Mistaken by dots: Revealing the misidentification of Saurida lessepsianus (Actinopterygii: Aulopiformes: Synodontidae) along the west coast of India (eastern Arabian Sea)

Abstract

The presently reported study identified Saurida lessepsianus Russell, Golani et Tikochinski, 2015 from the west coast of India, which was earlier diagnosed as Saurida undosquamis (Richardson, 1848) due to their morphological similarities. Saurida lessepsianus is characterized by 48–51 lateral line scales, 44–47 vertebrae, 3–6 rows of teeth on tongue and anterior part of stomach black. The identity of this species was also confirmed by molecular examination (phylogenetic analysis of the COI sequences) and the study revealed a genetic divergence value of 0.08 between S. lessepsianus and S. undosquamis. Our study confirms the extended distribution of S. lessepsianus along the west coast of India (eastern Arabian Sea) from the Red Sea-Mediterranean Sea.