New Fish Species “Rogadius Azizahae” Discovered In Malaysian Waters

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We have a new fish species in the waters of the South China Sea! The ‘’Rogadius azizahae” fish was discovered by Dr Tun Nurul Aimi Mat Jaafar of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu’s (UMT) Faculty of Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences.

It was found off the coasts of Terengganu and Johor during a scientific expedition on demersal fisheries resources in the east coast exclusive economic zone on 5 and 30 June 2016. Three specimens of the fish were discovered at depths between 53 and 58 metres.

Nurul Aimi said the fish species belongs to the flathead family and has been officially recognised by Zootaxa, an international taxonomic authority. Zootaxa validated the species’ name prior to its publication in the Journal of Fish Biology on 4 August 2025.

Rogadius azizahae, or its local name Baji Azizah, is a small-sized fish measuring between 10 and 11 cm long.

It’s a bottom-dwelling fish. Coupled with its flat body shape and brownish colouration with translucent white centre, the fish is adept at camouflage, skillfully blending with the deep-sea sand.

The scientific name ‘’azizahae’’ was chosen as a tribute to Prof Dr Siti Azizah Mohd Nor, UMT’s Senior Research Fellow, in recognition of her significant contributions to the field of molecular ecology and the conservation of fish biodiversity in Malaysia.

Nurul Aimi shared that the discovery is evidence that Malaysian waters, especially the South China Sea, is rich in untapped biodiversity still waiting to be explored. The discovery additionally opens up opportunities to study benthic fish community in Malaysian waters, which remains largely unexplored.

It also provides the university a platform to strengthen marine conservation efforts, deepen understanding of marine ecosystems, and support the enhancement of national fisheries resource management policies.

A demersal fish is also known as a groundfish and they live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes (the demersal zone).

Demersal fish is divided into two main types: the benthic and the benthopelagic fish.

Benthic fish can rest on the sea floor while benthopelagic fish can float in the water column just above the sea floor.

In terms of buoyancy, benthic fish is denser which makes it easier for these fish to lie on the sea floor without any efoort. Meanwhile, benthopelagic fish have neutral buoyancy which gives them an ability to float at depth without much effort.

Examples of benthic fish include halibut, flounder, turbot, sole, and plaice.

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