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New Distributional Records of Twelve Reef Fishes from Lakshadweep Waters, India

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Abstract

Previous fish faunal studies have indicated that 144 families, 432 genera, and 856 species are extant in the Lakshadweep archipelago. In the present study, 12 new records are added to the Lakshadweep fish diversity. The new records include Harlequin sweetlips (Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides), Three-stripe fusilier (Pterocaesio trilineata), Hector’s goby (Koumansetta hectori), Large toothed cardinalfish (Cheilodipterus macrodon), Coral hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus), One-spot wormfish (Gunnellichthys monostigma), Imposter fangblenny (Plagiotremus phenax), Disco blenny (Meiacanthus smithi), Maldives damselfish (Amblyglyphidodon indicus), Orange spotted spinefoot (Siganus guttatus), Spotfin burrfish (Chilomycterus reticulatus), and filament finned parrotfish (Scarus altipinnis). Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides, S. altipinnis and G. monostigma are new records to Indian fish fauna. The current study enhances the fish faunal records of Lakshadweep archipelago to being represented by 435 genera and 868 extant species, with Koumensetta, Gunnellichthys and Chilomycterus genera being recorded here for the first time. The observations were made through underwater visual census by SCUBA and snorkeling in the lagoon and fore-reef area of a single island, Kavaratti, one of the 12 atolls of Lakshadweep archipelago, from January to March 2021. Identifications of the new records were confirmed through photography and videography.

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Acknowledgements

We are thankful to the Director, ICAR-CMFRI, Kochi for the facilities provided during the course of the study. We are also deeply grateful for the help extended by the Lakshadweep Administration, Kavaratti, Lakshadweep and Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Kavaratti, Lakshadweep during field work. The first, second and fifth authors are grateful to the Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi for guidance and the first and second authors are grateful to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and the University Grants Commission respectively, for fellowship and research contingency.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. SB received fellowship and research contingency from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India and AA the same from University Grants Commission, India during the course of the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Abraham Madamakkal Road, Kochi, 682018, Kerala, India

    B. Sandra, Alvin Anto, Miriam Paul Sreeram, K. R. Sreenath, K. R. Aju, K. M. Sreekumar, K. V. Akhilesh & K. K. Joshi

  2. Senior Research Fellow (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) Registered With Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi, Kerala, India

    B. Sandra

  3. Senior Research Fellow (University Grants Commission) Registered With, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi, Kerala, India

    Alvin Anto

  4. Ph D Scholar Registered With Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala, Kochi, India

    K. R. Aju

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  1. B. Sandra
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  2. Alvin Anto
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  3. Miriam Paul Sreeram
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Contributions

S.B. and A.A made the investigation and developed the study idea; S.B., A.K.R., A.A., M.P.S., S.K.R., K.V.A., K.M.S., K.K.J., analyzed the specimen visually and through fieldwork; S.B., prepared the original draft with further contributions by all other authors.

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Correspondence to Miriam Paul Sreeram.

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Sandra, B., Anto, A., Sreeram, M.P. et al. New Distributional Records of Twelve Reef Fishes from Lakshadweep Waters, India. Thalassas 38, 865–877 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41208-022-00424-6

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