New deep-sea shark named Echinorhinus roinee, the Indian Bramble Shark, described from specimens landed at Sakthikulangara

11 November 2026

Scientists of the Zoological Survey of India and the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute have described a new deep-sea shark from the Indian Ocean. It is named Echinorhinus roinee and is called the Indian Bramble Shark. For decades the fish was taken to be the Atlantic bramble shark, Echinorhinus brucus. The specimens came from Sakthikulangara Fishing Harbour in Kollam district, landed as bycatch by deep-sea shrimp trawlers. The shark lives on continental slope waters at depths of 350 to 450 metres and grows up to three metres, with thorn-like dermal denticles over a dark brown to blackish body. Mitochondrial DNA barcode genes showed it to be a distinct Indian Ocean lineage, separate from the Atlantic species and from the Pacific prickly shark Echinorhinus cookei. The description is published in Records of the Zoological Survey of India. ZSI Director Dr Dhriti Banerjee said measurements and DNA evidence settled the question.