Descriptions of Two New Species, <i>Sillago muktijoddhai</i> sp. nov. and <i>Sillago mengjialensis</i> sp. nov. (Perciformes: Sillaginidae) from the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh

Due to difficulty in recognition, many true species have been covered under the synonyms of wide-spread species. To justify the identification of a widely distributed species, <i>Sillago sihama</i> from the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, an integrated approach including morphology and DNA ba...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shilpi Saha, Na Song, Zhengsen Yu, Mohammad Abdul Baki, Roland J. McKay, Jianguang Qin, Tianxiang Gao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-04-01
Series:Fishes
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/7/3/93
Description
Summary:Due to difficulty in recognition, many true species have been covered under the synonyms of wide-spread species. To justify the identification of a widely distributed species, <i>Sillago sihama</i> from the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, an integrated approach including morphology and DNA barcoding was used. Two unrecognized species of <i>Sillago</i>, i.e., <i>Sillago</i><i>muktijoddhai</i> sp. nov. and <i>S</i>. <i>mengjialensis</i> sp. nov., were identified from the coastal area of Bangladesh. <i>S</i>. <i>muktijoddhai</i> sp. nov. has marked differences in the body color, anal fin color, number of gill rakers, snout length, and swimbladder. <i>S</i>. <i>mengjialensis</i> sp. nov. has notable differences in the anal fin color, snout length, and swimbladder and is distinguished from <i>S</i>. <i>muktijoddhai</i> sp. nov. by the body color and swimbladder. The morphological characters of 14 documented <i>Sillago</i> species with two posterior extensions of the swimbladder were referenced and distinguished to accredit the two new species. Genetic analyses of partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I and 16S ribosomal RNA also supported the validity of the new species. This study has increased the number of recognized species of <i>Sillago</i> in the world and confirmed the prevailing misidentification of these two new species in Bangladesh as so-called <i>S</i>. <i>sihama</i>. Moreover, the study confirmed the misidentification of <i>S</i>. <i>mengjialensis</i> sp. nov. in Indonesia as <i>S</i>. <i>sihama</i> and the identification of unknown <i>Sillago</i> sp.1 in India.
ISSN:2410-3888