Why in the News
According to The Hindu (18 January 2026), a micro-crustacean found on Kavaratti island in Lakshadweep has been established as a new genus and new species, Indiaphonte bijoyi. It is an organism of the Laophontidae family of the Copepoda class and can be seen properly only through a microscope.
Indiaphonte bijoyi
New genus + new species
Place
Kavaratti island, Lakshadweep
Group
Harpacticoida: Laophontidae: Laophontinae
Diagram: original table.
What Does the Research Paper Say?
The research paper's title is "Indiaphonte bijoyi gen. et sp. nov., a new laophontid (Harpacticoida: Laophontidae: Laophontinae) from the Southeastern Arabian Sea, India". The authors are Neelima Vasu (Cochin University of Science and Technology) and Samuel Gómez (UNAM, Mexico). According to the abstract, this new organism, in which the male's P3 endopod shows no sexual dimorphism, was described from Kavaratti island.
The abstract compares it with the genera Tapholeon and Folioquinpes. According to the authors, features such as the shape of the body, the structure of the second segment of the antennule and the number of setae in the female P5 are different, so proposing the new genus Indiaphonte is appropriate.
According to The Hindu, the species was named in honour of S. Bijoy Nandan, Dean of Cochin University of Science and Technology. According to the report, the female is 518 to 772 micrometres and the male 508 to 756 micrometres long; the Laophontidae family has 350 species and 77 genera; and such meiofauna are invertebrates smaller than 1 mm. Quoting the researchers, the report describes Harpacticoid copepods as bio-indicators sensitive to pollution and the like.
Where Does Confusion Arise in the Exam?
India in the name: Indiaphonte is the genus name; the species name is bijoyi. "New species" and "new genus" are separate claims; here both are present. The research paper's title says "Southeastern Arabian Sea", while the abstract says "Kavaratti island". The press says it was found in a "lagoon". The size, the 350/77 count and the bio-indicator point belong to the press, not the abstract.
The Direction of Preparation from Previous Questions:
Statement-based questions have appeared in the official General Studies Paper-I of the UPSC Preliminary Examination 2023. So prepare the organism, the place and the basis of identification separately. The questions below are original practice, not actual PYQs.
Prelims Style: Practice Questions
1. Based on the abstract of the research paper about Indiaphonte bijoyi, consider the following statements:
Statement 1: It is described as both a new genus and a new species.
Statement 2: It was described from Kavaratti island.
Statement 3: According to the abstract, it is a bird.
How many of the above statements are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
See the answer and the reason
Answer: (b) Only two. Statements 1 and 2 are in the abstract. It is an organism of Harpacticoida, not a bird.
2. According to The Hindu, Indiaphonte bijoyi is a member of which class?
(a) Copepoda
(b) Aves
(c) Reptilia
(d) Amphibia
See the answer and the reason
Answer: (a). The report places it in the Laophontidae family of the Copepoda class.
3. Which of the following belongs to the research paper's abstract, not to the press?
(a) The new genus Indiaphonte was proposed after comparison with Tapholeon and Folioquinpes
(b) Laophontidae has 350 species
(c) The female's length is 518 to 772 micrometres
(d) Harpacticoid copepods are considered bio-indicators
See the answer and the reason
Answer: (a). (b), (c) and (d) are in The Hindu's report.
Sources:
- Zootaxa: Indiaphonte bijoyi gen. et sp. nov., a new laophontid (Harpacticoida: Laophontidae: Laophontinae) from the Southeastern Arabian Sea, India, 6 January 2026.
- The Hindu: Microscopic crustacean discovered in Kavaratti established as a new genus and species, 18 January 2026.
- UPSC: Preliminary Examination 2023, question format.
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