Range extension of a vulnerable Sea horse Hippocampus fuscus (Actinopterygii: Syngnathidae) on the north-eastern Bay of Bengal coast

Abstract

The study describes the range extension of the sea horse Hippocampus fuscus from the south to north east coastal waters of the India, Bay of Bengal. After 99 years since initial discovery, the Hippocampus fuscus was reported within the southern sector of the Chilika Lake. The extension range may be due to the East India Coastal Current of the Bay of Bengal and the predominance of extensive sea grass meadows within the southern sector of Lake.