Occurrence of two ornamental fish species of the order Tetraodontiformes from Odisha coast, India

Abstract

The present article discusses the morphological characteristics, meristics, distribution and systematics of two ornamental fish species Torquigener brevipinnis (Regan, 1903) (Family: Tetraodontidae) and Sufflamen fraenatum (Latreille, 1804) (Family: Balistidae) belonging to order Tetraodontiformes which were previously not observed from the coastal waters of Odisha state. These two species are mostly coral reef-associated fish species; thus, their occurrence along the Odisha coast is of great importance from a habitat point of view. The current study reports the distribution and their first occurrence in the coastal state of Odisha.