Taxonomic revision of the flatheads(Platycephalidae : Pisces) of India

The fishes of the falnily Platycephalidae are restricted (excluding one species each in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, see Knapp, ] 98]) to the Indo-Pacific .. represented by a total or about 70 valid species. A perusal of the literature on the taxonomy shows that excepting a few instances (e.g. Matsubara and Ochiai, 1955; De Beaufort and Briggs, 1962; Schultz. 1966; Murty, 1982; Knapp 1973, 1987), attention has not been paid either to exalnine adequate nlllnber of specimens or to study the i1nportant characters (e.g. the ridges on head) that provide the basis for distinguishing genera/species in the falnily. As is \vell known, the earlier authors, particularly the original authors, did not provide adequate descriptions of the species in most cases. Further, several genera were erected on inadequate grounds. Consequently, sOlne authors preferred to include all the species under a Single genus : Platycephalus (e.g. De Beaufort and Briggs, 1962; Talwar and Kacker, 1984) while in several instances the species were assigned to genera with uncertainty. Though the few taxonomic studies in the recent past (Matsubara and Ochiai, 1955; De Beaufort and Briggs, 1962; Murty, 1982; Kuiter, 1994; Imamura, 1996) added considerably to the knowledge of the family, there is still need for further research.