An updated checklist of Marine Fishes of Bangladesh

Abstract

A checklist of the marine fishes of Bangladesh is presented with their scientific, common and
Bangla or local names. The global IUCN Red List catagories of these species are also provided. This
inventory of the marine fish species is compiled from different major and valid published scientific papers,
reports and books published within last 50 years from 1970 to 2020. The directory covers a total of 740
species belonging to 389 Genera of 145 Families and 30 Orders. Among the fish species, 53.38% are
exclusively marine and 46.62% are found in both brackish and marine water. Besides, 296 species of fishes
are reef associated and 204 of these are recorded from the Saint Martin’s Island. Further, 271 species of
brakishwater and/or marine fishes are commonly observed in the Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem and its
adjacent sea area. About 7% of the total marine fishes of Bangladesh are identified as threatened as per global
IUCN Red List. However, the conservation status of the marine fish species of Bangladesh has not yet been
assessed locally by IUCN which is essential. The updated checklist will constitute the reference inventory of
marine fishes of the coastal and maritime area of the country.