New Distributional Records for Cardinalfishes (Perciformes/ Apogonidae) from North East Arabian Sea, Western Indian Ocean

Fishes of family Apogonidae popularly known as cardinalfishes are of high ecological importance owing to its trophic role. Though the presence of apogonids from the coastal waters of the northeastern Arabian sea are reflected in diets of predatory fishes of the region and bycatch of trawls, limited reports are available on species composition. Three species namely Apogonichthyoides pseudotaeniatus (Gon, 1986), Jaydia queketti (Gilchrist, 1903) and Jaydia lineata (Temmink & Schlegal, 1842) have been reported for the first time from the region, adding to the apogonids diversity of the region. Ostorhinchus fasciatus (White, 1790) is also reported for the first time from the coastal waters of Gujarat. Morphometric assessment of the four species revealed several discriminating attributes capable of separating the species from each other.