Account on the morphological identification and molecular confirmation of Acanthopagrus berda (Forsskal, 1775) from Malabar Coast, Kerala, India

Family Sparidae is represented by ten species in Indian waters of which genus Acanthopagrus encompass three species namely, Acanthopagrus berda, A. latus and A. bifasciatus. Present study reveals regular catch of A. berda in different parts of Malabar coast, Kerala from Korapuzha, Kadalundi and Moorad estuaries and through conventional taxonomic as well as modern molecular approaches, the availability of A. berda at Malabar coast has been confirmed. Scientific reports regarding the geographic distribution of A. berda along the Indian coast are sparsely available. Previously, rare occurrence of A. berda has been reported from South east coast (Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh) of India.