First record of two cardinalfishes (Teleostei: Apogonidae) from northwestern India

Abstract

The current study represents the first records of elusive cardinalfish, Apogon fugax Gon et al., 2020 and twinbar cardinalfish, Apogonichthyoides sialis (Jordan and Thompson, 1914) from the Gujarat coast, northwestern India. During February 2024, regular fishing surveys were conducted to document a bycatch species assemblage. In the course of this study, a total three specimens of A. fugax and a single specimen of A. sialis were procured from Veraval Fishing Harbour, Gujarat, India. Apogon fugax is reported for the first time from Indian waters, while A. sialis is recorded for the first time from northwestern India. Herein, detailed meristic counts, morphometric measurements and the distribution of the species are described.