Note on Occurrence of Jaydia queketti ( Osteichthyes : Apogonidae ) from the Bycatch of Tropical Trawl Fishery

Three specimens of apogonids species of total length 72.69, 106.28 and 110.67 mm were caught off Tuticorin at the depths of 90-100 m as a bycatch on 1st January 2013 from the commercial trawler operated from Tuticorin Fishing Harbour, Southeast coast of India. In this paper, on the occurrence of Jaydia queketti was figured and the comprehensive diagnostic features of the recorded specimens were elucidated. The species of this genus Jaydia is distributed continentally and often caught as a bycatch from shrimp or fish trawl. These species are widely distributed in New Guinea, larger islands in the Coral Sea, Australia, Arabian Sea of India and also from Africa to Japan. Nevertheless, the present observation shows the occurrence of J. queketti from the bycatch of trawl fishery operated along Gulf of Mannar, Southeast coast of India. keywords: Cardinalfish, Trashfish, Gulf of Mannar, Distribution.

keywords: Cardinalfish, Trashfish, Gulf of Mannar, Distribution.iNTROduCTiON Cardinalfishes (Family: Apogonidae) are small percoid species, mostly less than 100 mm; generally marine, qualitatively abundant families in the reef ecosystems and are found in estuaries and lowland freshwater bodies 1,2,3 .They are nocturnal; few species show parental care; where males are known for mouth brooding of eggs, and some of the species have a ventral luminous organ 1,4,5 .Apogonids have a wide geographical range from warm temperate to tropical areas in the Oceans of Pacific, Indian and Atlantic 1,2 .They are distributed in a wide range of ecosystem viz., coral reefs, rocky reefs, sea grasses meadows, coralline algal meadows and other soft-bottom communities 1,2 .
The family Apogonidae was divided into two subfamilies viz., Apogoninae and Pseudamiinae 1 but later Mabuchi et al. (2014) erected two more subfamilies as of now the family Apogonidae has four subfamilies viz., Apogoninae (thirty four genera), Pseudamiinae (one genera, Pseudamia), Paxtoninae (one genera) and Amioidinae (two genera).The genus Jaydia Smith 1961 comes under the Apogoninae subfamily and tribe Sphaeramiini (6 genera).The tribe Sphaeramiini differs from the other apogonids in having melanophores completely blackish in the stomach and intestine, seven first dorsal spines with third dorsal spine shorter than fourth spine.

mATeRiAL ANd meThOdS
Three specimens of apogonids of 72.69, 106.28 and 110.67 mm total lengths were collected from trawl bycatch from the commercial trawler operated along Tuticorin coast on 1 st January 2013.These specimens were caught off Tuticorin approximately 35 km Southeast of Tuticorin fishing harbour between 90 and 100 m depth by a commercial trawler (8° 38' 127" N and 78°12' 612"E).The fresh color and pigmentation of the specimens were recorded, and photographs were taken at the landing centre.The landed specimens were brought into the laboratory of Tuticorin Research Centre of CMFRI for further analysis.The specimen's meristic counts were recorded and by using a digital caliper morphometric measurement were taken to the nearest mm according to Gon (1996) & Gon and  Randall (2003).

ReSuLTS
The specimens were identified as spotfin cardinal, Jaydia queketti (Gilchrist, 1903) (Accession No.: GB.31.9.1.156)and these were deposited in the National Marine Repository of Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi, Kerala, India.The morphometric characteristics with percents of total length (% of TL) and meristics counts of J. queketti are shown in the Table 1.

materials examined
Jaydia queketti (3 specimens; Trawler; bycatch, Tuticorin fishing harbour, Gulf of Mannar,8° 38' 127" N and 78°12' 612"E).Colour: Dorsal pinkish grey, ventral and lateral sides silvery shade; scales on the body with dark brown spot forming longitudinal rows; on the rear part of the first dorsal fin with large dark black spot of; anal fin distal edge intense black; anal, caudal and second dorsal fins pale to dusky, with a dark distal edge.

Systematics
Distribution: Arabian Sea of India, South Africa, Red Sea, Mozambique, and Persian Gulf.
Remarks: Based on shared characters like smooth preopercular and post-temporal ridges, along the body series of spots and on the peritoneum absence of dark spots the species J. queketti, J. carinatus and J. poecilopterus were grouped together within the carinatus-group of the subgenus Jaydia 6 .Gon (1996) later separated J. queketti from the latter by the enlarged dark ocellus on the posterior part of first dorsal fin, conspicuous parallel rows of dark brown spots on scales on the sides and anal; and also caudal fins with dark distal edges.On the other hand, J. carinatus has a dark ocellus on second dorsal fin and dark spots on sides not arranged in rows, whereas J. poecilopterus bears large indistinct black blotches on sides.

diSCuSSiON
Mor phology, colour, mor phometr ic measurements and meristic counts of the present specimen were similar to the specimen examined by Gon and Randall (2003).The key diagnostic characters like presence of smooth preopercle edge and palatine teeth, on the upper limb of first gill arch two developed gill rakers, silvery body with four or five rows of scales with brownish spots, posterior part of first dorsal fin with dark spot or ocellus on, black on distal edges of anal and caudal fins of the recorded specimens were as par various literatures 2,6,10 .The species of this genus Jaydia Smith 1961 has a more continental distribution, mostly caught in trawls as a bycatch, widespread in New Guinea, larger islands in the Coral Sea, Australia, Arabian Sea of India and also from Africa to Japan The present observation shows the occurrence of J. queketti from the bycatch of trawl fishery Southeast coast of India.
In recent times, there are more reports on the Lessepsian migration (marine species movement across the Suez Canal, i.e., from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea) of many marine fish species including J. queketti as an invasive species to the Mediterranean Sea 11 .The migration of marine species across different Seas could be attributed by the man-made ecosystem alterations and climatic change 11,12 .Moreover, studying the new population driven by man-made alterations and natural selection is the critical concern for the conversion of marine biodiversity.
The present species were caught as a bycatch of trawlers operating along Tuticorin as reported by Froese and Pauly (2014).This species might be a resident to Gulf of Mannar, which was not caught previously, or it may be arrived to the Gulf of Mannar from adjacent ecosystems through climate induced migration.The distribution of this species might be due to the recent changes in environmental and other oceanological features of Gulf of Mannar.Fish species movements towards higher latitudes are due to change climate conditions as fish distribution is affected due to the increases or decrease in sea temperature 12 .
In recent years, many apogonid species like Apogonichthyoides siali 13 and Holapogon maximus 14,15 , Cheilodipterus macrodon 3 have been reported from the southern EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) of India.This can be attributed to the shift in fishing pattern form coastal to deep waters and also due to closer observation and monitoring of bycatches from the deep sea fishery resources.In addition, there is an increase in trend of researchers focusing towards the deep-sea fish diversity in the southern coast of India, in particular to Gulf of Mannar 3,15,16,17 .Moreover, in the Gulf of Mannar, the slope is precipitous beyond 500 m, and 180 to 450 m depth range the bottom topography undulates 18 .Hence, in the forthcoming years future more number of faunal species in particular deep sea fish will be documented due to exploration of new fishing ground along Gulf of Mannar, Southeast coast of India.

Fig. 1 :Fig. 2 :
Fig. 1: Lateral left side view of the specimen Jaydia queketti caught off Tuticorin coast, Gulf of mannar, Southeast coast of india