J. Exp. Zool. Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 39-41, 2015 ISSN 0972-0030

A NEW RECORD OF CARDINAL FISH FLEURIEU (LACEPÈDE, 1802) FROM MIDDLE EAST COAST OF INDIA (PISCES: )

N. Muddula Krishna, V. Govinda Rao, Suresh K. Mojjada1 and N. Ram Sai Reddy Department of Marine Living Resources, Andhra University, Vishakhapatnam - 530 003, India. 1Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Veraval Regional Centre, Bhidiya plot, Veraval - 362 269, India. e-mail : [email protected] (Accepted 16 October 2014) ABSTRACT: The cardinal fish, (Lacepède, 1802) was recorded for the first time along the Visakhapatnam waters, Middle East coast of India. A detail description of the species is given with illustrations. One specimen was collected from trawl catches off Visakhapatnam coast, Northern Andhra Pradesh during the month of February, 2013. Current manuscript deals with general species description, distribution patterns, morphometric and meristic characters. Key words: Cardinal fish, Ostorhinchus fleurieu; off Vishakapatnam, East coast of India.

INTRODUCTION Family: Apogonidae In the course of species systematic study of the Subfamily: Family: Apogonidae from the continental shelf of off : Ostorhinchus Visakhapatnam waters (Latitude - 170 44’ N; Longitude - Species: fleurieu 830 23’ E) of Northern Andhra Pradesh, East coast of India. First record of the cardinal fish, Ostorhinchus Common name: Cardinal fish fleurieu (Lacepède, 1802) encountered during routine Description trawl fishing at Visakhapatnam fish landing centre. Body moderately deep and compressed, the These fishes are small and colourful shallow water maximum depth at dorsal fin origin. Dorsal profile of head fishes. Large numbers of species are coral reef fishes. gently convex, a small hump developed above posterior Found in a variety of habitats from sandy lagoons, caves, margin of eye. Snout short, nostrils close to each other, of crevices and branches of corals, weedy bottoms and turbid similar shape and diameter, situated in front of orbit. to mangrove areas; some species occur in brackish and Anterior nostril lower and closer to upper lip and with a fresh water. Some species make good aquarium fishes low rim. Eyes moderately large. Interorbital space slightly (Smith, 1986; Rao, 2003). The family is divided into 3 elevated along midline of head. Mouth moderately large, sub-families, 24-26 genera and about 200 species (Fraser, oblique, maxilla partly covered by suborbital bone, reaches 1972). These were 14 genera and 53 species likely to be to posterior rear margin of pupil. Jaws slightly subequal. found in area (Smith, 1986). Cardinal fishes distributed in Both jaws with a polyserial band of small, conical teeth. Marine, some brackish water, a few in streams in the A patch of slightly larger curved teeth at symphysis of tropical Pacific; Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific. (Nelson, lower jaw. Teeth vomerine, inverted V-shaped patch of 2006). teeth with one to two rows of small teeth becoming larger Description of the species posteriorly. Palatine teeth present with one to two irregular rows of small teeth. Head large. Gill openings wide, Cardinal fish samples collected to a single species extending anteriorly to under front of eye and gill and were identified as Ostorhincus fleurieu (Fig.1). membrane free from isthmus. Gill filaments shorter than The taxonomic position of the species is as follows. gill rakers. Post temporal bone usually serrated. Classification: Preopercule ridge smooth, edge serrated. Class: Body covered with large ctenoid scales. Lateral line Order: Perciformes complete, extending onto caudal fin. Predorsal scale reach forward to above preopercle ridge. preopercle bones 40 N. Muddula Krishna et al Table 1 : Morphometric data of Ostorhinchus fleurieu Lacepède, Table 2 : Meristic characters of Ostorhinchus fleurieu as compared 1802 represented in the present sample. by different authors. Standard length O. fleurieu Lacepède, 1802 Author Dorsal fin Anal Pectoral Caudal LLS n =1 Fish base V111, 9 II,8 13-15 - 24 108 mm SL Min- Max Present study VI1I,9 II,8 13 16 24 As percentage of standard length Total length 138 Body depth 40.7 Body width 42.0 Head length 37.9 Pre dorsal distance 38.8 Pre pectoral distance 38.8 Pre pelvic distance 37.0 Pre anal distance 63.8 Dorsal fin base 12.9 Anal fin base 16.6 Dorsal 1st spine height 12.9 Dorsal 2nd spine height 16.6 Dorsal 3rd spine height 17.5 Soft dorsal height 23.1 Soft anal height 17.5 Fig. 1 : Ostorhincus fleurieu Pectoral length 25.9 Soft pelvic fin length 20.3 lower margins of the stripe with thin, iridescent blue lines; As Percentage of Head Length similar iridescent line along mid-line of maxilla expansion. Head depth 95.1 A black spot under center of each lateral line scale. A Head width 53.6 small dark spot on membrane between bases of anal-fin Eye diameter 29.2 rays. A dark, wide band encircling caudal fin dusky to Pre orbital distance 14.6 dark. Other fins pinkish red and transparent. Post orbital distance 46.3 Distribution Inter orbital distance 24.3 Upper jaw length 51.2 Common in shallow coastal reefs with moderate Lower jaw length 46.3 currents, also in tidal channels of estuaries of Indo-West Maxilla width 14.6 Pacific region from Persian Gulf and Red Sea to Gulf of Snout length 26.8 Oman and scattered localities in , Seychelles, Caudal peduncle depth 15.7 India, , the Indo-Malayan region, and Hong Kong (Froese and Pauly, 2012). scaled. Interorbital space and snout naked. No scales on Remarks fin membranes. fleurieu is recorded predominantly from Origin of first dorsal fin on a vertical with pectoral eastern and western parts of the Indian Ocean. Very few and pelvic insertion. First dorsal spine short, second dorsal reports are from central part of Indian Ocean. From this spine longest, longest dorsal ray equal to longest dorsal region, Apogon fleurieus has been recorded from Wadge spine height. Pectoral fin pointed dorsally, upper rays Bank, south-west of Kanyakumari; Kovalam, Kerala, longest. Pelvics not reaching anal origin. Origin of anal Trincomalee, east coast of Sri Lanka and Andaman Sea fin under third to fourth soft dorsal ray. Anal fin with two (Randall et al, 1990). Gon (1987) reinstated the validity spines, first anal spine shorter than second. Margin of of this species which had been regarded as nomen dubium second dorsal and anal fins emarginated. Caudal fin for a long time, but incorrectly placed A. aureus emarginated. (Lacepède, 1802) in its synonymy. Randall et al (1990) Colour showed that A. aureus is a valid species, very similar to Golden to rusty red with metallic sheen. Snout dusky A. fleurieu. It differs from Ostorhinchus fleurieu in with a dark stripe from tip through eye to preopercle edge having dorsal- and ventral ends of the dark caudal peduncle (some times continues to edge of opercle), Upper and bar are wider than the middle one, thus giving it the shape A new record of cardinal fish 41 of an hourglass (Gon and Randall, 2003a). It may be 34, 138- 145. possible that due to similarity, the report of A. aureus Jordan D S and Snyder J O (1901) A review of the cardinal fishes of from Madras by Day (1875–78) is referable to this species Japan. Proc. United States National Museum XXIII, 891-913. (Randall et al,1990). Pending further study on this aspect, Weber M and De Beaufort L F (1929) Fishes of the Indo-Australian the current report serves as the first report of this species Archipelago. 5. E. J. Brill, Weiden, XIV 458 pp. from the East coast of India. 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