MORPHOLOGICAL AND MERISTIC STUDY FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF Rhinomugil corsula, (HAMILTON -BUCHANON, 1822), RECORDED FROM RUPNARAYAN RIVER, WEST BENGAL, INDIA

Rhinomugil is a monospecific genus which is commonly known as mullets with a worldwide distribution in tropical and subtropical marine water bodies. They are not only inhabited in the marine water but also available in brackish water or even in freshwater riverine system. Rupnarayan river is a small range river in West Bengal covered eighty kilometers from Bandar Ghat [22.67°N, 87.77°E], Paschim Midnapore district to Gadiara [22.22°N, 88.04°E] of Howrah district. Naturally this riverine water body is divided into two regions, the upstream with less tidal activity and low saline part and the downstream with high tide and comparatively more saline region. The surveys were conducted from February 2018 to February 2020 during pre monsoon, monsoon and post monsoon period. Specimens were collected by the use of traditional fishing methods operated by the local fishermen. The collected specimens were identified on the basis of existing literature and measurement taken upto one decimal place in the metric system. The present study is a survey work on fish faunal diversity of Rupnarayan River reveals that Rhinomugil corsula is first time reported from the said River and its distribution is being extended up to the upstream part of this river which is less influenced by the tidal flow in freshwater region of the river.