A Note on Mudskippers from Sundarban Mangroves in India

Abstract

Indian part of the Sundarban occupies about 4,10,000 ha, of which 2,12,500 ha is occupied by mangrove forests and 1,78,100 ha is water body. Mudskippers belonging to superclass Osteichthyes (bony fish), class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish) and Family Gobiidae are semi-terrestrial fish that have a strong presence in mangroves. Gills of mudskippers are better suited to atmospheric than aquatic respiration. They have developed several methods of locomotion (De and Nandi, 1984) that separate them from other fish. They are common in the seaward edge of the mangroves, extending into the mangroves only where it is inundated daily and are seen climbing mangrove roots. They have strong pectoral fins which are well designed for mobility out of water (Gillikin and Verheyden, 2002).