Rare species of sea slugs spotted off Vizhinjam

Thiruvananthapuram: Four rare species of sea slugs, normally found in other parts of the world, were spotted off the coast of Vizhinjam for the first time in India.

The four new species of sea slugs, including Glossodoris rufomaculatus , Goniobranchus annulatus, Hypselodoris nigrostriata , and Hoplodoris flammea, were reported from the near-shore rocky reef areas between Kovalam and Mulloor in the Vizhinjam bay.

The finding was made by a marine biodiversity survey conducted by Friends of Marine Life, an independent group.

The survey was carried out with the help of local traditional fishers in 2015. They documented more than 100 species of marine molluscs along the rocky reefs of southern Kerala.