First record of black spot band fish: Acanthocepola limbata (Valenciennes, 1835) from Northern Bay of Bengal

Abstract

Based on a specimen obtained from the Petuaghat fish landing on the West Bengal coast, Acanthocepola limbata (Valenciennes, 1835) is described here for the first time from the Northern Bay of Bengal. There is only one record of this species from the Gulf of Mannar, which is also on India's southeast coast. This species had previously been reported from Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Kerala, which are mostly on the west coast of India. Although Acanthocepola indica has been found in the research area, the presence of A. limbata indicates that the Cepolidae fish family is less well known than other fish families. This species is mainly regarded as trash fish and is not seen in significant quantities along any of the coasts of India. The morphological traits of A are the topic of this message. The morphological characteristics of A. limbata from Petuaghat is recorded in this communication, which compares them to all previously described specimens of A. limbata from each place of occurrence in India.