Leiognathus leuciscus (Gunther) and Leiognathus smithursti (Ramsay & Ogilby) (Family Leiognathidae : Pisces)—Two new records from the Indian Seas

Abstract

Of the fishes of the family Leiognathidae, Day (1876) reported 14 species from the Indian seas. Weber and de Beaufort (1931) listed 16 species from the Indo-Australian Archipelago. From Ceylon, Munro (1955) reported the occurrence of 12 species. Tiews et al. (1965) recorded the occurrence of 17 species from the Philippines. Fishes of this family which are popularly called silver-bellies (' Karal' in Tamil language) constitute an important and almost round the year fishery along the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar coasts in the vicinity of Mandapam. In recent years, great quantities of these fishes are being landed by otter trawl nets operated by mechanised boats at depths varying between 10 to 30 metres in the area. During the course of the study on the systematics, biology and fishery of these fishes in this region, the present author collected in addition to the species reported by Day (op. cit.) two species, Leiognathus leuciscus (Gflnther) and L. smithursti (Ramsay & Ogilby) hitherto not reported from the Indian seas. The occurrence of these two species is reported in this paper together with brief descriptions of the same. With the inclusion of these two new records, 16 species of this family (genera £e/ognathus, Secutor and Gazza) are now known from the Indian seas. A detailed review of the family will be published elsewhere.