Volume 26, Issue 78, July - December, 2025

A New Genus for Indian Waters: First Report of Miralda (Pyramidellidae) with Miralda scopulorum (Watson, 1886)

Rupavath Rajendar Kumar^1,2♦, Roberto Ardovini³, Babu R^2,4, Praveen K⁴

¹Marine Biology Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
²University of Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
³ITIS FERMI ROMA Technical Institute of Information Technology, Rome, Italy
⁴Southern Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

^♦Corresponding Author
Rupavath Rajendar Kumar, Marine Biology Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

ABSTRACT

We report the first confirmed record of Miralda scopulorum (Gastropoda: Pyramidellidae) from Indian waters, based on two specimens collected from Kalpeni Island, Lakshadweep Archipelago (10°8′24.00″ N; 73°37′55.20″ E) Morpheme analysis revealed close agreement with type descriptions with the help of stereo zoom microscope. These minuscule ectoparasitic gastropods were retrieved from sandy coral rubble at 4–5 m depth. This study emphasizes the importance of micromolluscan surveys in identifying hidden marine biodiversity and extends the species' known distribution westward into the central Indian Ocean.

Keywords: First record; India; Miralda scopulorum; Micro-molluscs; Marine biodiversity; Pyramidellidae

Species, 2025, 26(78), e39s3177

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v26i78.e39s3177

Published: 21 August 2025