Chelonodontops bengalensis (Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae): A New Species of Puffer Fish from the Northern Bay of Bengal Based on Morphology and DNA Barcode

A new species of Puffer fish, Chelonodontops bengalensis (Pisces: Tetraodontidae) has been discovered from the southwest coast of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh. This species is closely related to C. patoca (Hamilton, 1822). DNA barcode region of the mitochondrial COI gene and 16S rRNA gene region of C. bengalensis showed a clear monophyletic clade that distinguishes it as a separate species in the phylogenetic tree from other closely related puffer fish species. The COI barcode region shows a genetic divergence of 6 to 7.6% between C. bengalensis and C. patoca reported in GenBank from different parts of Asia.

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