L Ranjith

First record of Grammonus robustus(Ophidiiformes: Bythitidae) from Indianwaters

This is the first record of Grammonus robustusfrom Indian waters. Five specimens measuring 132 –233 mm standard length nwere collected from the by-catch landed by a deep sea trawler from waters 150 to 200 m deep off the Tuticorin coast in the Gulf of Mannar. The detailed morphometric and meristic characters are compared to known G. robustus material.

First record of the twostripe goby, Valenciennea helsdingenii (Gobiidae, Gobiiformes) from the southeast coast of India

Abstract Two specimens of Valenciennea helsdingenii (Bleeker, 1858) were collected off Punnakayal coast, from Gulf of Mannar, southeast coast of India in November 2012. The morphometric and meristic characters of the recorded specimens are described and discussed. This is the first record of the species from the Indian waters that is a range extension of its known range within the Indian Ocean.

Morphological Deformities in Neotrygon kuhlii (Muller & Henle, 1841) from Gulf of Mannar, Bay of Bengal, India

Morphological deformities in blue-spotted maskray, Neotrygon kuhlii (Muller & Henle, 1841) were observed from the regular fishery of the Gulf of Mannar, Southeast coast of India. The deformities were mostly noticed in the head (pectorals not fused) and the vertebral column (scoliotic/lordotic/kyphotic curve). The detailed observations on various deformities have been briefly described in the present investigation.

First Record of Arrow Gaper, Champsodon sagittus Nemeth, 1994 (Family: Champsodontidae) from Bay of Bengal, Eastern Indian Ocean

Champsodon sagittus, a species belonging to group popularly known as gapers has earlier known to occur in a narrow region of Indo-pacific along the coast of Australia, Philippines and Indonesia. The current report is the first record of the species from the Bay of Bengal, suggesting its possible wider distribution of the species in Indo-pacific Ocean. C. sagittus can be separated from other congeneric species by the combination of two gill rakers of upper limb, naked belly, five pair of sensory papillae on snout and no expansion of haemal spine The study also gives an insight into its depth of occurrence and habitat sharing with deep sea crustaceans.

Bioinvasion in Antarctic Ecosystems

Antarctic ecosystems are considered to be pristine ecosystems; however, increasing global temperature and a considerable increase in human activities pertaining to scientific investigations and tourism are major issues that need an immediate address by global scientific communities. This review encompasses around the present and future threats to Antarctic ecosystems due to bioinvasion highlighting the conservation value of native Antarctic species vis-a-vis the impacts of invasive species on native organisms. The initiatives for prevention of bio-invasion in Antarctic ecosystems have also been summarised.