Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 July 2022 | 14(7): 21409–21420

 

 

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) 

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7683.14.7.21409-21420

#7683 | Received 01 October 2021 | Final received 28 June 2022 | Finally accepted 04 July 2022

 

 

 

A checklist of fish and shellfishes of the Poonthura estuary, southwestern coast of India

 

Kiranya Bella 1, Pramila Sahadevan 2, Giri Bhavan Sreekanth 3 & Rajeev Raghavan 4  

 

1,2,4 Department of Fisheries Resource Management, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), Panangad P.O., Kochi, Kerala 682506, India.

3 ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute (CCARI), Old Goa, Goa 403402, India.

 1 kiranya.kikry@gmail.com (corresponding author), 2 spramila@hotmail.com, 3 gbsree@gmail.com, 4 rajeevraq@hotmail.com

 

 

 

Abstract: A systematic checklist of fish and shellfishes of the Poonthura estuary, Kerala, India is provided including notes on their conservation status. This checklist includes 66 finfish and five shellfish, belonging to 17 orders, 35 families, and 60 genera. Carangiformes is the richest order (11 species, eight genera, and three families), representing 15.4% of the total fish diversity. Carangidae, is the most diverse family with nine representatives, contributing to 12.6% of the total fish diversity. Following the IUCN Red List Categories, of the total 69 species (excluding both exotic and transplanted fish species), 59 belong to the ‘Least Concern’, while one species Pampus argenteus is listed as ‘Vulnerable’, four are ‘Data Deficient’ (Megalops cyprinoides, Arius maculatus, Cynoglossus semifasciatus, and Epinephelus tauvina) and five are ‘Not Evaluated’ (Nuchequula blochii, Channa pseudomarulius, Penaeus indicus, P. monodon, and Scylla serrata). Around 94% of the recorded fish fauna have commercial value and contribute to subsistence fisheries throughout the year. Taxonomy and diversity of fish fauna of least studied or isolated estuarine ecosystems should be updated with proper documentation of their conservation status, in order to design and implement pragmatic management and conservation programs.

 

Keywords: Brackish water, fish diversity, Ichthyofauna, Kerala estuaries.

 

 

 

Editor: J.A. Johnson, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India. Date of publication: 26 July 2022 (online & print)

 

Citation: Bella, K., P. Sahadevan, G.B. Sreekanth & R. Raghavan (2022). A checklist of fish and shellfishes of the Poonthura estuary, southwestern coast of India.  Journal of Threatened Taxa 14(7): 21409–21420. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7683.14.7.21409-21420

 

Copyright: © Bella et al. 2022. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.  JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

 

Funding: There is no specific funding pertaining to this manuscript.

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Author details: Kiranya Bella is a PhD student at the Department of Fisheries Resource Management, KUFOS , interested in marine conservation and ecosystem modeling.  Pramila Sahadevan is an assistant professor at Department of Fisheries Resource Management, KUFOS,interested in fish biology and marine conservation.  Giri Bhavan Sreekanth is an scientist at CCARI, Goa, interested in ecological modelling and fish conservation. Rajeev Raghavan is an assistant professor at the Department of Fisheries Resource Management, KUFOS, interested in aquatic biodiversity conservation and inland fisheries.

 

Author contributions: KB—collection of data, analysis and preparation of manuscript; PS—overall supervision, guidance and manuscript editing; GBS—data analysis and interpretation; RR—reviewing and editing.

 

Acknowledgements: We are grateful to Dr. Riji John, vice chancellor, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) Kochi, India, Dr. Rosalind George, dean, Faculty of Fisheries, KUFOS, and to Dr. M.K Sajeevan, head of the Department of Fisheries Resource Management for providing the necessary help and support for the accomplishment of the present research work. We are thankful to Dr. Anvar Ali, assistant professor, KUFOS, for his help in taxonomic confirmation of fishes which helped to improve the quality of this manuscript. We are grateful to Dr. Karan Ramteke, scientist, ICAR CIFE- Mumbai and Mr. Ashish Sahu, PhD student, KUFOS for their technical help during the preparation of the manuscript.

 

 

 

Introduction

 

Estuaries are transitional zones between sea and freshwater that are inhabited by both inland and marine species, including their juvenile stages (McLusky & Elliott 2006; Elliott et al. 2007; Franco et al. 2008; Potter et al. 2010; Sreekanth et al. 2018). Compared to marine or freshwater systems, estuaries are variable, complicated, and stressful habitats (Selleslagh & Amara 2008; Human et al. 2016; Kiranya et al. 2022). Many commercially important fish species benefit from the highly productive nature of estuaries as their nursery area (Harrison & Kelly 2013). Therefore, much emphasis is required to protect estuarine environments so as to ensure the growth and survival of commercially important fish and shellfish species (Elliott et al. 2007).

The estuaries, backwaters, coastal creeks and large brackishwater systems contribute to a significant part of fish production in India (Nair et al. 1983; Tudu et al. 2018). The peculiarity of Indian estuaries is that they are characterized by high species diversity with low numerical abundance (Sreekanth et al. 2019). Poonthura Estuary situated in the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala is comparatively small and shallow, and is formed due to the formation of a sand bar near the estuarine mouth (Kiranya et al. 2018). Previous authors who worked on this estuary have reported its ecological degradation mainly due to indiscriminate fishing and pollution from point and non-point sources (Kiranya et al. 2018).

In Kerala, considerable number of studies have dealt with taxonomic entities within estuarine systems, i.e., species composition, species distribution, and abundance, and spatial and temporal variations in fish diversity (Bijukumar & Sushama 2000; Harikrishnan et al. 2011; Regi & Bijukumar 2012; Kiranya et al. 2018;  Roshni et al. 2021; Kiranya et al. 2022), with many such studies concentrated on a single estuary, the Vembanad Lake (Kurup & Samuel 1987; Menon et al. 2000; Harikrishnan et al. 2011; Roshni et al. 2021). There is  considerable knowledge gap on the fish diversity and distribution patterns in many estuaries of Kerala, notably in the case of smaller systems such as Poonthura estuary, because of their isolated nature (Kiranya et al. 2018, 2022). Considering this lacuna, the present study focuses on presenting a comprehensive checklist of fish and shellfish species of Poonthura estuary, along with their systematic position, and conservation status (according to the IUCN Red List). The increasing availability of data on estuarine fish and shellfish fauna will facilitate their use in greater detail to design and implement pragmatic strategies and programs for estuarine fisheries management and conservation.

 

 

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 

Study area

The Poonthura Estuary (0.9 km2 long and 0.1 km wide) is one of the most ecologically significant, and at the same time a polluted estuary in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala (Kiranya et al. 2022). The estuary is micro-tidal and partially mixed, with an average tidal range of 1.5 m, and separated from the Lakshadweep Sea by a sand bar at Poonthura. The sand bar opens during the monsoon due to heavy discharge of water from the River Karamana. During heavy river discharge and land drainage during the monsoon, the sand bar between sea and estuary is either naturally, or manually opened. Artificial breaching of the estuary is also a frequent practice in this area to avoid flooding into nearby human settlements (Kiranya et al. 2018). The Poonthura estuary has also been undergoing severe ecological degradation with its bottom being muddy with a pungent smell, due to the unmanaged disposal of municipal sewage, land drainage, and industrial effluents (Kiranya et al. 2018). Full-time, part time and migrant fishers of 200 families of the adjoing areas belonging to the traditional sector depend on this estuary both directly and indirectly for subsistence, almost throughout the year (Kiranya et al. 2018).

 

Sampling and analysis

The present study was carried out in multiple phases from June 2016 to October 2020. Three sampling stations were fixed based on the fishing activity, tidal influx, and drainage from rivers/ land. Monthly samples of fish and shellfish were collected from the selected stations (Image 1).  Sampling was performed during early morning using 110 m surface and bottom set gillnets (mesh size 30 mm) and 4.5 m cast net (mesh size 8 mm) (one sampling each using both bottom set gillnet, surface gill net and cast net at a sampling station) operated from a small plank-built canoe (3 m LOA). Identification of fish and shellfishes were done at the species level by using published keys (Jayaram 1981; Fischer & Bianchi 1984). Identification of Channa pseudomarulius followed Britz et al. (2017). Taxonomic status and systematic position of fishes follow the Catalog of Fishes (Fricke et al. 2021) and World Register of Marine Species database (WoRMS 2021). Vernacular and local names of fish and shellfish species were collected from the traditional fishers through questionnaires. The conservation status of fish species is based on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN 2021). Voucher specimens and photo vouchers (of those species whose specimens were not collected) are deposited in the Department of Fisheries Resource Management, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Kochi, Kerala, India.

 

 

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

 

Total of 71 species (66 finfish and five shellfishes) within 17 orders and 35 families and 60 genera were recorded from Poonthura estuary (Table 1) (Image 2a–g). The dominant fish orders recorded were Carangiformes (15.4%) with 11 species followed by orders Clupeiformes (14%), Perciformes (11.2%), Mugiliformes (7.04%), Cypriniformes (7.04%), and members of the crustacean order Decapoda (7.04%) (Figure 2). Comparable results were recorded by Regi & Bijukumar (2012), who observed that Perciformes, Siluriformes, Clupeiformes, and Mugiliformes, were the most common taxonomic orders in the Veli-Akkulam backwaters which is the adjacent backwater system (13 km away from Poonthura estuary) and shares similar characteristics with Poonthura estuary such as small size, isolated, and temporarily closed nature.

The dominant finfish families recorded in Poonthura estuary (Figure 3) were Carangidae with nine species (12.6%), Clupeidae with six species, Mugilidae and Cyprinidae with five species each (7.04%), and Leiognathidae and Ambassidae with four species (5.6%). The major species within family Carangidae were Atule mate, Caranx ignobilis, Alepes djedaba, and Trachinotus blochii.

Species such as Etroplus suratensis, Oreochromis mossambicus, Gerres filamentosus, Chelon parsia, Mugil cephalus, Arius arius, and Caranx ignobilis represented the most common species of the estuarine system, with Etroplus suratensis and Oreochromis mossambicus being recorded throughout the year during the study period. The present study also revealed the occurrence of two fish species having ornamental value, the filament barb, Dawkinsia filamentosa and the silver moony, Monodactylus argenteus.

Of the four species of shrimps/prawns recorded from the estuary, Penaeus indicus was the dominant  species followed by P. monodon and Macrobrachium rosenbergii. The mud crab Scylla serrata was the only representative of crabs that was observed in the local catches.

Based on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, of the 69 species recorded (excluding exotic and translocated species) from Poonthura Estuary, 85.7% (59 species) were under the ‘Least Concern’ category, one species was under the ‘Vulnerable’ category (Pampus argenteus), four species under the ‘Data Deficient’ (Megalops cyprinoides, Arius maculatus, Cynoglossus semifasciatus, and Epinephelus tauvina) and five under the ‘Not Evaluated’ (Nuchequula blochii, Channa pseudomarulius, Penaeus indicus, P. monodon, and Scylla serrata) categories (Figure 3).

Several authors have studied estuarine fish diversity of west flowing river systems in Kerala, most of them pointing at the predominance of finfish species. Bijukumar & Sushama (2000) presented an overview of the ichthyofauna of the Ponnani estuary representing 112 finfish species belonging to 14 orders, 53 families, and 80 genera. Kurup & Samuel (1987) recorded 150 species of fishes from Vembanad lake, while a recent study by Roshni et al. (2021) reported 90 species of fish belonging to 17 orders and 40 families suggesting a 40% reduction in fish fauna since 1980s. Raj et al. (2014) reported 68 species of finfishes, five species of crabs, nine species of prawns from the Ashtamudi estuary, and stated that pearlspot and mullets supported good local fisheries. From Chettuva estuary, Johny et al. (2016) recorded 68 species of fish belonging to 45 genera while the diversity of nearby Azhikode estuary was known to comprise of 30 finfishes (Harikrishnan et al. 2011). Fifty species under 40 genera of finfish were recorded from the Akathumuri backwaters (Satheesan et al. 2014). Regi & Bijukumar (2012) also reported the occurrence of two non-native/ exotic species (Oreochromis mossambicus and Clarias gariepinus) from the Veli-Akkulam lake. According to the above authors, O. mossambicus has dominated the native fish species in many Indian water bodies due to its prolific breeding, voracious feeding habits, and hardy nature.

The conservation and management of Poonthura estuary necessitates a holistic approach that takes in to account the ecosystem balance and function as well as the restoration of the natural fish diversity of the estuary, thus ensuring fishing activities that are economically viable in the long-term.

 

 

Table. 1 Checklist of fish and shellfish recorded from Poonthura estuary, their taxonomic position, common and vernacular names, IUCN Red List status and voucher numbers.

 

Order/Family/Species

Common name

Vernacular name

IUCN
status

Voucher number

I

ORDER ELOPIFORMES

 

 

 

 

1

ELOPIDAE (Ten pounders/Lady fishes)

 

 

 

 

 

Elops machnata (Forsskål, 1775)

Ladyfish/ten pounder

Oluvia meen

LC

Photo voucher

2

MEGALOPIDAE (Tarpons)

 

 

 

 

 

Megalops cyprinoides Broussonet, 1782

Indo-pacific tarpon

Kannamalavu

DD

KUFOS.FV.2019.1041

II

ORDER CLUPEIFOMRES

 

 

 

 

3

CLUPEIDAE (Herrings, Sardines, Sprats)

 

 

 

 

 

Anodontostoma chacunda (Hamilton, 1822)

Shortnose gizzard shad

Noona

LC

KUFOS.FV.2019.1042

Amblygaster sirm (Walbaum, 1792)

Spotted sardine

Keeri chaala

LC

KUFOS.FV.2019.1045

Dayella malabarica (Day, 1873)

Day’s round herring

Kayal netholi

LC

KUFOS.FV.2016.1007

Nematalosa nasus (Bloch, 1795)

Bloch’s gizzard shad

Kuthavu

LC

Photo voucher

Sardinella albella (Valenciennes, 1847)

White sardine

Chappa chaala

LC

KUFOS.FV.2019.1044

Sardinella gibbosa (Bleeker, 1849)

Goldstripe sardinella

Mullan chaala

LC

KUFOS.FV.2019.1043

4

ENGRAULIDAE (Anchovies)

 

 

 

 

 

Encrasicholina devisi (Whitley, 1940)

Devi’s anchovy

Netholi

LC

KUFOS.FV.2019.1046

 

Stolephorus indicus (Van Hasselt, 1823)

Indian anchovy

Vella Netholi

LC

KUFOS.FV.2019.1047

 

Thryssa mystax (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

Moustached anchovy

Mullan manangu

LC

Photo voucher

5

CHIROCENTRIDAE (Wolf herring)

 

 

 

 

 

Chirocentrus dorab (Forsskål, 1775)

Dorab wolf-herring

Mulluvaala

LC

KUFOS. FV.2017.1009

III

ORDER CYPRINIFORMES

 

 

 

 

6

CYPRINIDAE (Minnows and Carps)

 

 

 

 

 

Amblypharyngodon microlepis (Bleeker, 1853)

Indian carplet

Vayambu

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1002

 

Dawkinsia filamentosa (Valenciennes, 1844)

Filament barb

Kayal Paral

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1001

 

Labeo catla (Hamilton, 1822)

Catla

Katla

TR

KUFOS.FV.2019.1049

 

Puntius parrah Day, 1865

Parrah barb

 

LC

KUFOS.FV.2019.1050

 

Systomus sarana (Hamilton, 1822)

Olive barb

Kuruva

LC

KUFOS.FV.2019.1048

IV

ORDER SILURIFORMES

 

 

 

 

7

BAGRIDAE (Bagrid catfishes)

 

 

 

 

 

Mystus armatus (Day, 1865)

Kerala mystus

Chillan thedu

LC

KUFOS.FV.2019.1051

8

ARIIDAE (Sea catfishes)

 

 

 

 

 

Arius arius (Hamilton, 1822)

Threadfin sea catfish

Thedu

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1003

 

Arius maculatus (Thunberg, 1792)

Spotted catfish

Kadal thedu

DD

Photo voucher

9

HETEROPNEUSTIDAE (Stinging catfish)

 

 

 

 

 

Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch, 1794)

Stinging catfish

Karuppan thedu

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1004

V

ORDER BELONIFORMES

 

 

 

 

10

BELONIDAE (Needle fish)

 

 

 

 

 

Xenentodon cancila (Hamilton, 1822)

Freshwater garfish

Chundu mural

LC

KUFOS.FV.2019.1052

11

HEMIRAMPHIDAE (Half beaks)

 

 

 

 

 

Hyporhamphus xanthopterus (Valenciennes, 1847)

Valenciennes halfbeak

Kolaachi

LC

KUFOS.FV.2016.1001

VI

ORDER GOBIIFORMES

 

 

 

 

12

GOBIIDAE (Gobies)

 

 

 

 

 

Glossogobius giuris (Hamilton, 1822)

Tank goby

Poonthi

LC

KUFOS.FV.2017.1001

VII

ORDER Incertae sedis under Ovalenteria

 

 

 

 

13

AMBASSIDAE (Asiatic glassfishes)

 

 

 

 

 

Ambassis gymnocephalus (Lacepède, 1802)

Naked- head glassy perchlet

Mullu nandhan

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1007

 

Parambassis dayi (Bleeker, 1874)

Day’s glassy perchlet

Nandhan

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1020

 

Parambassis thomassi (Day, 1870)

Westernghat glassy perchlet

Nandhan

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1006

VIII

MUGILIFORMES

 

 

 

 

14

MUGILIDAE (Mullets)

 

 

 

 

 

Chelon parsia (Hamilton, 1822)

Gold spot mullet

Kadam maalvu

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1008

 

Crenimugil seheli (Fabricius, 1775)

Blue spot mullet

Parichal

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1002

 

Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1758

Grey mullet

Maalavu

LC

KUFOS.FV.2019.1055

 

Osteomugil perusii (Valenciennes, 1836)

Long finned mullet

Kadapola

LC

KUFOS.FV.2019.1053

Planiliza subviridis (Valenciennes, 1836)

Green black mullet

Kelayan

LC

KUFOS.FV.2019.1054

IX

CICHLIFORMES

 

 

 

 

15

CICHLIDAE (Cichlids)

 

 

 

 

 

Etroplus suratensis (Bloch, 1790)

Banded pearl spot

Karimeen

LC

KUFOS.FV.2016.1003

 

Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters, 1852)

Mozambique tilapia

Piloppi

EX

KUFOS.FV.2016.1002

Pseudetroplus maculatus Bloch, 1795

Orange chromide

Pallathi

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1009

X

ORDER CARANGIFORMES

 

 

 

 

16

CARANGIDAE (Jacks and Pompanos)

 

 

 

 

 

Alepes djedaba (Forsskål, 1775)

Shrimp scad

Thovi paara

LC

KUFOS.FV.2017.1011

 

Alepes vari (Cuvier, 1833)

Herring scad

Thali paara

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1022

 

Atule mate (Cuvier, 1833)

Yellowtail scad

Manjaval paara

LC

KUFOS.FV.2016.1008

 

Caranx heberi (Bennett, 1830)

Blacktip trevally

Karuppuvalan paara

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1023

 

Caranx hippos (Linnaeus, 1766)

Common jack

Neelan paara

LC

KUFOS.FV.2016.1007

Caranx ignobilis (Forsskål, 1775)

Yellowfin trevally

Velaa paara

LC

KUFOS.FV.2016.1009

Decapterus russelli (Rüppell,1830)

Indian scad

Kannan kozhiyala

LC

KUFOS.FV.2017.1012

Megalaspis cordyla (Linnaeus, 1758)

Torpedo scad

Vankada

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1024

 

Selar crumenophthalmus (Bloch,1793)

Big eye scad

Kaata paara

LC

KUFOS.FV.2017.1010

17

SPHYRAENIDAE (Barracudas)

 

 

 

 

 

Sphyraena barracuda (Edwards, 1771)

Great barracuda

Cheelavu

LC

KUFOS.FV.2019.1058

18

LATIDAE (Lates perches)

 

 

 

 

 

Lates calcarifer (Bloch, 1790)

Asian seabass

Kalaanji

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1012

XI

ORDER ANABANTIFORMES

 

 

 

 

19

ANABANTIDAE (Climbing gouramies)

 

 

 

 

 

Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792)

Climbing perch

Karippidi

LC

KUFOS.FV.2017.1002

20

CHANNIDAE (Snakeheads)

 

 

 

 

Channa pseudomarulius (Günther, 1861)

Great snake head

Chaerumeen

NE

KUFOS.FV.2020.1010

 

Channa striata (Bloch, 1793)

Striped snakehead

Varal

LC

KUFOS.FV.2017.1003

XII

PLUERONECTIFORMES

 

 

 

 

21

CYNOGLOSSIDAE (Tongue fishes)

 

 

 

 

 

Cynoglossus semifasciatus Day, 1877

Bengal tonguesole

Nangu

DD

KUFOS.FV.2017.1004

22

SOLEIDAE (Soles)

 

 

 

 

 

Brachirus orientalis (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

Oriental sole

Kuruvan nangu

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1011

XIII

ORDER SCOMBRIFORMES

 

 

 

 

23

STROMATEIDAE (Butter fishes)

 

 

 

 

 

Pampus argenteus (Euphrasen, 1788)

Silver pomfret

Vella avoli

VU

KUFOS.FV.2019.1059

XIV

ORDER PERCIFORMES

 

 

 

 

24

GERREIDAE (Mojarras)

 

 

 

 

 

Gerres filamentosus (Cuvier, 1829)

Whipfin silverbiddy

Pulli prachi

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1013

Gerres setifer (Hamilton, 1822)

Black tipped silverbiddy

Prachi

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1014

25

SILLAGINIDAE (Sillagos or Whitings)

 

 

 

 

 

Sillago sihama (Forsskål, 1790)

Silver whiting

Kalimeen

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1017

26

SERRANIDAE (Groupers)

 

 

 

 

 

Epinephelus tauvina (Forsskål, 1775)

Greasy grouper

Kalava

DD

Photo voucher

27

MONODACTYLIDAE (Moon fishes)

 

 

 

 

 

Monodactylus argenteus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Silver moony fish

Kannadimeen

LC

KUFOS.FV.2016.1004

28

LUTJANIDAE (Snappers)

 

 

 

 

 

Lutjanus argentimaculatus (Forsskål, 1775)

Mangrove red snapper

Velameen

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1016

 

Lutjanus fulviflamma (Forsskål,1775)

Dory snapper

Pulli chemballi

LC

Photo voucher

29

HAEMULIDAE (Sweet lips)

 

 

 

 

 

Plectorhinchus gibbosus (Lacepède, 1802)

Brown sweetlips

Kaili

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1019

XV

ORDER CENTRARCHIFORMES (Sun fishes)

 

 

 

 

30

TERAPONTIDAE (Grunters or Tigerfishes)

 

 

 

 

 

Terapon jarbua (Forsskål, 1775)

Crescent perch

Konankora

LC

KUFOS.FV.2020.1015

XVI

ORDER ACANTHURIFORMES (Surgeon fishes

 

 

 

 

31

LEIOGNATHIDAE (Pony fishes or Slip mouths)

 

 

 

 

 

Eubleekeria splendens (Cuvier, 1829)

Splendid ponyfish

Mullukaara

LC

KUFOS.FV.2019.1061

 

Gazza minuta (Bloch, 1795)

Toothed ponyfish

Chadhakaara

LC

KUFOS.FV.2019.1060

 

Leiognathus equulus (Forsskål,1775)

Commmon ponyfish

Kaara poochi

LC

KUFOS.FV.2016.1005

 

Nuchequula blochii (Valenciennes, 1835)

Twoblotch ponyfish

Paalkaara

NE

KUFOS.FV.2019.1062

32

SCATOPHAGIDAE (Scats)

 

 

 

 

 

Scatophagus argus (Linnaeus, 1766)

Spotted butterfish

Poola

LC

KUFOS.FV.2016.1006

XVII

ORDER DECAPODA

 

 

 

 

33

PALAEMONIDAE (Palaemonid shrimps)

 

 

 

 

 

Macrobrachium idella (Hilgendorf, 1898)

Slender river prawn

Koona konju

LC

KUFOS.CV.2020.1018

 

Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man, 1879)

Giant river prawn

Kaalan konju

LC

KUFOS.CV.2017.1005

34

PENAEIDAE (Penaeid shrimps)

 

 

 

 

 

Penaeus indicus (H. Milne-Edwards, 1837)

Indian white prawn

Naaran konju

NE

KUFOS.CV.2019.1063

 

Penaeus monodon (Fabricus, 1798)

Giant tiger prawn

Kara konju

NE

KUFOS.CV.2017.1006

35

PORTUNIDAE

 

 

 

 

 

Scylla serrata (Forsskål, 1775)

Green mud crab

Kayal Njandu

NE

KUFOS.CV.2017.1007

LC—Least Concern | DD—Data Deficient | NE—Not Evaluated | VU—Vulnerable | TR—Transplanted | EX—Exotic | B—Brackishwater | F—Freshwater | M—Marine.

 

 

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References

 

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