First Record of Rhynchorhamphus naga Collette, 1976 (Beloniformes: Hemiramphidae) From Kerala, India, South Eastern Arabian Sea

Species, under the genus Rhynchorhamphus (Family: Hemiramphidae), are widely distributed marine groups of fishes. Among four species described from India, only two species, i.e., georgii and R. maabarica, reported along Indian coast. However, during present study, a specimen collected Western Ocean, Chetty harbour, Kerala, south-west coast has been identified as naga (Collette, 1976), based on morphology molecular characters. The is characterized by D-14; A-14; Pec-9; Pev-6; GR-50 prolonged beak (171.82% HL). Central Pacific several other countries like Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand Vietnam considered to be endemic that region. This finding reveals wider distribution, we recorded India Ocean.