First record of the toxic shadow goby Yongeichthys nebulosus (Gobiidae: Gobiinae) from West Bengal, eastern India

Priyankar Chakraborty; Andrew Arunava Rao

doi:10.17017/j.fish.1019

Priyankar Chakraborty Sundarban Tiger Widow Welfare Society (STWWS), Arampur, Gosaba 743370, West Bengal, India
Andrew Arunava Rao Malabar Tropicals, Kolkata 700017, West Bengal, India

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17017/j.fish.1019

Keywords: Gobiidae, range extension, Sundarbans, Yongeichthys suluensis, Yongeichthys tuticorinensis

Abstract

Herein, the first specimen-based record of Yongeichthys nebulosus (Forsskål, 1775) (Gobiidae) is reported from West Bengal, eastern India. Three individuals were collected from mangrove-associated waters in the Indian Sundarbans, one of which was preserved as a voucher specimen at the Zoological Survey of India. This record represents a north-eastward range extension for the species, which has previously been recorded from other parts of the Indian coast, including the neighbouring state of Odisha. Morphological and meristic features of the voucher specimen are consistent with published diagnoses. The discovery highlights the importance of specimen-based documentation for accurately recording species distributions and emphasises the need for sustained biodiversity monitoring in estuarine habitats.

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