4 new species of mollusca found in Gujarat
Himanshu Kaushik | TNN | Updated: Dec 31, 2018, 03:43 IST
AHMEDABAD: Mollusca species are not only used for food, but also find use in cosmetic products and pharmaceutical drugs. Research in Gujarat has revealed 22 species of Mollusca documented for the first time in India. Of these 22 species, four were previously unknown to the world. These include Nassarius delicatus, Semiricinula tissoti, Mitra christinae, Cerithium caeruleum. There were also five species whose presence was documented for the first time in India and the second time in the world.
Nakul Bhatt, a senior researcher from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Junagah Agriculture University has documented these species and the same have been recorded on Bar Code of Life Data System which is designed to support the generation and application of DNA barcode data. The platform consists of four main modules: a data portal, a database of barcode clusters, an educational portal, and a data collection workbench.
Bhatt said that as a part of his research, “DNA bar coding for certain Mollusca species of selected area of Gujarat coast,” he chose five coastal cities from Okha to Veraval and then identified a nearly 5-km stretch in each of these five cities including Okha, Dwarka, Porbandar, Chorwad and Veraval.
Bhatt said in the total 25 km coastal stretch studied, he identified some 87 species and decided to go in for barcoding. Of these 89 species, barcoding was carried out for 29 species. Bhatt said that of the 29 species that were barcoded, 22 species were found for the first time in India and the state.
He said that among the 22 species there were four new molluscan species recorded for the first time in the world, while 18 species have been identified in India for the first time. He said DNA barcoding approach can be used for survey of marine molluscan diversity and prioritizing conservation strategies. “In conclusion, it can be said that DNA barcoding can play a very significant role in assessment and conservation of biodiversity in the massive and diverse marine ecosystem.”
Bhatt said, “Gujarat has rich coastal life, but it was deteriorating because of pollution and also infrastructure development on the coastal areas. With such rich coastal eco-system, we need to preserve the coast.”
D T Vaghela of Junagadh Agriculture University, who is guiding Bhatt in the research said, “Mollusca are shell fishes and many such species are used as food in the country and some coastal parts of Gujarat. Besides, molluscs are even used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.” He said that among others including A Y Desai and N H Joshi from JAU, the research was done under guidance of B K Sharma and S K Sharma from Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur.
Nakul Bhatt, a senior researcher from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Junagah Agriculture University has documented these species and the same have been recorded on Bar Code of Life Data System which is designed to support the generation and application of DNA barcode data. The platform consists of four main modules: a data portal, a database of barcode clusters, an educational portal, and a data collection workbench.
Bhatt said that as a part of his research, “DNA bar coding for certain Mollusca species of selected area of Gujarat coast,” he chose five coastal cities from Okha to Veraval and then identified a nearly 5-km stretch in each of these five cities including Okha, Dwarka, Porbandar, Chorwad and Veraval.
Bhatt said in the total 25 km coastal stretch studied, he identified some 87 species and decided to go in for barcoding. Of these 89 species, barcoding was carried out for 29 species. Bhatt said that of the 29 species that were barcoded, 22 species were found for the first time in India and the state.
He said that among the 22 species there were four new molluscan species recorded for the first time in the world, while 18 species have been identified in India for the first time. He said DNA barcoding approach can be used for survey of marine molluscan diversity and prioritizing conservation strategies. “In conclusion, it can be said that DNA barcoding can play a very significant role in assessment and conservation of biodiversity in the massive and diverse marine ecosystem.”
Bhatt said, “Gujarat has rich coastal life, but it was deteriorating because of pollution and also infrastructure development on the coastal areas. With such rich coastal eco-system, we need to preserve the coast.”
D T Vaghela of Junagadh Agriculture University, who is guiding Bhatt in the research said, “Mollusca are shell fishes and many such species are used as food in the country and some coastal parts of Gujarat. Besides, molluscs are even used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.” He said that among others including A Y Desai and N H Joshi from JAU, the research was done under guidance of B K Sharma and S K Sharma from Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur.
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