A New Distribution Record of Porpita porpita (Linnaeus, 1758) (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) from Estuarine Waters of the Southwest Coast of India with Morphological and Molecular Analysis

Porpita porpita (Linnaeus, 1758), a colonial hydrozoan belonging to the family Porpitidae, has been recorded for the first time from the Cochin estuary, southwest coast of India. Detailed morphological and molecular analyses have been carried out to confirm species identity. Multiple molecular markers, including mitochondrial COI, nuclear 18S rRNA, and the ITS region, have been used for DNA barcoding, and the sequences have been deposited in EMBL/GenBank (under accession numbers MT576016, MT569147, and MT569977). Phylogenetic analyses based on COI and 18S rRNA have confirmed the placement of P. porpita within Porpitidae, clustering with Velella sp., while ITS has shown closer affinity to Zanclea sp. This record from the Cochin estuary extends the known geographical distribution of P. porpita and provides complementary molecular data, including ITS sequences, contributing to a broader understanding of the species’ diversity and ecological range.