Sicyopterus garra Hora, 1925, a valid species of sicydiine goby from the Andaman Islands, India.

Sicyopterus garra Hora, 1925 from the insular streams of South Andaman Islands was synonymized with Sicyopterus microcephalus described from Java, South East Asia and has retained this taxonomic status since then. Recent collections of Sicyopterus from the type locality of S. garra and the examination of syntypes of this species revealed significant morphological and genetic differences from S. microcephalus and the other Sicyopterus species with papillae on upper lip. S. garra is thus a valid species and not a synonym of S. microcephalus. S. garra differs from S. microcephalus in having fewer lateral scales 53-59 vs. 57-68, fewer zigzag series (12-14 vs. 13-16), a longer caudal peduncle length (16-21 vs. 13-17), and by having a high percentage of divergence in COI gene (5.5%-5.8%).

Co-Infection of Infectious Hypodermal and Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV) and White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) in the Wild Crustaceans of Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago, India.

The present study was intended to screen the wild crustaceans for co-infection with Infectious Hypodermal and Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV) and White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) in Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago, India. We screened a total of 607 shrimp and 110 crab samples using a specific polymerase chain reaction, and out of them, 82 shrimps (13.5%) and 5 (4.5%) crabs were found positive for co-infection of IHHNV and WSSV. A higher rate of co-infection was observed in Penaeus monodon and Scylla serrata than other shrimp and crab species. The nucleotide sequences of IHHNV and WSSV obtained from crab in this present study exhibited very high sequence identity with their counterparts retrieved from various countries. Histopathological analysis of the infected shrimp gill sections further confirmed the eosinophilic intra-nuclear cowdry type A inclusion bodies and basophilic intra-nuclear inclusion bodies characteristics of IHHNV and WSSV infections, respectively. The present study serves as the first report on co-infection of WSSV and IHHNV in Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago, India and accentuates the critical need for continuous monitoring of wild crustaceans and appropriate biosecurity measures for brackishwater aquaculture.