 2003 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Sicyoniidae) from southwest coast of India.

The present work reports detailed taxonomic information on deep-sea shrimp Sicyonia parajaponica from southwest Indian waters. The samples were caught in bottom trawls conducted between the depths of 200 and 230 m from Sakthikulangara fishing harbour off Kollam, Kerala along the Arabian Sea during November 2019. DNA barcoding and a phylogenetic analysis was used to explore the relationship of the genus Sicyonia based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI: MN816389, MN816390) with the present specimen and sequences retrieved from NCBI GenBank. There is no difference in the intraspecies genetic distance (0%) while interspecies genetic distance (19.028.1%) revealed divergence between the species (COI) of the genus Sicyonia.

Misidentification and notes on Plesionika semilaevis, Spence Bate, 1888 (Crustacean: Decapoda: Caridea) from the southern coast of India.

The commercial deep-sea caridean shrimp Plesionika martia (Milne-Edwards 1883) has long been recorded from India and constitutes an important species of deep-sea shrimp catches in the southern coast of India. However, the present study revealed that all the previous records of "Plesionika martia" is actually a misidentification of the closely related species P. semilaevis, which was recently obtained from Indian waters. The specimens were collected from three fish landing harbours (Sakthikulangara, Kalamuku, and Tuticorin) fished from the depth of about 150-250 m along the southern coast of India during 2014 to 2017. The level of interspecies genetic divergence between 16S rDNA (16.8-18.6%) and COI (26.1%) sequences of the Indian P. semilaevis and P. martia sequence retrieved from NCBI were found to be comparatively high. The current work illustrates the detailed morphological characters with color photographs of the species, P. semilaevis off the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

A new record of deep-sea shrimp Glyphocrangon investigatoris Wood-Mason amp; Alcock, 1891 (Decapoda: Glyphocrangonidae) from the southeastern Arabian Sea.

Here, we report the new record of deep-sea caridean shrimp Glyphocrangon investigatoris Wood-Mason Alcock, 1891 from the Arabian Sea along the Indian coast. The three individual specimens were collected from Sakthikulangara fish landing center (fishing off Kollam 8°56'60.78"N/76°32'34.27"E) obtained from deep-sea bottom trawlers between 200 and 300 m depth along the southwest coast of India in December of 2017 and the voucher specimen was deposited to the Marine Biodiversity Referral Museum at Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute. The species of G. investigatoris is considered as one of the data deficient in distributional range, which was only recorded from northern and southern Bay of Bengal. The intraspecies genetic distance in the COI gene of G. investigatoris retrieved from NCBI revealed 0.6-0.7% while interspecies distance ranged from 5% to 26.5% and 16S was found between 1.1% to 8.1% and the closest genetic distance ranged with G. regalis.

Integrative taxonomy of commercially important deep water penaeoid shrimps from India.

The deep water penaeoid shrimp is an important commercial crustacean resource along the Indian coast. The molecular and morphological information of this group from the Indian coast is scarcely known. In this study, we investigated the identification and phylogenetic relationships of the deep water penaeoid shrimps using three mitochondrial (cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI), cytochrome b, 16S rRNA) genes, which were compared with 54 morphological characters and further used to evaluate character evolution. Our study revealed remarkable molecular divergence (3.3-33.0%) in nine species from three genera of Solenoceridae, four species from three genera of Penaeidae and one species from Aristeidae using COI. Phylogenetic analysis using maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches revealed that all species from these families are monophyletic. The present analysis revealed the existence of subgroups in the genus Solenocera suggesting the slow reduction of postrostral carina which corresponds to the increase in distributional depth during the evolutionary process which further indicates the origin of the genus in the continental shelf and extending up to the continental slope. In addition, we generated the DNA barcode database involving these species which can help further to investigate the detailed evolution and biogeography of these valuable crustacean resources.

Two new records of deep sea shrimp under the genus Parapontocaris (Crustacea: Decapoda: Crangonidae) from the southwestern coast of India.

This paper reports the occurrence of two species of the crangonid genus Parapontocaris Alcock, 1901 in waters off  Kerala from the southwestern coast of India, viz. P. levigata (Chace 1984) and P. bengalensis (Wood-Mason Alcock 1891). Although P. bengalensis was reported off Bay of Bengal in India, after 121 years this species was now recorded off Kerala, Arabian Sea. Specimens were obtained at a depth of 250-300 m from Kalamuku (9°59'02.91"N /76°14'33.14"E) and Sakthikulangara (8°56'60.78"N /76°32'34.27"E) fish landing centres. Interspecies genetic divergence (COI: 8.8-9.1% 16S DNA: 2.1-6.2 %) was recorded in the present specimen P. bengalensis and NCBI sequences.

On Plesionika persica (Kemp, 1925) and P. reflexa Chace, 1985 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Pandalidae) from India.

The availability of Indian specimens of Plesionika persica (Kemp, 1925) and P. reflexa Chace, 1985 provided more information on the taxonomy around these two species. Moreover, it is the first record of P. persica to India. Although P. taiwanica Chan and Yu, 2000 is superficially rather similar to P. persica, there are many differences between them and probably it is inappropriate to establish a species group for these two species. It is likely that all previous records of P. ensis (A. Milne-Edwards, 1881) from India actually represent P. reflexa Chace, 1985. Nevertheless, the present Indian specimens of P. reflexa have more than 10% COI sequence divergence from the topotypic materials of both P. ensis and P. reflexa, and the epipods at the pereiopods III and IV reduced or absent. This data further highlights the confusing taxonomy in the "P. ensis" group.

New records of Pontocaris affinis affinis (Alcock, 1901) and Pontocaris propensalata Spence Bate, 1888 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Crangonidae) from Quilon bank of Southeastern Arabian Sea.

This paper reports on two crangonid shrimps, Pontocaris affinis affinis and Pontocaris propensalata from Southeastern Arabian Sea. Continuous surveys in the Quilon bank yielded two new records of Pontocaris, which were found on the continental slope at 250-300 m depth. A 4.1% of genetic divergence between the 16S DNA sequences of the two species was noticed.

Record of the deep sea shrimp Pasiphaea alcocki (Wood-Mason Alcock, 1891) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Pasiphaeidae) from the southwestern coast of India.

The present study provides a report on the rare occurrence of the deep sea caridean shrimp Pasiphaea alcocki (Wood-Mason Alcock, 1891) from the southwest coast of India after three decades. Earlier this species was recorded from Indian waters at a depth range between 335 and 1732 m while the present specimens were obtained in the depth range of 200-300m from the commercial bottom trawlers operated off Sakthikulangara fishing harbour (8°56'60.78"N /76°32'34.27"E) off (8°56'60.78"N /76°32'34.27"E), Kerala from the southern region of Arabian Sea, India. The level of interspecies genetic divergence using COI and 16S DNA sequences of Pasiphaea sp from the United States, National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) were observed. The present study reports the record of Pasiphaea alcocki with a morphological description along with DNA barcoding and supplements the existing knowledge on this deep sea shrimp from the southwest coast of India, which is mandatory to understand the role of this species in ecosystem functioning.

First record of deep-sea caridean shrimp Acanthephyra fimbriata Alcock Anderson, 1894 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Acanthephyridae) from southwest coast of India.

The present work reports the new occurrence of deep-sea shrimp Acanthephyra fimbriata Alcock Anderson, 1894 from southwestern Indian waters. The samples were caught in bottom trawls conducted between the depths of 200 and 350 m from two fish landing centers off Kerala along Arabian Sea from the southwest coast of India during 2015. Additionally, a phylogenetic analysis was used to explore the relationships of the genus Acanthephyra based on two genes: mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) and 16S DNA (16S) with the present specimen and sequences retrieved from NCBI GenBank. The results revealed intraspecies (COI: 0-3 % 16S: 0-0.3 %) and interspecies divergence (COI: 17.5-20.9 % 16S: 5.2-9.5 %) among A. fimbriata.

New records of Solenocera barunajaya Crosnier, 1994 and Solenocera rathbuni Ramadan, 1938 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Penaeoidea) from the southwest coast of India.

The genus Solenocera Lucas, 1849 consist of 43 species, most with commercial importance and occurring in offshore, deeper waters (Pérez Farfante & Kensley 1997; De Grave & Fransen 2011). Twelve species in the genus Solenocera were reported from India, with a few contributing to the regular fishery (S. crassicornis, S. choprai, and S. hextii), and others seldom captured (S.alfonso, S.alticarinata, S.annectens, S.halli, S.koelbeli, S.melantho, S.pectinata, S.pectinulata and S.waltairensis). Members of the Solenoceridae are identified based on the key taxonomic characters of the genitalia and the cephalothorax. Major taxonomic references on solenocerids include Crosnier (1978, 1989), Perez Farfante (1977), and Dall (1999). Specimens are deposited in the Marine Biodiversity Museum at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kerala (CMFRI).