Extension of range of the Marine Puffer Fish <i>Chelonodon patoca</i> (Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae) to freshwater habitat of Kerala, India

Abstract

Chelonodon patoca is a marine puffer fish common along the Coromandal Coast of India. It has also been reported in the Aghnashini River in Karnataka state, a freshwater habitat. During a recent ichthyological survey five specimens of Chelonodon patoca were collected in another freshwater habitat, the Payaswani River in Kerala state. These specimens document an extension in the distributional range from Karnataka to Kerala state in peninsular India.