First record of African Sailfin Flying Fish Parexocoetus mento (Valenciennes, 1847) (Beloniformes: Exocoetidae), from the waters off Andaman Islands, India

Abstract

This study provides the first record of Parexocoetus mento (Valenciennes, 1847) from the waters off Andaman Islands which was previously known to be distributed in the Red Sea; Indo-West Pacific: eastern Africa east to the Marshall Islands and Fiji, north to southern Japan, south to northern Australia; Mediterranean Sea (Red Sea immigrant).  This report suggests its extension of geographical distribution and addition of one more species to the biodiversity of the Andaman Islands.  Morphometric and morphological data confirmed that the specimens examined from the waters off Andamans Islands are P. mento which is diagnosed from its closely linked relative P. brachypterus (Richardson, 1846) by having the higher dorsal fin reaching up to the origin of upper caudal fin lobe, when depressed vs. extending well beyond the lobe in P. brachypterus, predorsal scales 20 to 24 (vs. 16–20), and dorsal and anal fin with 12–14 rays (vs. 10–11), respectively, in P. mento.