PLATINUM The Journal of Threatened Taxa (JoTT) is dedicated to building evidence for conservaton globally by publishing peer-reviewed artcles OPEN ACCESS online every month at a reasonably rapid rate at www.threatenedtaxa.org. All artcles published in JoTT are registered under Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License unless otherwise mentoned. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of artcles in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton. Journal of Threatened Taxa Building evidence for conservaton globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Note First record of African Sailfin Flying Fish Parexocoetus mento (Valenciennes, 1847) (Beloniformes: Exocoetidae), from the waters off Andaman Islands, India Y. Gladston, S.M. Ajina, J. Praveenraj, R. Kiruba-Sankar, K.K. Bineesh & S. Dam Roy 26 October 2020 | Vol. 12 | No. 14 | Pages: 17032–17035 DOI: 10.11609/jot.5708.12.14.17032-17035 For Focus, Scope, Aims, Policies, and Guidelines visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-0 For Artcle Submission Guidelines, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions For Policies against Scientfc Misconduct, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-2 For reprints, contact <[email protected]> The opinions expressed by the authors do not refect the views of the Journal of Threatened Taxa, Wildlife Informaton Liaison Development Society, Zoo Outreach Organizaton, or any of the partners. The journal, the publisher, the host, and the part- Publisher & Host ners are not responsible for the accuracy of the politcal boundaries shown in the maps by the authors. Member Threatened Taxa Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 October 2020 | 12(14): 17032–17035 ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) PLATINUM OPEN ACCESS DOI: htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.5708.12.14.17032-17035 #5708 | Received 19 January 2020 | Final received 06 July 2020 | Finally accepted 22 September 2020 N o t e First record of African Sailfn Flying Fish Parexocoetus mento (Valenciennes, 1847) (Beloniformes: Exocoetdae), from the waters of Andaman Islands, India Y. Gladston 1 , S.M. Ajina 2 , J. Praveenraj 3 , R. Kiruba-Sankar 4 , K.K. Bineesh 5 & S. Dam Roy 6 1,2,3,4,6 Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Central Island Agricultural Research Insttute (ICAR-CIARI), Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar 744101, India. 5 Zological Survey of India, Andaman & Nicobar Regional Centre, Haddo, Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar 744101, India. 1 [email protected] (corresponding author), 2 [email protected], 3 [email protected], 4 [email protected], 5 [email protected], 6 [email protected] The family Exocoetdae comprises of 74 species islands (Rajan et al. 2013). Only one species of genus belonging to seven genera and four subfamilies (Collete Parexoceotus, P. brachypterus, commonly known as et al. 1984; Fricke et al. 2019). These fshes are distributed sailfn fying fsh, familiar in the Andaman Islands, is from the tropical to temperate waters (Lewallen et al. captured in sardine gillnet (‘tharni net’) and marketed in 2010; Nelson et al. 2016). This family is characterized the local market. P. mento, a species originally described by a prominently enlarged paired fns, which assist from the eastern Indian ocean near Pondicherry, is in gliding over the water (Davenport 1994). Based on recorded for the frst tme in the Andaman Islands the number of enlarged fns (either pectoral or both showing an extended geographical distributon. A brief pectoral and pelvic) the species known to monoplane descripton of the species recorded is descried herein. glider and biplane glider (Breder 1930). The subfamily Twenty-three specimens were collected from the gill Parexocoetnae, a monoplane glider consists of a single net fshermen of Junglighat marine fsh landing centre genus (Parexocoetus) with three species. The genus (11.6590N & 72.7210E), Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Parexocoetus is distnguished from the other members The specimens were caught as bycatch of sardine gill net of the family by the presence of strongly protrusible of mesh size of 20mm and hanging coefcient of 0.55. mouth and having a process on theex-occipital directly The specimens collected were of poor quality due to artculatng with the cleithrum. the improper handling practces and their low market Andaman & Nicobar archipelago, a biodiversity-rich value. The specimens were preserved in 5% formalin Island ecosystem, harbours around 1,434 fsh species soluton. The morphometric measurements were taken under 576 genera belonging to 165 families and 33 in nearest 0.01 mm using the MitutoyoCD-6”ASX digital orders (Rajan et al. 2013). Only fve species of fying calliper. The terminologies used in the present study fshes belonging to four genera were reported from the follow Parin (1996). The morphometric measurements Editor: A. Biju Kumar, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, India. Date of publicaton: 26 October 2020 (online & print) Citaton: Gladston, Y., S.M. Ajina, J. Praveenraj, R.Kiruba-Sankar, K.K. Bineesh & S.D. Roy (2020). First record of African Sailfn Flying Fish Parexocoetus mento (Valenciennes, 1847) (Beloniformes: Exocoetdae), from the waters of Andaman Islands, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 12(14): 17032–17035. htps://doi. org/10.11609/jot.5708.12.14.17032-17035 Copyright: © Gladston et al. 2020. Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of this artcle in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton. Funding: Funded by ICAR-CMFRI Cochin under the project All India network programme on mariculture. Competng interests: The authors declare no competng interests. Acknowledgements: The authors are highly thankful to the Director, Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Island Agricultural Research Insttute (ICAR- CIARI) and Director, ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Insttute for necessary support. 17032 J TT Record of African Sailfn Flying Fish from Andaman Islands Gladston et al. were transformed into ratos for size independent litle extended when closed (Fig 1B). The entre body comparison. Both morphometric and meristc characters is covered with deciduous ctenoid scales. Caudal fn were compared with relevant literature. A total of 23 lobes unequal, and lower lobe is large and elongated. specimens examined are deposited in the Fisheries Lateral line scales well developed and passing though Museum of ICAR-CIARI, Port Blair. lower part of mid-lateral region. A well-developed lateral-line branch is present and descending from the Systematcs pectoral fn base. Greatest body depth is 20 ̶ 23 % of the Order: Beloniformes L.S. Berg, 1937 standard length and head 22–29 % of standard length. Family: Exocoetdae Risso, 1827 Morphometric measurements of P. mento are given in Genus: Parexocoetus Bleeker, 1865 Table 1. Body proportons are expressed as a percentage Species: Parexocoetus mento (Valenciennes, 1847) of standard length and head length. (Fig. 1; Table 1) Pectoral fns long, reaching to or beyond the origin Materials Examined: CIARI/MF 06¬29, 23.iii.2019, of the dorsal fn, it is about 48 to 55 % of the standard 23ex, 91.0–108.0mm SL, Junglighat Fish Market, Port length. Pectoral fn rays 10–12, mostly 12, middle Blair, Andaman Islands, India (11.659°N & 72.721°E), elongated. Single dorsal fn with all sof rays, originated coll. Gladston & Ajina. posterior to the body same line of anal fn origin. Dorsal Descripton: The body is elongated and moderately fns with about 10–11 fn rays (mostly 10) with middle compressed laterally with blunt and short snout (Fig 1A). ones are elongated and reach up to the origin of upper The upper jaw is protrusible (Fig. 1B) and the lower jaw caudal fn lobe. Pelvic fns as same as the length of Image 1. Parexocoetus mento collected from Junglighat market of Andaman Islands: A—whole specimen | B—extended lower jaw when mouth closed | C—protrusible mouth | D—otolith (Sagita, the largest otolith) | E—frst gill with rakers | F—spinules in gill rakers. © S.M. Ajina & Y. Gladston. Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 October 2020 | 12(14): 17032–17035 17033 J TT Record of African Sailfn Flying Fish from Andaman Islands Gladston et al. Table 1. Morphometric measurements of Parexocoetus mento from the Andaman Islands. The species has earlier known (N=23). Body proportons are expressed as a percentage of standard Red Sea, Africa, Marshall Islands, Fiji, Japan, Australia, length and head length. and Mediterranean Sea (Russell & Houston 1989; Parin Characters Mean Range CV 1986). The original descripton of the species in from TL(cm) 12.10 11.00–13.40 5.68 southeastern coast of India near Pondicherry. The SL(cm) 9.91 9.10–10.80 4.58 existence of P. mento revealed additonal biodiversity PDL/SL 0.70 0.66–0.74 2.73 of fsh in Andaman Islands and also shows the new PPeL/SL 0.53 0.50–0.54 2.67 geographical distributon in this region. PPL/SL 0.29 0.25–0.31 5.61 The earlier distributon of the species known from Mediterranean coast of Palestne (Bruun 1935), Aegean PAL/SL 0.72 0.69–0.75 2.72 Sea (Kosswig 1950; Ben-Tuvia 1966; Fischer & Bianchi BD/SL 0.21 0.20–0.23 5.11 1984; Parin 1986) Gulf of Sidra (Ben-Tuvia 1966; South- PpiL/SL 0.28 0.26–0.32 5.93 east Mediterranean Sea (Ben-Tuvia 1966, 1985; Fischer pAiL/SL 0.22 0.20–0.24 5.78 & Bianchi 1984; Parin 1986; Golani 1996) and from PL/SL 0.51 0.47–0.55 4.15 Albania (Fischer & Bianchi 1984; Parin 1986). PFL/SL 0.20 0.17–0.22 6.47 This species was originally described from the AL/ SL 0.18 0.16–0.20 6.32 Pondicherry waters by Valenciennes in 1847.