Researchers discover new pistol shrimp species Alpheus madhusoodanai in Kochi backwaters

Key facts

• Researchers from the School of Industrial Fisheries at Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) discovered a new species of pistol shrimp, also known as snapping shrimp, in the Kochi backwaters.
• The newly identified species belongs to the family Alpheidae and has been named Alpheus madhusoodanai.
• The species is named in honour of Prof B Madhusoodana Kurup, the first vice-chancellor of Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and a noted fisheries scientist.
• The discovery was published in the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.
• This is the first alpheid shrimp species to be recorded from an estuary in the Kochi region.
• The shrimp contributes to the health of mangrove ecosystems by releasing toxic gases trapped in swampy soil through its burrowing tendency.
• The research team included scholars KP Vishnu, AbhaiKrishna U, and Nidhin B M, led by Prof M Harikrishnan of Cusat.