On the Identity of a rare Morphologically Abnormal Butterfly ray from the east Coast of India Resolved Through Molecular tool

Abstract

A free-swimming longtail butterfly ray, Gymnura poecilura (Shaw, 1804), specimen with significant abnormality was observed from the Bay of Bengal along the Odisha coast, east coast of India. One specimen, collected from Arjyapalli fish landing Centre along the Sothern Odisha coast, has the pectoral fins on both sides evenly split or symmetrically bifurcated for which initially the identity of the specimen was confusing. When classical taxonomy could not resolve the confusion, molecular analysis helped in obtaining species identity, which was confirmed as Gymnura poecilura. Pectoral fin splitting abnormality in the Gymnuridae family is reported herewith for the first time.