Extension of distribution range of Oman gurnard in Bay of Bengal

Abstract

Five specimens of Oman gurnard, Lepidotrigla omanensis (58.7–64.4 mm standard length), distributed widely in the Western Indian Ocean, including Somalia, Oman, Pakistan, Southwest India, and Myanmar, were collected at Patharghata (Barguna district) and Swarupkati (Pirojpur District) fish markets in Bangladesh between March and May 2020. The specimens were caught in the Bay of Bengal. The collected specimens were confirmed as L. omanensis by observing the morphological features: a blade-like spine at each corner of the upper jaw, a lateral line with 54–62 pored scales, a pectoral fin reaching the 5th to 7th anal fin rays, the first dorsal fin with a large red blotch covering the distal third to sixth spine, and the structure and position of opercular and cleithral spines. Previously, four gurnard species have been reported from the coastal waters of Bangladesh. However, the current study's latitudinal range extension of Oman gurnard demonstrated the potential role to enrich the fish diversity in the Northern Bay of Bengal. A detailed description of the specimens was provided, and intraspecific variations among the specimens of same genus available in the reported area were documented and compared.