Journal of
Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 November 2018 | 10(13):
12844–12846
A first record of the Redbelly
Yellowtail Fusilier Caesio cuning
(Bloch, 1791) (Teleostei: Caesionidae)
from Visakhapatnam coastal waters, India
Muddula Krishna Naranji
1, Govinda Rao Velamala 2 & Kondamudi Ramesh
Babu 3
1,2,3 Department of Marine Living Resources,
College of Science and Technology, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra
Pradesh 530003, India
1 krishna.muddu217@gmail.com
(corresponding author), 2 govind.v.mlr@gmail.com, 3 krameshmlr@gmail.com
doi: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3620.10.13.12844-12846
| ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FE437990-9DA8-45AD-AFF8-0DD0B0AC7959
Editor: A. Biju Kumar, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, India. Date of publication:
26 November 2018 (online & print)
Manuscript details: Ms
# 3620 | Received 30 June 2017 | Final received 21 October 2018 | Finally
accepted 01 November 2018
Citation: Naranji, M.K., G.R. Velamala & K.R. Babu (2018).
A first
record of the Redbelly Yellowtail Fusilier Caesio cuning (Bloch,
1791) (Teleostei: Caesionidae)
from Visakhapatnam coastal waters, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 10(13): 12844–12846; https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3620.10.13.12844-12846
Copyright: © Naranji et al. 2018.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any
medium, reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the
authors and the source of publication.
Funding: None.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: The authors are very much thankful to the
Head, Marine Living Resources department, College of Science and Technology,
Andhra University for providing facilities during the study period.
Caesio cuning (Bloch 1791), commonly known as the Redbelly Yellowtail Fusilier, belongs to the family Caesionidae (order Perciformes) which contains 23 species and four genera. This species is a non-migratory reef
associated fish and distributed in the Indo-West Pacific region, from Sri Lanka
to Vanuatu and from southern Japan to northern Australia (Carpenter 1988; Froese & Pauly 2016). The species of Caesionidae are characterized by a slender, fusiform and
elongated body, unique jaw morphology, and highly protrusible
upper jaw with reduced dentition (Carpenter 1987). The genus Caesio
contains six species throughout the world, Caesio
caerulaurea (Lacepede,
1801), C. cuning (Bloch, 1791), C. lunaris (Cuvier, 1830), C. teres
(Seale, 1906), C. varilineata (Carpenter,
1987), and C. xanthonota (Bleeker,
1853), and the former three species occur in Indian waters (Froese
& Pauly 2016).
From Indian waters Day (1958), Silas & Pillai
(1982), Talwar & Kacker
(1984), Padate et al. (2010), and Rao
(2004) reported the occurrence of this species Caesio
cuning; however, no occurrence of the genus Caesio has been reported from Visakhapatnam coastal
waters, India. This paper reports the
occurrence of Caesio cuning
for the first time from the coastal waters of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
Material
and Methods: A single specimen of C. cuning
was collected from the Visakhapatnam coastal waters, India, on 22 June
2015. The material was fixed in 10%
formalin and preserved in 70% ethanol.
Identification was based on standard taxonomic keys of Carpenter (1987)
and Froese & Pauly
(2016). Counts and measurements were
made according to Allen (1985). The
specimen was deposited at the Department of Marine Living Resources, Andhra
University (DMLRAU52/2015).
Results and Discussion
Genus Caesio
Lacepecle, 1801
Caesio cuning (Bloch, 1791) (Image 1)
Telugu name: Dundava
Caesio Lacepede, 1801, pp. 85 (type species: Caesio
caerulaurea Lacepede,
1801, by subsequent designation (Bleeker, 1876).
Body
moderately deep, dorsal profile of head high, interorbital
space strongly convex, profile of snout relatively short and pointed; mouth
small, oblique; the lower jaw slightly projecting, the posterior end of maxilla
reaching to above front edge of orbit. Preoperbital bone narrow and less than the eye diameter;
eyes are relatively large in size. Villiform teeth
in jaws; tongue without tooth; minute teeth in a triangular shaped patch of vomer and a narrow band on palatines. Preopercular flap
slightly pointed. Head covered with ctenoid scales; originating from
nape region and extending upto the base of the first
dorsal spine. Transverse scale rows on
cheek four.
Origin
of dorsal and pelvic fin on the same line where as the origin of pectoral fin
slightly anterior; dorsal fin continuous with ten spines and sixteen soft rays;
fourth dorsal spine longest and succeeding spines decreasing length
posteriorly. Dorsal fin rounded in shape
slightly angular in shape posteriorly; anal fin with three spines; first anal
spine shorter than second and second anal spine stouter and longer than third;
pectoral pointed, it reaches up to the anterior margin of anus. Pelvic fin angular in shape; caudal fin
forked. Body covered with ctenoid scales. Dorsal and anal fin with scaly sheath; lateral line runs parallel
to dorsal profile; supra-temporal band of scales confluent at dorsal midline.
Upper
body bluish superiorly yellow, lower sides and the belly portion reddish in
colour; dorsal fin posteriorly yellow, pectoral fin rays pinkish, pelvic and
anal fins reddish in color; axil of pectoral fin
black; caudal fin yellowish and iris red.
Remarks:
Cuvier (1830) reconciled the colour differences between C. erythrogaster and the figure of Bloch’s cuning as due to Bloch’s incomplete
information of the original colour (Carpenter 1987). When compared with the original description
of previous authors (Bloch, 1791 and Carpenter, 1987). The meristic, morphometric and colouration
were well in agreement with the present specimen (Tables 1 and 2) except
lateral line scales. According to
Carpenter (1987), Rao (2004), Padate
et al. (2010), and Froese & Pauly
(2016) lateral line scales are 47–52; 45–51; 48–51 and 45–51 respectively where
as in the present study the lateral line scales are observed to be 54 only.
Table 1. Comparison of morphometric and
meristic characters of Caesio cuning
|
|
Dorsal |
Anal |
Pectoral |
Ventral |
Caudal |
GR |
Lateral line scales |
Lateral transverse scales |
|
Day 1875 |
X,15 |
III,11 |
20 |
I,5 |
17 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Carptenter 1987 |
X,15 |
III,11 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
47-52 |
- |
|
Rao 2004 |
X,15 |
III,11 |
18-19 |
I,5 |
- |
- |
45-51 |
- |
|
Padate et al. 2010 |
X, 15 |
III,11 |
17 |
I,5 |
-z |
- |
48-51 |
- |
|
Froese & Pauly
2016 |
X,14-16 |
III,10-12 |
17-20 |
I,5 |
- |
35-40 |
45-51 |
7-9/15-18 |
|
Current specimen |
X,15 |
III,12 |
17 |
I,5 |
17 |
- |
54 |
8/16 |
Table 2. Morphometrics of Caesio cuning [DMLRAU52/2015]
collected from Visakhapatnam, India
|
|
C. cuning, n = 1 |
|
Percentage of standard length |
|
|
Total Length |
136.6mm |
|
Body depth |
48.88 |
|
Head length |
30.00 |
|
Pre dorsal distance |
42.22 |
|
Pre pectoral distance |
27.77 |
|
Pre pelvic distance |
29.44 |
|
Pre anal distance |
65.55 |
|
Dorsal fin base |
58.33 |
|
Pectoral fin base |
6.66 |
|
Anal fin base |
45.00 |
|
Depth of caudal peduncle |
11.11 |
|
1st Dorsal spine height |
5.00 |
|
2nd Dorsal spine height |
12.77 |
|
3rd Dorsal spine height |
16.11 |
|
1st dorsal ray length |
11.66 |
|
2nd dorsal ray length |
12.22 |
|
1st anal spine height |
2.77 |
|
2nd anal spine height |
11.11 |
|
3rd anal spine height |
9.44 |
|
1st soft anal ray length |
10.00 |
|
4th soft anal ray length |
8.33 |
|
Last soft anal ray length |
13.00 |
|
Pectoral length |
33.88 |
|
Pelvic spine height |
11.66 |
|
Soft pelvic length |
19.44 |
|
Body width |
20.00 |
|
Head width |
31.00 |
|
% of head
length |
|
|
Head depth |
65.00 |
|
Head width |
57.40 |
|
Eye diameter |
25.92 |
|
Pre orbital distance |
14.81 |
|
Post orbital distance |
51.85 |
|
Inter orbital distance |
29.62 |
|
Upper jaw length |
33.33 |
|
Lower jaw length |
22.22 |
|
Maxillary width |
11.11 |
|
Snout length |
20.37 |
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