The gobiid fish Mangarinus waterousi Herre, 1943 is recorded for the first time from India in Vellar estuary (n = 7) and Pazhayar fish landing (n = 3), Tamil Nadu. Their length ranged from 26.0 to 31.9 mm. Morphometric and meristic diagnostic characteristics have been measured and compared with type specimens of Mangarinus waterousi at California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, USA. The record of this species from Tamil Nadu, India, significantly extends the known distribution of M. waterousi, previously reported from the Philippines, Brunei, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, China (Hong Kong), Marshall Islands, Fiji and the Solomon Islands.