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Morphological Deformities in Neotrygon kuhlii (Muller & Henle, 1841) from Gulf of Mannar, Bay of Bengal, India

Abstract

Morphological deformities in blue-spotted maskray, Neotrygon kuhlii (Muller & Henle, 1841) were observed from the regular fishery of the Gulf of Mannar, Southeast coast of India. The deformities were mostly noticed in the head (pectorals not fused) and the vertebral column (scoliotic/lordotic/kyphotic curve). The detailed observations on various deformities have been briefly described in the present investigation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are very grateful to the Director, ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) for the encouragement during the course of this study. The author wishes to thank the Head, Marine Biodiversity Division and Demersal Fisheries Division for the support. We thank the staffs of Tuticorin Research Centre, ICAR-CMFRI and fishermen of Thoothukudi and Ramananthapuram Districts for the support. The first author acknowledges the online GIS program MAPTOOL provided by seaturtle.org.

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Correspondence to L. Ranjith.

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Ranjith, L., Saravanan, R., Kalidas, C. et al. Morphological Deformities in Neotrygon kuhlii (Muller & Henle, 1841) from Gulf of Mannar, Bay of Bengal, India. Thalassas 35, 49–56 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41208-018-0083-0

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Keywords

  • Dasyatids
  • Blue-spotted stingray
  • Abnormalities
  • Pectorals
  • Vertebral column