Morphometric Variation and Allozyme Electrophoretic Studies in Hind Grouper Species of Genus Cephalopholis (Epinephelidae) off Visakhapatnam, Central Eastern Coast of India

V. A. Iswarya Deepti, K. V. L. Shrikanya, K. Sujatha

Abstract: Most studies of groupers have focussed on species of commercially important genera. For smaller Epinephelines such as species of genus Cephalopholis studies are very little despite having commercial value as food in some regions and increasing inclusion in the aquarium trade. The present paper deals with morphometric and meristic characters used to identify six species of hind groupers of genus Cephalopholis that are represented in the coastal waters of Visakhapatnam. Multivariate analysis (Principal Component Analysis) has been carried out to study existing variation in biometric characters of two closely related species

Keywords: six hind grouper species, one new record, biometric characters, genetic variation,