First report of Indian frogfish, Antennarius indicus Schultz, 1964 from the Hooghly-Matlah estuary of India

Abstract

The primarily benthic, shallow-water, reef-associated Indian frogfish, Antennarius indicus Schultz 1964, belongs to the family Antennariidae (order Lophiiformes) and may be found in nearly all of the world's tropical and subtropical oceans and seas. Comprehensive morphological parameters of the Indian frogfish found in the Hooghly and Matlah estuary systems of India are provided by the current study. A single specimen with a length 97.87 mm and weight 33.48 g was collected from the winter migratory bagnet catch at Fraserganj fish landing site. Till now, there are no records of the occurrence of frogfishes in the Hooghly-Matlah estuarine system. The morphological features such as dorsal-fin spines - 3, dorsal-fin rays - 12, anal fin rays - 7, pectoral-fin rays - 10, and pelvic fin rays - 5, confirmed the first record of Indian frogfish A. indicus from the Hooghly-Matlah estuarine system. The estuary's current condition was revealed by the examination of the water quality at the collection site.