A New Species of the Genus Pterygotrigla (Scorpaeniformes: Triglidae) from Bay of Bengal, India

A new species of deepwater gurnard, Pterygotrigla intermedica sp. nov., is described herein based on twenty-four specimens collected from over the continental shelf of the northern part of Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean, off Digha Mohana of West Bengal state of India. The new species belongs to the Indo-Pacific subgenus Otohime of the genus Pterygotrigla which is characterized in having a very long and slender opercular spine and a short cleithral spine. Pterygotrigla intermedica sp. nov. closely resembles its congeners, P. arabica, P. hemisticta and P. spirai in having pectoral fin with 12 rays connected by membranes and presence of large black blotches basally on the membrane of the first dorsal fin. On account of snout length (15.8–17.9% SL), the new species has close affinity with P. arabica, but differs in having U-shaped internuchal space (vs V-shaped space) and shorter cleithral spine. Unlike P. arabica and similar to P. hemisticta, most specimens of P. intermedica sp. nov. have three to four elliptical spots placed obliquely in the inner side of pectoral fin and the rays connected by black membranes, while in the latter two species both rays and membranes are black. It majorly differs from P. spirai by longer head length, shorter cleithral spine and few white spots towards base of inner surface of pectoral fin.