Volume 27, Issue 80, July - December, 2026

New Distributional Record of Halichoeres zeylonicus (Bennett, 1833) from the Vellar Estuary, Southeast Coast of India

Tamil Selvan¹, Yuvaraj Prabu¹, Thiruvarul Baskar², Dhanushkodi Sakthivel³, Sugan Gunaseakaran¹, Ayyaru Gopalakrishnan^1♦

¹Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Annamalai University, Parangipettai - 608 502, Tamil Nadu, India
²Institute of Fisheries Post Graduate Studies (IFPGS), TNJFU-OMR Campus, Vaniyanchavadi, Chennai - 603 103, Tamil Nadu, India.
³Dr. M.G.R. Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thalainayar, Nagapattinam- 614712, Tamil Nadu, India

^♦Corresponding Author
A. Gopalakrishnan, Assistant Professor, Centre of Advanced Study in Maine Biology, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Annamalai University, Parangipettai- 608 502, Tamil Nadu, India

ABSTRACT

The present study documents for the first time, the presence of Halichoeres zeylonicus (Bennett, 1833) (Family: Labridae) in the Vellar Estuary on the southeast coast of India. The fish was obtained through the process of collecting, fixing, preservation, and identification following conventional taxonomic methodologies. The species' identification involved an intensive analysis of the morphometric and meristic characteristics such as dorsal fin rays (IX,14), anal fin rays (III,11), 25 pored lateral line scales and colouration of the body, which is unique to H. zeylonicus. The specimen has been preserved in the fish collection of the Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology at Annamalai University. The present documentation sheds light on the ecological flexibility of H. zeylonicus as a species capable of surviving in both coral reefs and estuaries.

Keywords: Halichoeres zeylonicus; Labridae; New distributional record; Vellar Estuary; Range extension; Coral reef fish; Estuarine occurrence

Species, 2026, 27(80), e15s3287

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Published: 01 July 2026