A Taxonomic Study of Family Hemiramphidae from Indian Waters

Abstract

The order Beloniformes consists of minor pelagic fish species that are considered valuable resources and can be
found in marine, brackish, and freshwater habitats. In India, although they do not contribute significantly to
commercial fish landings, they play a remarkable role in the pelagic fishery of Tamil Nadu state, accounting for
approximately 42.6% of the total beloniform catch in the country. During this study, taxonomic analysis was
conducted based on morpho-meristic characteristics, otolith morphology, and DNA techniques. The results
confirmed the existence of six distinct species including Hemiramphus far, Hemiramphus lutkei, Hemiramphus
archipelagicus, Hyporhamphus limbatus, Rhynchorhamhus naga and Rhynchorhamphus georgii belonging to
family Hemiramphidae, in Indian waters. In addition, DNA barcodes were generated for all the
aforementioned species. These genetic sequences have been deposited in the Gene Bank, specifically in the
BOLD Systems database. Notably, the study has generated barcodes by using COI gene for Hemiramphus
archipelagicus and Hemiramphus lutkei for the first time.