First Record of Hyperpigmentation in a Unicorn Cod, Bregmaceros Mcclellandi Thompson, 1840 (Gadiformes: Bregmacerotidae), From the North-west Coast of India

Bregmaceros mcclellandi species, abundant along the north-west coast of India, are economically valuable and ecologically vital marine resources. A comparative analysis of an malpigmentation specimen and a normal specimen indicated no differences in the morphometric and meristic characteristics. The specimen recorded in the present study was a mature female with a total length of 101 mm and a total weight of 4.6 g. The hyperpigmentation was recorded around the pectoral region, covering approximately 6% of the total body surface of the anomalous specimen. The present observation of hyperpigmentation in B. mcclellandi is the first recorded instance of hyperpigmentation in the family Bregmacerotidae, and the finding is novel due to the rarity of such a phenomenon in the wild population.