Videos of our shows from 2001 to 2019 will be found on www.vimeo.com/southendaquarist
========================================
========================================
Leptopanchax sanguineus • A New Species of Cynopoeciline Killifish (Cyprinodontiformes, Aplocheilidae), possibly Extinct, from the Atlantic Forest of south-eastern Brazil
Leptopanchax sanguineus
Costa, 2019
DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.867.34034
Abstract
Specimens found between 1985 and 1988 in the Magé River Basin, south-eastern Brazil were misidentified as L. splendens. The recent rediscovery of other specimens in the Estrela River Basin near the type locality of L. splendens has clarified the species’ concept, making it possible to recognise the Magé River Basin specimens as a new species. The new species is herein described as Leptopanchax sanguineus sp. nov. and is distinguished from all other cynopoecilines by a unique colour pattern in males, including red bars with sinuous margins. It was collected in a well-preserved, temporary shallow swampy area within dense moist forest, but since 1990 the species has not been found again. Leptopanchax sanguineus sp. nov. is one of three species of cynopoeciline killifishes living in lowland moist forests of the coastal plains of Rio de Janeiro State, where the greatest diversity of endemic cynopoecilines is concentrated. Each of these species has been recorded a single time in the last 30 years, a surprisingly low record attributable to intense deforestation during the last several decades resulting in small fragmented lowland moist forests of today. This study indicates that seasonal killifishes adapted to uniquely live in this kind of habitat should be regarded with special concern in studies evaluating conservation priorities.
Keywords: Biodiversity, conservation, moist tropical forest, systematics, taxonomy
Figure 2. Male fin morphology and life colour patterns in Leptopanchax.
A coloured pencil drawing illustrating Leptopanchax sanguineus sp. nov. in life, about 20 mm SL B L. splendens, UFRJ 6902, 22.7 mm SL
C L. aureoguttatus, UFRJ 6331, 22.3 mm SL D L. itanhaensis, UFRJ 6453, 20.7 mm SL
E L. citrinipinnis, UFRJ 8899, 20.6 mm SL F L. opalescens, UFRJ 8986, 20.2 mm SL.
Leptopanchax sanguineus sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Leptopanchax sanguineus differs from other cynopoecilines, except L. splendens, by the presence of red bars on the whole flank in males (vs. absence); uniquely in L. sanguineus, the bars are broad, wider than the interspace width (vs. narrow, half interspace width or less) and have sinuous margins (vs. straight). Leptopanchax sanguineus is further distinguished from L. splendens by having 15 dorsal-fin rays (vs. 12–14), 6 pelvic-fin rays (vs. 5), 27 scales on the longitudinal series and 9 on the transverse series (vs. 24–25 and 7, respectively), 29 vertebrae (vs. 26–27), pelvic fin tip posteriorly reaching the anal fin in males (vs. reaching urogenital papilla), pelvic-fin bases medially separated, in close proximity (vs. medially united), absence of filamentous rays on the caudal fin (vs. short filamentous rays on the posterior margin of the caudal fin in males), presence of a golden stripe on the distal margin of the dorsal fin in males (vs. white stripe), absence of contact organs on the male pectoral fin (vs. presence) and absence of the dermosphenotic bone (vs. presence). Leptopanchax sanguineus also differs from L. splendens and all other cynopoecilines by the presence of a small red spot on the posterior portion of the iris (vs. spot absent).
Etymology: The name sanguineus, from the Latin, meaning blood-coloured, is an allusion to the predominantly red colouration in males, unique among Neotropical killifishes.
Wilson J. E. M. Costa. 2019. Description of A New Species of Cynopoeciline Killifish (Cyprinodontiformes, Aplocheilidae), possibly Extinct, from the Atlantic Forest of south-eastern Brazil. ZooKeys. 867: 73-85. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.867.34034
Abstract: A recent collection of the seasonal killifish found Leptopanchax splendens c. 5 km from the type locality, 74 years after its last record. The species was historically common in its type locality, the Estrela River basin in south‐eastern Brazil, until 1950, after which it was not encountered and thought to have become extinct due to widespread deforestation and urbanization in the region. Despite the rediscovery, this study finds that other recently published reports of L. splendens are misidentifications.
Wilson J. E. M. Costa, José L. O. Mattos and Pedro F. Amorim. 2019. Rediscovery of Leptopanchax splendens (Cyprinodontiformes: Aplocheilidae): A Seasonal killifish from the Atlantic Forest of south‐eastern Brazil that was recently considered extinct. Journal of Fish Biology. DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13898
==========================
Leptopanchax sanguineus
Costa, 2019
DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.867.34034
Abstract
Specimens found between 1985 and 1988 in the Magé River Basin, south-eastern Brazil were misidentified as L. splendens. The recent rediscovery of other specimens in the Estrela River Basin near the type locality of L. splendens has clarified the species’ concept, making it possible to recognise the Magé River Basin specimens as a new species. The new species is herein described as Leptopanchax sanguineus sp. nov. and is distinguished from all other cynopoecilines by a unique colour pattern in males, including red bars with sinuous margins. It was collected in a well-preserved, temporary shallow swampy area within dense moist forest, but since 1990 the species has not been found again. Leptopanchax sanguineus sp. nov. is one of three species of cynopoeciline killifishes living in lowland moist forests of the coastal plains of Rio de Janeiro State, where the greatest diversity of endemic cynopoecilines is concentrated. Each of these species has been recorded a single time in the last 30 years, a surprisingly low record attributable to intense deforestation during the last several decades resulting in small fragmented lowland moist forests of today. This study indicates that seasonal killifishes adapted to uniquely live in this kind of habitat should be regarded with special concern in studies evaluating conservation priorities.
Keywords: Biodiversity, conservation, moist tropical forest, systematics, taxonomy
Figure 2. Male fin morphology and life colour patterns in Leptopanchax.
A coloured pencil drawing illustrating Leptopanchax sanguineus sp. nov. in life, about 20 mm SL B L. splendens, UFRJ 6902, 22.7 mm SL
C L. aureoguttatus, UFRJ 6331, 22.3 mm SL D L. itanhaensis, UFRJ 6453, 20.7 mm SL
E L. citrinipinnis, UFRJ 8899, 20.6 mm SL F L. opalescens, UFRJ 8986, 20.2 mm SL.
Leptopanchax sanguineus sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Leptopanchax sanguineus differs from other cynopoecilines, except L. splendens, by the presence of red bars on the whole flank in males (vs. absence); uniquely in L. sanguineus, the bars are broad, wider than the interspace width (vs. narrow, half interspace width or less) and have sinuous margins (vs. straight). Leptopanchax sanguineus is further distinguished from L. splendens by having 15 dorsal-fin rays (vs. 12–14), 6 pelvic-fin rays (vs. 5), 27 scales on the longitudinal series and 9 on the transverse series (vs. 24–25 and 7, respectively), 29 vertebrae (vs. 26–27), pelvic fin tip posteriorly reaching the anal fin in males (vs. reaching urogenital papilla), pelvic-fin bases medially separated, in close proximity (vs. medially united), absence of filamentous rays on the caudal fin (vs. short filamentous rays on the posterior margin of the caudal fin in males), presence of a golden stripe on the distal margin of the dorsal fin in males (vs. white stripe), absence of contact organs on the male pectoral fin (vs. presence) and absence of the dermosphenotic bone (vs. presence). Leptopanchax sanguineus also differs from L. splendens and all other cynopoecilines by the presence of a small red spot on the posterior portion of the iris (vs. spot absent).
Etymology: The name sanguineus, from the Latin, meaning blood-coloured, is an allusion to the predominantly red colouration in males, unique among Neotropical killifishes.
Wilson J. E. M. Costa. 2019. Description of A New Species of Cynopoeciline Killifish (Cyprinodontiformes, Aplocheilidae), possibly Extinct, from the Atlantic Forest of south-eastern Brazil. ZooKeys. 867: 73-85. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.867.34034
Abstract: A recent collection of the seasonal killifish found Leptopanchax splendens c. 5 km from the type locality, 74 years after its last record. The species was historically common in its type locality, the Estrela River basin in south‐eastern Brazil, until 1950, after which it was not encountered and thought to have become extinct due to widespread deforestation and urbanization in the region. Despite the rediscovery, this study finds that other recently published reports of L. splendens are misidentifications.
Wilson J. E. M. Costa, José L. O. Mattos and Pedro F. Amorim. 2019. Rediscovery of Leptopanchax splendens (Cyprinodontiformes: Aplocheilidae): A Seasonal killifish from the Atlantic Forest of south‐eastern Brazil that was recently considered extinct. Journal of Fish Biology. DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13898
==========================
Scientists Describe New Farlowella Catfish Species
The newly-described Farlowella azpelicuetae is only the second confirmed Farlowella species found in Argentina. Image credit: Terán et. al., CC BY.
ABSTRACT
A new species of Farlowella is described from the Bermejo River basin, in Salta and Jujuy provinces, northwestern Argentina. The new species belongs to the Farlowella nattereri species group. The new species is diagnosed by the following combination of characters: marbled rostrum, five rows of lateral plates series, relatively short snout (snout-mouth length less than 50.0% of head length), complete half-moon shaped spot on caudal fin, and short predorsal distance (37.8-41.8% of standard length).
Further Reading
Check out the full open-access article for additional images and discussion of this new Loricariid species. Read, “A new species of Farlowella (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the upper Bermejo River, La Plata River basin, northwestern Argentina,” by authors Guillermo E. Terán, Gustavo A. Ballen, Felipe Alonso, Gastón Aguilera, and J. Marcos Mirande, published in the journal Neotropical Ichthyology.
from Reef to Rainforest media
==========================
The newly-described Farlowella azpelicuetae is only the second confirmed Farlowella species found in Argentina. Image credit: Terán et. al., CC BY.
ABSTRACT
A new species of Farlowella is described from the Bermejo River basin, in Salta and Jujuy provinces, northwestern Argentina. The new species belongs to the Farlowella nattereri species group. The new species is diagnosed by the following combination of characters: marbled rostrum, five rows of lateral plates series, relatively short snout (snout-mouth length less than 50.0% of head length), complete half-moon shaped spot on caudal fin, and short predorsal distance (37.8-41.8% of standard length).
Further Reading
Check out the full open-access article for additional images and discussion of this new Loricariid species. Read, “A new species of Farlowella (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the upper Bermejo River, La Plata River basin, northwestern Argentina,” by authors Guillermo E. Terán, Gustavo A. Ballen, Felipe Alonso, Gastón Aguilera, and J. Marcos Mirande, published in the journal Neotropical Ichthyology.
from Reef to Rainforest media
==========================
|
Eigenmannia sirius • A New Species of Eigenmannia Jordan & Evermann (Gymnotiformes: Sternopygidae) from rio Tapajós, Brazil, with Discussion on Its Species Group and the Myology within Eigenmanniinae
Eigenmannia sirius Peixoto & Ohara, 2019 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220287 Abstract A new species of Eigenmannia is described from the rio Mutum, tributary of upper rio Juruena, rio Tapajós basin, Comodoro, Mato Grosso, Brazil. The new species is distinguished from all congeners by coloration pattern, position of the mouth, number of scales rows above lateral line, number of premaxillary and dentary teeth, number of precaudal vertebrae, orbital diameter, mouth width, relative depth of posterodorsal expansion on infraorbitals 1+2 and relative size of coronomeckelian bone. Comments on potentially useful characters in phylogenetic studies derived from musculature, discussion on Eigenmannia species-group and the first dichotomous key for Eigenmannia are provided. Fig Color in life of Eigenmannia sirius, MZUSP 123938, paratypes, 93.7 and 77.3 mm LEA, A and B respectively, rio Mutum, rio Juruena, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Caudal filament damaged. Eigenmannia sirius, sp. nov. Diagnosis: Eigenmannia sirius is diagnosed from all putative congeners with exception of Eigenmannia trilineata species-group (sensu [Peixoto, et al., 2015]), by the presence of superior midlateral stripe (vs. absence). The new species differs from all species of the Eigenmannia trilineata species-group, except E. besouro, E. correntes, E. vicentespelaea, and E. waiwai, by the subterminal mouth (vs. terminal). It differs from E. besouro, E. correntes, E. vicentespelaea, and E. waiwai by relative depth of posterodorsal expansion on infraorbitals 1+2 corresponding to 70% length of infraorbitals 1+2 (Fig 2—vs. 40% in E. besouro, E. correntes and E. waiwai, and approximately equals total length of infraorbitals 1+2 in E. vicentespelaea), and in having 15 precaudal vertebrae (vs. 14 in E. besouro and E. correntes, 13–14 in E. vicentespelaea and 12–13 in E. waiwai). Eigenmannia sirius can be differentiated from E. besouro by the origin of the superior midlateral stripe at vertical between base of 23rd to 31st anal-fin ray (vs. origin at vertical between 5th to 15th anal-fin ray). The new species is also diagnosed from E. correntes by the eye diameter (17.2–23.8% HL vs. 10.6–13.3% HL), and by the mouth width (13.1–22.4% HL vs. 23.5–26.0% HL). Eigenmannia sirius is further distinguished from E. vicentespelaea and E. waiwai by having 15–24 premaxillary teeth (Fig 3A vs. 25–26 and 35–40, respectively) and 15–33 dentary teeth (Fig 3B vs. 38–45 and 37–38, respectively). It additionally differs from E. vicentespealea by having 9–12 scale rows above lateral line (vs. seven or eight) and the coronomeckelian bone corresponding to 20–25% of length of Meckel’s cartilage (Fig 3B vs. 45%). The new species can be distinguished from Archolaemus species by the eye completely covered by thin membrane (vs. a free orbital rim); from Distocyclus by the rounded snout in profile (vs. conical snout); from Japigny by the absence of alternating dark bands on flanks (vs. presence); and from Rhabdolichops by the region above the lateral line on the anterior portion of the body covered by scales (vs. absence of scales above the lateral line on the anterior portion of the body). Etymology: The specific epithet sirius is an allusion to the alpha star of the Canis Major constellation that represents the state of Mato Grosso in the Brazilian national flag, a reference of the state of occurrence of the new taxon. A noun in apposition. Distribution and habitat: Eigenmannia sirius is currently known only from rio Mutum, a tributary of the upper rio Juruena, rio Tapajós basin, Comodoro, Mato Grosso, Brazil (Fig 9). The type-locality is 502 m above sea level at the Chapada dos Parecis plateau. It is a clearwater river up to c. 3–6 m wide and 0.5–2.5 m deep, preserved riparian vegetation, swift current, and sand, pebbles and dead leaves on the bottom (Fig 10). Several types of microenvironment were sampled exhaustively, but E. sirius was captured only between root and subaquatic vegetation. Other species sampled syntopically were Aequidens cf. rondoni (Miranda Ribeiro), Erythrinus erythrinus (Bloch & Schneider), Hemigrammus skolioplatus Bertaco & Carvalho, Hyphessobrycon hexastichos Bertaco & Carvalho, H. melanostichos Carvalho & Bertaco, Hasemania nambiquara Bertaco & Malabarba, and Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus (Spix & Agassiz). No other Gymnotiformes were collected with E. sirius. Luiz Antônio Wanderley Peixoto and Willian M. Ohara. 2019. A New Species of Eigenmannia Jordan & Evermann (Gymnotiformes: Sternopygidae) from rio Tapajós, Brazil, with Discussion on Its Species Group and the Myology within Eigenmanniinae. PLoS ONE. 14(8): e0220287. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220287 ========================== |
BKA West London Group Auction Sptember 8th 2019Sunday, 8 September 2019 from 10:00-16:00
The Scout Hall next to St Peters Church. St Peters Road West Molsey KT8 2QE
ALL WELCOME
Never kept killifish ?
these are rarely seen in the shops.
Doesn't matter, very colourful and most easily kept
PLEASE JOIN US
3 Auctions
2 Killifish (Red and Blue) starting at 12 noon, followed by an auction of any other fish.
Booking in from 10:45 am.
Only 10% commission.
Raffle and free refreshments.
Entrance Fee: £2 on the door
==========================
We need your fish! The Chicago Livebearer Society is hosting a curated Rare Livebearer Auction on Sunday, October 6th at 2PM at the Marriott Hotel in Hoffman Estates, IL. This is a curate auction which means that we will be shipping in fish just for this event. Let us know what fish you have that you can ship to us or bring with you. We're happy to pay, but donations are always appreciated! Please fill out this form: https://tinyurl.com/clsfish.
==========================
==========================
Neobola kinondo • A New Species of Cyprinoid Fish(Actinopterygii: Danionidae) from the Tana River, Kenya
Neobola kinondo
Bart, Schmidt, Nyingi & Gathua, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4652.3.9
Abstract
Sampling of streams in the middle reaches of the Tana River Basin in Meru National Park, Kenya, from 2010 to 2012 for an NSF-funded International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) project, resulted in the capture of a number of specimens of what were first thought to be Neobola fluviatilis. On closer examination the specimens were determined to represent a distinct species, endemic to the Tana River basin, which is herein formally described. The new species is readily diagnosed from N. fluviatilis by higher counts of lateral line, pre-dorsal, and caudal peduncle circumferential scales, higher numbers of pectoral rays, lower numbers of anal fin rays, and a shorter anal-fin base length.
Keywords: Actinopterygii, Neobola fluviatilis (Whitehead 1962), Neobola kinondo sp. nov., Cyprinoidei, East Africa
FIGURE Photograph of Neobola kinondo showing body coloration in life. Note the yellow pigment in the pelvic fine, anal fins and lower lobe of the caudal fin.
Neobola kinondo sp. nov.
Engraulicypris fluviatilis (in part), Whitehead 1962:100 (Distribution, Tana River).
Engraulicypris fluviatilis (in part), Howes, 1984:156 (Distribution, Tana River).
Engraulicypris fluviatilis (in part), Lévêque & Daget 1984:326 (Distribution, Tana River)
Engraulicypris fluviatilis (in part), Seegers et al. 2003:34 (Distribution, Tana River)
Diagnosis Neobola kinondo is readily diagnosed from its presumed closest relative, N. fluviatilis, by higher counts of lateral line scales (mode 41, range 38–47, x̄ = 41.83 vs. mode 40, range 37–41, x̄ = 38.22 in N. fluviatilis, Table 2), predorsal scales (mode 24, range 20–27, of 23.90 vs. mode 19-20, range 17–22, x̄ = 19.38 in N. fluviatilis, Table 3), and caudal peduncle circumferential scales (mode 14, range 12–16, x̄ = 13.90 vs. mode 13, range 10–13, x̄ = 12.57 in N. fluviatilis, Table 4), and lower counts of transverse scales (mode 9, range 7–11, x̄ = 9 vs. mode 10, range 8–10, x̄ = 9.64 in N. fluviatilis, Table 5), principal dorsal-fin rays (mode 8, range 7–9, x̄ = 7.93 vs. mode 9, range 8–9, x̄ = 8.63 in N. fluviatilis, Table 6) and principal anal-fin rays (mode 18, range 18–23, x̄ = 19.23 vs. mode 22, range 20–24, x̄ = 22.17 in N. fluviatilis, Table 7). Combining lateral line scales and pre-dorsal scales completely separates N. kinondo from N. fluviatilis. Neobola kinondo has a combined count of 61 or more scales; N. fluviatilis has fewer than 61 lateral line and predorsal scales (Fig. 3).
Neobola kinondo differs from N. bottegi by its higher numbers of lateral line scales (38–45 vs. 37-40 in N. bottegi) and principal anal fin rays (18-23 in N. kinondo vs. 14–18 in N. bottegi), and a more triangular pectoral axial scale (vs. more lanceolate in N. bottegi). Neobola kinondo differs from N. moeruensis by its higher numbers of principal anal fin rays (18–23 vs. 14 in N. moeruensis) and higher caudal peduncle circumferential scales (mode 14 in N. kinondo vs. 12 in N. moeruensis. Neobola kinondo differs from N. nilotica by its lower modal numbers of lateral line scales and principal anal fin rays (41 and 18, respectively, vs. 44 and 22, respectively in N. nilotica). Neobola kinondo is readily distinguished from N. stellae by its lower count of gill rakers on the first ceratobranchial (7 vs. 10 in N. stellae).
Etymology: The specific epithet of the new species “kinondo” is the Ameru language word for “silver” and is in reference to the bright silver color of the sides of N. kinondo. Species of Neobola are commonly referred to as sardines because of their sardine-like appearance. Thus, we suggest the common name, Tana Sardine.
Distribution: Neobola kinondo is confined to the Tana River of Kenya (Fig. 6). It is known primarily from tributaries of the Tana in Meru National Park and likely also occurs in portions of the Tana River proper bordering the park. The only other record of the species is based on a single juvenile specimen collected from a locality on the lower Tana River near the Hola Concentration Camps, Tana River County (BMNH 1966.8.25.6), suggesting that the species also inhabits lower portions of the Tana River Basin.
Henry L. Bart Jr, Ray C. Schmidt, Wanja Dorothy Nyingi and Joseph Gathua. 2019. A New Species of Cyprinoid Fish from the Tana River, Kenya (Actinopterygii: Danionidae). Zootaxa. 4652(3); 533–543. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4652.3.9
==========================
Neobola kinondo
Bart, Schmidt, Nyingi & Gathua, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4652.3.9
Abstract
Sampling of streams in the middle reaches of the Tana River Basin in Meru National Park, Kenya, from 2010 to 2012 for an NSF-funded International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) project, resulted in the capture of a number of specimens of what were first thought to be Neobola fluviatilis. On closer examination the specimens were determined to represent a distinct species, endemic to the Tana River basin, which is herein formally described. The new species is readily diagnosed from N. fluviatilis by higher counts of lateral line, pre-dorsal, and caudal peduncle circumferential scales, higher numbers of pectoral rays, lower numbers of anal fin rays, and a shorter anal-fin base length.
Keywords: Actinopterygii, Neobola fluviatilis (Whitehead 1962), Neobola kinondo sp. nov., Cyprinoidei, East Africa
FIGURE Photograph of Neobola kinondo showing body coloration in life. Note the yellow pigment in the pelvic fine, anal fins and lower lobe of the caudal fin.
Neobola kinondo sp. nov.
Engraulicypris fluviatilis (in part), Whitehead 1962:100 (Distribution, Tana River).
Engraulicypris fluviatilis (in part), Howes, 1984:156 (Distribution, Tana River).
Engraulicypris fluviatilis (in part), Lévêque & Daget 1984:326 (Distribution, Tana River)
Engraulicypris fluviatilis (in part), Seegers et al. 2003:34 (Distribution, Tana River)
Diagnosis Neobola kinondo is readily diagnosed from its presumed closest relative, N. fluviatilis, by higher counts of lateral line scales (mode 41, range 38–47, x̄ = 41.83 vs. mode 40, range 37–41, x̄ = 38.22 in N. fluviatilis, Table 2), predorsal scales (mode 24, range 20–27, of 23.90 vs. mode 19-20, range 17–22, x̄ = 19.38 in N. fluviatilis, Table 3), and caudal peduncle circumferential scales (mode 14, range 12–16, x̄ = 13.90 vs. mode 13, range 10–13, x̄ = 12.57 in N. fluviatilis, Table 4), and lower counts of transverse scales (mode 9, range 7–11, x̄ = 9 vs. mode 10, range 8–10, x̄ = 9.64 in N. fluviatilis, Table 5), principal dorsal-fin rays (mode 8, range 7–9, x̄ = 7.93 vs. mode 9, range 8–9, x̄ = 8.63 in N. fluviatilis, Table 6) and principal anal-fin rays (mode 18, range 18–23, x̄ = 19.23 vs. mode 22, range 20–24, x̄ = 22.17 in N. fluviatilis, Table 7). Combining lateral line scales and pre-dorsal scales completely separates N. kinondo from N. fluviatilis. Neobola kinondo has a combined count of 61 or more scales; N. fluviatilis has fewer than 61 lateral line and predorsal scales (Fig. 3).
Neobola kinondo differs from N. bottegi by its higher numbers of lateral line scales (38–45 vs. 37-40 in N. bottegi) and principal anal fin rays (18-23 in N. kinondo vs. 14–18 in N. bottegi), and a more triangular pectoral axial scale (vs. more lanceolate in N. bottegi). Neobola kinondo differs from N. moeruensis by its higher numbers of principal anal fin rays (18–23 vs. 14 in N. moeruensis) and higher caudal peduncle circumferential scales (mode 14 in N. kinondo vs. 12 in N. moeruensis. Neobola kinondo differs from N. nilotica by its lower modal numbers of lateral line scales and principal anal fin rays (41 and 18, respectively, vs. 44 and 22, respectively in N. nilotica). Neobola kinondo is readily distinguished from N. stellae by its lower count of gill rakers on the first ceratobranchial (7 vs. 10 in N. stellae).
Etymology: The specific epithet of the new species “kinondo” is the Ameru language word for “silver” and is in reference to the bright silver color of the sides of N. kinondo. Species of Neobola are commonly referred to as sardines because of their sardine-like appearance. Thus, we suggest the common name, Tana Sardine.
Distribution: Neobola kinondo is confined to the Tana River of Kenya (Fig. 6). It is known primarily from tributaries of the Tana in Meru National Park and likely also occurs in portions of the Tana River proper bordering the park. The only other record of the species is based on a single juvenile specimen collected from a locality on the lower Tana River near the Hola Concentration Camps, Tana River County (BMNH 1966.8.25.6), suggesting that the species also inhabits lower portions of the Tana River Basin.
Henry L. Bart Jr, Ray C. Schmidt, Wanja Dorothy Nyingi and Joseph Gathua. 2019. A New Species of Cyprinoid Fish from the Tana River, Kenya (Actinopterygii: Danionidae). Zootaxa. 4652(3); 533–543. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4652.3.9
==========================
Chiloglanis mongoensis • A New Species of Suckermouth Catfish (Siluriformes: Mochokidae: Chiloglanis) from the Rio Mongo in Equatorial Guinea
Chiloglanis mongoensis
Schmidt & Barrientos, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4652.3.7
Abstract
A recent expedition surveyed freshwater fishes throughout the continental portion of Equatorial Guinea (Rio Muni). This portion of the Lower Guinean ichthyoprovince is relatively unknown with very few collections occurring since the 1960s. Sampling in the Rio Mongo, a tributary to the Rio Wele, yielded two Chiloglanis species; one putatively ascribed to the widespread species C. cameronensis, and the other species having similarities with C. harbinger described from the Lokoundje River in Cameroon. Morphometric analyses between the specimens from Rio Mongo and paratypes of C. harbinger confirm that they are distinct species and should be described as such. Here we describe Chiloglanis mongoensis sp. nov., a narrow endemic species only known from one locality in the Rio Mongo. We provide measurements from paratypes of C. harbinger and emphasize the need for further expeditions in the area.
Keywords: Pisces, Endemism, specimen collection, allometric correction, biodiversity
FIGURE Chiloglanis mongoensis, a new species, holotype, USNM 446973, male ALC, 28.0 mm SL; Equatorial Guinea, Centro Sur, Rio Mongo near Mosumu, ..; in dorsal, lateral, and ventral views. Photographs by S. Raredon
Chiloglanis mongoensis sp. nov.
Diagnosis. Chiloglanis mongoensis is readily distinguished from all other valid species of Chiloglanis with the exception of C. marlieri and C. harbinger in possessing 28–30 (14+14 – 15+15) mandibular teeth in one row. Chiloglanis mongoensis is distinguished from C. marlieri in possessing a longer dorsal spine (1.8 times into head length versus 3.1 in C. marlieri). Chiloglanis mongoensis is distinguished from C. harbinger in having fewer premaxillary teeth (99–116 versus 150–224) arranged in fewer rows (4–5 versus 7), a longer dorsal spine (9.0–9.7 versus 7.8–9.0% SL), a deeper body at anus (14.0–16.0 versus 11.7–13.8% SL), a larger eye (3.7–4.6 versus 2.9–3.5% SL), and a higher adipose fin (2.6–3.9 versus 1.6–2.3% SL; Tables 2 and 3).
Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the Rio Mongo, a tributary to the Rio Wele in Equatorial Guinea, where the species is presumed endemic.
Distribution. Chiloglanis mongoensis is only known for the type locality. Upstream from the bridge crossing the Rio Mongo cascades down a bedrock outcrop that is ~3-4 meters high and ~10 meters long. Standing on this very slippery bedrock we were able to collect several specimens of C. cameronensis and C. mongoensis from cracks in the bedrock with the electrofisher. After 30 to 45 minutes we collected four C. mongoensis and five C. cameronensis specimens. Though collected in the same microhabitat; it seems likely that further, more focused, collections would reveal that these two species are occupying different habitats within the Rio Mongo. In co-occurring Chiloglanis species from the Upper Guinea Forest streams in Guinea, Conakry one species is usually found in woody debris or submerged roots while the other occupies the cobble and larger rocks in the riffles and runs (Schmidt et al. 2017b). Chiloglanis mongoensis or C. cameronensis specimens were not collected in a small tributary to the Rio Mongo, but the stream was shallow, substrate was mostly sand and gravel, and there was little flow.
Ray C. Schmidt and Christian Barrientos. 2019. A New Species of Suckermouth Catfish (Mochokidae: Chiloglanis) from the Rio Mongo in Equatorial Guinea. Zootaxa. 4652(3); 507–519. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4652.3.7
==========================
Chiloglanis mongoensis
Schmidt & Barrientos, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4652.3.7
Abstract
A recent expedition surveyed freshwater fishes throughout the continental portion of Equatorial Guinea (Rio Muni). This portion of the Lower Guinean ichthyoprovince is relatively unknown with very few collections occurring since the 1960s. Sampling in the Rio Mongo, a tributary to the Rio Wele, yielded two Chiloglanis species; one putatively ascribed to the widespread species C. cameronensis, and the other species having similarities with C. harbinger described from the Lokoundje River in Cameroon. Morphometric analyses between the specimens from Rio Mongo and paratypes of C. harbinger confirm that they are distinct species and should be described as such. Here we describe Chiloglanis mongoensis sp. nov., a narrow endemic species only known from one locality in the Rio Mongo. We provide measurements from paratypes of C. harbinger and emphasize the need for further expeditions in the area.
Keywords: Pisces, Endemism, specimen collection, allometric correction, biodiversity
FIGURE Chiloglanis mongoensis, a new species, holotype, USNM 446973, male ALC, 28.0 mm SL; Equatorial Guinea, Centro Sur, Rio Mongo near Mosumu, ..; in dorsal, lateral, and ventral views. Photographs by S. Raredon
Chiloglanis mongoensis sp. nov.
Diagnosis. Chiloglanis mongoensis is readily distinguished from all other valid species of Chiloglanis with the exception of C. marlieri and C. harbinger in possessing 28–30 (14+14 – 15+15) mandibular teeth in one row. Chiloglanis mongoensis is distinguished from C. marlieri in possessing a longer dorsal spine (1.8 times into head length versus 3.1 in C. marlieri). Chiloglanis mongoensis is distinguished from C. harbinger in having fewer premaxillary teeth (99–116 versus 150–224) arranged in fewer rows (4–5 versus 7), a longer dorsal spine (9.0–9.7 versus 7.8–9.0% SL), a deeper body at anus (14.0–16.0 versus 11.7–13.8% SL), a larger eye (3.7–4.6 versus 2.9–3.5% SL), and a higher adipose fin (2.6–3.9 versus 1.6–2.3% SL; Tables 2 and 3).
Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the Rio Mongo, a tributary to the Rio Wele in Equatorial Guinea, where the species is presumed endemic.
Distribution. Chiloglanis mongoensis is only known for the type locality. Upstream from the bridge crossing the Rio Mongo cascades down a bedrock outcrop that is ~3-4 meters high and ~10 meters long. Standing on this very slippery bedrock we were able to collect several specimens of C. cameronensis and C. mongoensis from cracks in the bedrock with the electrofisher. After 30 to 45 minutes we collected four C. mongoensis and five C. cameronensis specimens. Though collected in the same microhabitat; it seems likely that further, more focused, collections would reveal that these two species are occupying different habitats within the Rio Mongo. In co-occurring Chiloglanis species from the Upper Guinea Forest streams in Guinea, Conakry one species is usually found in woody debris or submerged roots while the other occupies the cobble and larger rocks in the riffles and runs (Schmidt et al. 2017b). Chiloglanis mongoensis or C. cameronensis specimens were not collected in a small tributary to the Rio Mongo, but the stream was shallow, substrate was mostly sand and gravel, and there was little flow.
Ray C. Schmidt and Christian Barrientos. 2019. A New Species of Suckermouth Catfish (Mochokidae: Chiloglanis) from the Rio Mongo in Equatorial Guinea. Zootaxa. 4652(3); 507–519. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4652.3.7
==========================
Trachinotus macrospilus • Indo-West Pacific Species of Trachinotus (Teleostei: Carangidae) with Spots on Their Sides as Adults, with Description of A New Sspecies Endemic to the Marquesas Islands
Trachinotus macrospilus
Smith-Vaniz & Walsh, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4651.1.1
Abstract
Diagnoses, comparisons, photographs and distribution maps are given for three previously described Indo-West Pacific species of Trachinotus that develop spots on their sides as adults. A new species, Trachinotus macrospilus, is described from the Marquesas Islands where it is endemic and the only species of the genus present. It differs from the other spotted Indo-West Pacific species most noticeably in having adults with only one or two large spots on each side, the largest spot larger than the iris diameter, and in having no large spot positioned above the pectoral fin. An identification key is given for all Indo-West Pacific species of Trachinotus and a molecular phylogeny, including 16 of the 20 valid species of Trachinotus is presented. A neotype is designated for Scomber botla Shaw, 1803.
Key words: taxonomy, Carangidae, Trachinotus macrospilus n. sp., endemic, Marquesas Islands
FIGURE . Trachinotus macrospilus, MCZ 29732, 211 mm FL, Marquesas Islands. After Kendall and Goldsborough, 1911, plate 1, as “Trachinotus oblongus.”
Trachinotus macrospilus new species
Marquesas dart
Diagnosis. A species of Trachinotus in which adults have only 1 or 2 large black spots on their sides; the largest spot larger than iris diameter (usually smaller than iris diameter in T. baillonii and equal to or larger than eye diameter in T. botla and T. coppingeri), and in having no large spot positioned above the pectoral fin (adults of T. botla and T. coppingeri have 1 or 2 large spots above the pectoral fin). Height of largest spot plotted against head length is also larger than in T. baillonii (Fig. 6). Heights of dorsal- and anal-fin lobes of adults are also usually shorter than in the other three species (Fig. 7). Dorsal fin VI-I, 23‒26; anal-fin II-I, 23‒25; vomerine tooth patch usually chevron shaped and palatine tooth patch relatively long (Fig. 2B).
Distribution. Endemic to the Marquesas Islands.
Remarks. With a reported shore fish fauna of 495 species and 13.7% endemism (Delrien-Trottin et al., 2015), the Marquesas Islands have the third greatest species-level endemism for insular coral reef fishes in the Indo-Pacific. Easter Island, with a much smaller total fauna of only 169 marine fish species and a similar geographic size, has a 21.7% rate of endemism (Randall and Cea, 2011), exceeded only by Hawaii with about 25% endemism of its marine ichthyofauna (Randall, 2007). The Marquesas Islands are high islands of recent volcanic origin and, as discussed by Randall and Earle (2000), combined with their isolation both geographically and hydrographically (westernly South Equatorial Current and major upwelling events) has led to the high level of endemism of the ichthyofauna.
Etymology. From the Greek makros (long, large) and spilos (spot), in reference to the relative height of the largest and usually single spot on the mid-side of the body of adults.
William F. Smith-Vaniz and Stephen J. Walsh. 2019. Indo-West Pacific Species of Trachinotus with Spots on Their Sides as Adults, with Description of A New Sspecies Endemic to the Marquesas Islands (Teleostei: Carangidae). Zootaxa. 4651(1); 1–37. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4651.1.1
==========================
Trachinotus macrospilus
Smith-Vaniz & Walsh, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4651.1.1
Abstract
Diagnoses, comparisons, photographs and distribution maps are given for three previously described Indo-West Pacific species of Trachinotus that develop spots on their sides as adults. A new species, Trachinotus macrospilus, is described from the Marquesas Islands where it is endemic and the only species of the genus present. It differs from the other spotted Indo-West Pacific species most noticeably in having adults with only one or two large spots on each side, the largest spot larger than the iris diameter, and in having no large spot positioned above the pectoral fin. An identification key is given for all Indo-West Pacific species of Trachinotus and a molecular phylogeny, including 16 of the 20 valid species of Trachinotus is presented. A neotype is designated for Scomber botla Shaw, 1803.
Key words: taxonomy, Carangidae, Trachinotus macrospilus n. sp., endemic, Marquesas Islands
FIGURE . Trachinotus macrospilus, MCZ 29732, 211 mm FL, Marquesas Islands. After Kendall and Goldsborough, 1911, plate 1, as “Trachinotus oblongus.”
Trachinotus macrospilus new species
Marquesas dart
Diagnosis. A species of Trachinotus in which adults have only 1 or 2 large black spots on their sides; the largest spot larger than iris diameter (usually smaller than iris diameter in T. baillonii and equal to or larger than eye diameter in T. botla and T. coppingeri), and in having no large spot positioned above the pectoral fin (adults of T. botla and T. coppingeri have 1 or 2 large spots above the pectoral fin). Height of largest spot plotted against head length is also larger than in T. baillonii (Fig. 6). Heights of dorsal- and anal-fin lobes of adults are also usually shorter than in the other three species (Fig. 7). Dorsal fin VI-I, 23‒26; anal-fin II-I, 23‒25; vomerine tooth patch usually chevron shaped and palatine tooth patch relatively long (Fig. 2B).
Distribution. Endemic to the Marquesas Islands.
Remarks. With a reported shore fish fauna of 495 species and 13.7% endemism (Delrien-Trottin et al., 2015), the Marquesas Islands have the third greatest species-level endemism for insular coral reef fishes in the Indo-Pacific. Easter Island, with a much smaller total fauna of only 169 marine fish species and a similar geographic size, has a 21.7% rate of endemism (Randall and Cea, 2011), exceeded only by Hawaii with about 25% endemism of its marine ichthyofauna (Randall, 2007). The Marquesas Islands are high islands of recent volcanic origin and, as discussed by Randall and Earle (2000), combined with their isolation both geographically and hydrographically (westernly South Equatorial Current and major upwelling events) has led to the high level of endemism of the ichthyofauna.
Etymology. From the Greek makros (long, large) and spilos (spot), in reference to the relative height of the largest and usually single spot on the mid-side of the body of adults.
William F. Smith-Vaniz and Stephen J. Walsh. 2019. Indo-West Pacific Species of Trachinotus with Spots on Their Sides as Adults, with Description of A New Sspecies Endemic to the Marquesas Islands (Teleostei: Carangidae). Zootaxa. 4651(1); 1–37. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4651.1.1
==========================
Pomacentrus bellipictus • A New Microendemic Species of Damselfish (Pisces: Pomacentridae) from the Fakfak Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia
Pomacentrus bellipictus
Allen, Erdmann & Hidayat, 2018
oceansciencefoundation.org
Abstract
A new species of damselfish, Pomacentrus bellipictus, is described from 13 specimens, 37.7-67.9 mm SL, collected at the Kokas area of the Fakfak Peninsula, a portion of the Bird's Head Peninsula of western New Guinea (West Papua Province, Indonesia). It is distinguished from most similar species in the western Pacific Ocean by having 14 instead of 13 dorsal-fin spines. It also possesses a unique facial coloration consisting of highly contrasted blue areas around the mouth and onto the isthmus, below the eye, and along the margin of the preopercle. The only other species of Pomacentrus from the region with 14 dorsal spines that are also drab-brown when alive, P. fakfakensis and P. opisthostigma, are clearly distinguished on the basis of adult and juvenile color patterns and also show different habitat preferences. In addition, P. opisthostigma is distinguished from the other two species by fewer lateral-line scales (usually 15-17 vs. usual 18-19) and more gill rakers on the first arch (26-29 vs. 18-21). The three species co-occur in the Kokas area, but occupy different habitats: Pomacentrus bellipictus inhabits rocky, wave-washed shorelines in about 1-2 m depth, while the other two species occur in deeper water. The new species is apparently endemic to the small area around the Fakfak Peninsula, where several other microendemic reef fish species have been described.
Key words: taxonomy, systematics, ichthyology, microendemic, coral-reef fishes, Indo-Pacific Ocean, Fakfak, Bird’s Head Peninsula.
Figure . Pomacentrus bellipictus n. sp., underwater photographs of adult, approx. 60 mm SL, Kokas District, West Papua Province, Indonesia (M.V. Erdmann).
Pomacentrus bellipictus, n. sp.
Bluemouth Demoiselle
Diagnosis. Dorsal-fin elements usually XIV (rarely XIII),12–14 (usually XIV,14); anal-fin elements II,12–15 (usually 14–15); pectoral-fin rays 17–19 (rarely 19); tubed lateral-line scales 17–19 (usually 18); total gill rakers on first arch 18–20 (rarely 20); body depth 1.8–2.0 (mean 1.9) in SL; scales absent on preorbital and suborbital; lower margin of suborbital series with 4–12 serrae; color in life mainly dark brown, nearly black, with contrasting blue areas around mouth (including isthmus), below eye, and along margin of preopercle; iris of adult mostly dark gray with a narrow bronze ring around pupil.
Etymology. The species is named bellipictus (Latin: war-painted) with reference to its facial coloration and belligerent behaviour towards divers. The specific epithet is a masculine compound adjective.
Gerald R. Allen, Mark V. Erdmann and Nur I. Hidayat. 2018. Pomacentrus bellipictus, A New Microendemic Species of Damselfish (Pisces: Pomacentridae) from the Fakfak Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia. Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 30, 1-10. oceansciencefoundation.org/josf30a.html
==========================
Pomacentrus bellipictus
Allen, Erdmann & Hidayat, 2018
oceansciencefoundation.org
Abstract
A new species of damselfish, Pomacentrus bellipictus, is described from 13 specimens, 37.7-67.9 mm SL, collected at the Kokas area of the Fakfak Peninsula, a portion of the Bird's Head Peninsula of western New Guinea (West Papua Province, Indonesia). It is distinguished from most similar species in the western Pacific Ocean by having 14 instead of 13 dorsal-fin spines. It also possesses a unique facial coloration consisting of highly contrasted blue areas around the mouth and onto the isthmus, below the eye, and along the margin of the preopercle. The only other species of Pomacentrus from the region with 14 dorsal spines that are also drab-brown when alive, P. fakfakensis and P. opisthostigma, are clearly distinguished on the basis of adult and juvenile color patterns and also show different habitat preferences. In addition, P. opisthostigma is distinguished from the other two species by fewer lateral-line scales (usually 15-17 vs. usual 18-19) and more gill rakers on the first arch (26-29 vs. 18-21). The three species co-occur in the Kokas area, but occupy different habitats: Pomacentrus bellipictus inhabits rocky, wave-washed shorelines in about 1-2 m depth, while the other two species occur in deeper water. The new species is apparently endemic to the small area around the Fakfak Peninsula, where several other microendemic reef fish species have been described.
Key words: taxonomy, systematics, ichthyology, microendemic, coral-reef fishes, Indo-Pacific Ocean, Fakfak, Bird’s Head Peninsula.
Figure . Pomacentrus bellipictus n. sp., underwater photographs of adult, approx. 60 mm SL, Kokas District, West Papua Province, Indonesia (M.V. Erdmann).
Pomacentrus bellipictus, n. sp.
Bluemouth Demoiselle
Diagnosis. Dorsal-fin elements usually XIV (rarely XIII),12–14 (usually XIV,14); anal-fin elements II,12–15 (usually 14–15); pectoral-fin rays 17–19 (rarely 19); tubed lateral-line scales 17–19 (usually 18); total gill rakers on first arch 18–20 (rarely 20); body depth 1.8–2.0 (mean 1.9) in SL; scales absent on preorbital and suborbital; lower margin of suborbital series with 4–12 serrae; color in life mainly dark brown, nearly black, with contrasting blue areas around mouth (including isthmus), below eye, and along margin of preopercle; iris of adult mostly dark gray with a narrow bronze ring around pupil.
Etymology. The species is named bellipictus (Latin: war-painted) with reference to its facial coloration and belligerent behaviour towards divers. The specific epithet is a masculine compound adjective.
Gerald R. Allen, Mark V. Erdmann and Nur I. Hidayat. 2018. Pomacentrus bellipictus, A New Microendemic Species of Damselfish (Pisces: Pomacentridae) from the Fakfak Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia. Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 30, 1-10. oceansciencefoundation.org/josf30a.html
==========================
Bristol Aquarist Society ANNUAL SHOWThe BAS Annual Show takes place on Sunday on 1st September 2019 at:
Hengrove Community Centre
Fortfield Road
Hengrove
Bristol
BS14 9NX
Schedule of activities:
Fish Auction viewing at 11:30
Fish Auction commences at 12:30
Show Hall opens at 14:30
Entry:
Adults £1, under 16yrs/OAPs free
Refreshments – Free Car Parking – Raffle
Northern Goldfish and Pondkeepers Society (NGPS)The NGPS Open Show is on the second Saturday in September at St. Matthews Church Hall, Chester Road, Stretford, Manchester.
Regular meetings are on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at the Church Inn, Church Lane, Prestwich, Manchester.
Email or call Sherridan Moores for details on 0161-969-7567.
Goldfish Society of Great Britain (GSGB)The GSGB Open Show takes place in late September at St. Paul’s Church Hall, Chigwell Road, Woodford Bridge, Essex, Woodford Bridge, IG8 8BT.
E-mail the Secretary, Michael Pepper, for details.
==========================
Hengrove Community Centre
Fortfield Road
Hengrove
Bristol
BS14 9NX
Schedule of activities:
Fish Auction viewing at 11:30
Fish Auction commences at 12:30
Show Hall opens at 14:30
Entry:
Adults £1, under 16yrs/OAPs free
Refreshments – Free Car Parking – Raffle
Northern Goldfish and Pondkeepers Society (NGPS)The NGPS Open Show is on the second Saturday in September at St. Matthews Church Hall, Chester Road, Stretford, Manchester.
Regular meetings are on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at the Church Inn, Church Lane, Prestwich, Manchester.
Email or call Sherridan Moores for details on 0161-969-7567.
Goldfish Society of Great Britain (GSGB)The GSGB Open Show takes place in late September at St. Paul’s Church Hall, Chigwell Road, Woodford Bridge, Essex, Woodford Bridge, IG8 8BT.
E-mail the Secretary, Michael Pepper, for details.
==========================
The Parosphromenus Project September 6th
- 6 September – 8 September
- Chester Zoo
CH2 1EU Chester, Cheshire
It will be held on September 6-8 2019, at Chester Zoo, Chester, UK. The main day of the Meeting will be Saturday 7th of September.
We are very grateful to be able to hold the Meeting at Chester Zoo, who we already have some good connections to.
We hope to see many of our friends, and people who are interested in our work, and in the Parosphromenus Species.
==========================
Biologists discover deep-sea fish living where there is virtually no oxygen
Cusk eels such as this one seem to prefer seafloor areas where oxygen concentrations are extremely low.
Oxygen—it’s a basic necessity for animal life. But marine biologists recently discovered large numbers of fishes living in the dark depths of the Gulf of California where there is virtually no oxygen. Using an underwater robot, the scientists observed these fishes thriving in low-oxygen conditions that would be deadly to most other fish. This discovery could help scientists understand how other marine animals might cope with ongoing changes in the chemistry of the ocean.
The researchers described their discovery in a recent article in the journal Ecology. The lead author of the article, Natalya Gallo, is a postdoctoral fellow at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She worked closely with professor Lisa Levin and other Scripps researchers on the paper, as well as with MBARI biologist Jim Barry, who led the research cruise.
Cusk eels, lollipop sharks, and grenadiers congregate on the seafloor in the Gulf of California. Image: © 2015 MBARI
In 2015, Barry, Gallo, and eight other researchers conducted a series of dives in several deep ocean basins in the Gulf of California using MBARI’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts—a state-of-the-art underwater robot. Gallo was particularly interested in these areas because her PhD thesis focused on animals that live in very low-oxygen environments. The deep waters of the Gulf of California have some of the most extreme low-oxygen habitats in the world.
“I could hardly believe my eyes,” Gallo wrote in MBARI’s cruise blog following an ROV dive in the Cerralvo Trough. “We observed cusk eels,
( Lamprogrammus shcherbachevi) grenadiers, and lollipop sharks (Cephalurus cephalus) ctively swimming around in areas where the oxygen concentration was less than one percent of typical surface oxygen concentrations. We were in a suboxic habitat, which should exclude fish, but instead there were hundreds of fish. I immediately knew this was something special that challenged our existing understanding of the limits of hypoxia [low-oxygen] tolerance.”
Lollipop sharks have large heads and gills, which may help them absorb oxygen in low-oxygen environments. Image: © 2015 MBARI
In fact, instruments on the ROV showed that these fish were living in an environment where oxygen concentrations were one-tenth to one-fortieth as low as those tolerated by other low-oxygen fish. In fact, two species of fish—cusk eels and lollipop sharks—seemed to prefer these low-oxygen areas over areas where oxygen concentrations were higher.
“Many other types of fish are considered tolerant of low-oxygen conditions,” Barry commented.” But the fish in these parts of the Gulf are like the winners among a group of elite Olympic athletes.”
One of Barry’s goals of the cruise was to use the large natural variations in oxygen and temperature found in the Gulf to study how seafloor animal communities might change in response to warmer and reduced-oxygen conditions that have been predicted by some climate models
The researchers still don’t know exactly how these fish are able to survive, and even thrive, under such harsh conditions. The cat sharks have large heads with extensive gill chambers and the cusk eels have vibrant red gills, which may be particularly good at absorbing oxygen from the surrounding water. The fish are also quite small—less than 30 centimeters (one foot) long—and the cusk eels have soft flabby bodies and thin, weakly developed bones—all traits that might help them conserve energy.
Graduate student Natalya Gallo holds a lollipop shark that researchers collected in the Gulf of California. Image: © 2015 MBARI
Why the fish congregate in these particular areas is another mystery. Barry speculates that they might be finding food or avoiding predators. In some low-oxygen areas the researchers saw snails, sea stars, and sea pens on the seafloor. But in the lowest-oxygen areas, the muddy seafloor looked like a barren moonscape, suggesting that even small invertebrates had a hard time surviving.
“We hope to go back to the Gulf soon to try and address some of these questions,” Barry said.
Article by Kim Fulton-Bennett
Original journal article:
Gallo, N. D., Levin, L. A., Beckwith, M., Barry, J. P. (2018). Home sweet suboxic home: remarkable hypoxia tolerance in two demersal fish species in the Gulf of California. Ecology, https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.2539 (27 November 2018)
==========================
Flathead Perch Captive Bred in Western Australia
The flathead perch has been an elusive species to find, both for divers on the natural reef and for fish keepers in the saltwater aquarium hobby. The unique and interesting appearance of Rainfordia opercularis, has made it a target of both rare fish collectors and fish breeders, with only the second successful aquaculture of this species being recently announced by Batavia Coast Maritime Institute in Western Australia.
This recent success with such a special fish is only the second time that Rainfordia have been successfully captive bred, the first being by Todd Gardner who has recently turned his attention to Gramma dejongi. Although the flathead perch was recently sighted in Indonesia, Rainfordia are best known from the western regions of Australia so it’s fitting that the commercial effort to produce this species should take place in Western Australia as well.
As the name implies, the flathead perch has a compressed body which is a special adaptation for it to really feel at home between rocks of the reef, living inside the matrix of caves and holes within it. Interestingly, the larvae of Rainfordia opercularis display a highly elongated dorsal filament which is very remarkable, but creates a challenge when trying to culture many specimens in the same aquarium space for growing out.
The rarity of the flathead perch and its unique larval stages presents a very unique aquaculture exercise for budding fish farmers at the Batavia Coast Marine Institute which also has some experience breeding theiconic Royal Gramma, Gramma loreto. It’s very cool to see another breeding program successfully raise a fish which is of very limited, and expensive, availability in the aquarium hobby, especially since this is a fish found in their local waters. Now if we could convince someone at the BCMI to work on the so-rare-it’s-unknown occidental mandarin dragonet, that would be a world’s first!
https://www.facebook.com/reefbuilders/videos/569598896907617/?t=0 for video
==========================
Ornate Goby (Istigobius ornatus): A Breeding First with DIY Instructions18 Jul, 2019
An adult Ornate Goby, Istigobius ornatus, broodstock used to spawn and rear the species for the first time in captivity. Image courtesy Pei-Sheng Chiu.
Earlier this year, an in-depth study on the breeding and rearing of the Ornate Goby (Istigobius ornatus) was published in the journal Aquaculture Research by Taiwanese authors Pei‐Sheng Chiu, Ming‐Yih Leu, and Pei‐Jie Meng. Having studied the effects of temperature, salinity, and prey densities on the survival rates of this species, the authors believe that their finding “could guide future programs in captive-breeding technology development and commercial production of other marine ornamental gobies.” In short, the open-access article is a worthy read, particularly if you’re interested in breeding saltwater gobies for fun and/or profit!
Admittedly, the appearance of the Ornate Goby doesn’t always live up to its common name moniker. Often cryptically dressed in white-to-beige with black spots, only some specimens appear to show blue dots on their flanks, and few individuals show yellow in the first dorsal fin. Given what’s known of the sexual dimorphism in the Istigobius genus, these more colorful individuals are probably mature males; the researchers noted that their broodstock males had “a more colourful trunk, larger size, and pointed genital papilla,” and Fishbase records suggest that males have darker ventral and anal fins as well.
The Ornate Goby is considered common in the shallows (0-5 m [0-16 ft]) of the Indo-Pacific, and is tolerant of brackish water environments. Mainly owing to its appearance, it’s not common in the marine aquarium trade; according to AquariumTradeData.org, for the years with data available, reported imports ranged from 51 to 222 annually. Most Ornate Gobies arriving in the U.S. over those years were exported from Sri Lanka, and to a lesser extent, occasional specimens entered the trade from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Kenya.
Still, this goby has potential. The authors note, “In addition to being marine ornamental fish, I. ornatus have great potential to fulfill the roles of sand‐cleaners and benthivorous fish in home aquaria—a species that can keep the sand spotless and white and clear off the residues from fish diets.”
Perhaps a rebranding as the “Ornate Sand-cleaning Goby” would be beneficial if aquacultured specimens are ever made available. Captive breeding might also gradually select for more vibrantly colored strains.
Aquaculture of Istigobius ornatus
While the paper is extremely detailed the main point is that the scientists found success utilizing Tetraselmis chui microalgae alongside the smaller-strain S-Type rotifer Brachionus ibericus for initial feedings, followed up with copepodites harpacticoid copepod Microsetella sp., along with brine shrimp nauplii and commercial diets. The authors note that the more commonly seen Brachionus rotundiformis rotifer would likely not be a viable first feeding option for I. ornatus, as their mouths are too small to consume them.
Larval and juvenile development of Istigobius ornatus at: (a) Newly hatched larvae (2.12 ± 0.04 mm TL) with 25–26 somites; (b) 1 day post hatch (dph) preflexion larvae (2.47 ± 0.05 mm TL) with yolk completely absorbed; (c) 5 dph preflexion larvae (2.82 ± 0.005 mm TL) with melanophores on the caudal region; (d) 12 dph flexion larvae (3.53 ± 0.005 mm TL) with an upward turn of the notochord tip; (e) 16 dph post flexion larvae (4.47 ± 0.15 mm TL) with the hypural bone pointed upward; (f) 26 dph post flexion larvae (7.46 ± 0.01 mm TL) with the first dorsal and pelvic‐fins; (g) 30 dph juveniles (7.79 ± 0.006 mm TL) with overall adult number of fin spines and soft rays; (h) 40 dph juveniles (10.16 ± 0.09 mm TL) with full juvenile colouration; (i) 50 dph juveniles (18.27 ± 0.03 mm TL) with silvering in appearance; (j) 70 dph juveniles (4.47 ± 0.47 mm TL) with yellow and red blotches on the first dorsal fin; (k) 100 dph juveniles (4.16 ± 0.31 mm TL) with red blotches on the head and snout. The scale bars of (a)–(h) = 1.0 mm and scale bars of (i)–(k) = 10.0 mm
With thousands of eggs per clutch, there were great opportunities for experimentation. Eggs hatched 84 hours after fertilization. Within a day of hatching, the larvae were able to feed on S-type rotifers. By 12 days post-hatch, the larvae were undergoing flexion, and by 26 days post-hatch they started to settle. They continued to settle as transparent juveniles until day 40. By 50 days they had turned silver, and coloration continued to develop as they fish grew. By 100 days post-hatch, the juveniles started to exhibit territorial behavior and were approaching 4 cm (1.5 inches) in length. It’s worth noting that the maximum length given for Istigobius ornatus by Fishbase is 11 cm (4.5 inches).
More precise breeding and rearing information can be obtained by reading the open-access paper.
Not the first Istigobious bred?
Also of note: the authors wrote that two other species of Istigobius were successfully captive-bred decades prior; specifically, Istigobius hoshinonis and I. campbelli, as documented by Shiobara and Suzuki in the early 1980s. With this revelation, three new Istigobious species will be added to the running tally of CORAL Magazine’s captive-bred marine aquarium fish species list this year!
References:
Chiu, P‐S, Leu, M‐Y, Meng, P‐J. Year‐round natural spawning, early development, and the effects of temperature, salinity and prey density on captive ornate goby Istigobius ornatus (Rüppell, 1830) larval survival. Aquac Res. 2019; 50: 173– 187. https://doi.org/10.1111/are.13880
Shiobara, Y., & Suzuki, K. (1983). Life history of two Gobioids, Istigobius hoshinonis (Tanaka) and I. campbelli (Jordan et Snyder), under natural and rearing conditions. Journal of the Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University, 16, 193–205.
18 Jul, 2019
An adult Ornate Goby, Istigobius ornatus, broodstock used to spawn and rear the species for the first time in captivity. Image courtesy Pei-Sheng Chiu.
Earlier this year, an in-depth study on the breeding and rearing of the Ornate Goby (Istigobius ornatus) was published in the journal Aquaculture Research by Taiwanese authors Pei‐Sheng Chiu, Ming‐Yih Leu, and Pei‐Jie Meng. Having studied the effects of temperature, salinity, and prey densities on the survival rates of this species, the authors believe that their finding “could guide future programs in captive-breeding technology development and commercial production of other marine ornamental gobies.” In short, the open-access article is a worthy read, particularly if you’re interested in breeding saltwater gobies for fun and/or profit!
Admittedly, the appearance of the Ornate Goby doesn’t always live up to its common name moniker. Often cryptically dressed in white-to-beige with black spots, only some specimens appear to show blue dots on their flanks, and few individuals show yellow in the first dorsal fin. Given what’s known of the sexual dimorphism in the Istigobius genus, these more colorful individuals are probably mature males; the researchers noted that their broodstock males had “a more colourful trunk, larger size, and pointed genital papilla,” and Fishbase records suggest that males have darker ventral and anal fins as well.
The Ornate Goby is considered common in the shallows (0-5 m [0-16 ft]) of the Indo-Pacific, and is tolerant of brackish water environments. Mainly owing to its appearance, it’s not common in the marine aquarium trade; according to AquariumTradeData.org, for the years with data available, reported imports ranged from 51 to 222 annually. Most Ornate Gobies arriving in the U.S. over those years were exported from Sri Lanka, and to a lesser extent, occasional specimens entered the trade from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Kenya.
Still, this goby has potential. The authors note, “In addition to being marine ornamental fish, I. ornatus have great potential to fulfill the roles of sand‐cleaners and benthivorous fish in home aquaria—a species that can keep the sand spotless and white and clear off the residues from fish diets.”
Perhaps a rebranding as the “Ornate Sand-cleaning Goby” would be beneficial if aquacultured specimens are ever made available. Captive breeding might also gradually select for more vibrantly colored strains.
Aquaculture of Istigobius ornatus
While the paper is extremely detailed the main point is that the scientists found success utilizing Tetraselmis chui microalgae alongside the smaller-strain S-Type rotifer Brachionus ibericus for initial feedings, followed up with copepodites harpacticoid copepod Microsetella sp., along with brine shrimp nauplii and commercial diets. The authors note that the more commonly seen Brachionus rotundiformis rotifer would likely not be a viable first feeding option for I. ornatus, as their mouths are too small to consume them.
Larval and juvenile development of Istigobius ornatus at: (a) Newly hatched larvae (2.12 ± 0.04 mm TL) with 25–26 somites; (b) 1 day post hatch (dph) preflexion larvae (2.47 ± 0.05 mm TL) with yolk completely absorbed; (c) 5 dph preflexion larvae (2.82 ± 0.005 mm TL) with melanophores on the caudal region; (d) 12 dph flexion larvae (3.53 ± 0.005 mm TL) with an upward turn of the notochord tip; (e) 16 dph post flexion larvae (4.47 ± 0.15 mm TL) with the hypural bone pointed upward; (f) 26 dph post flexion larvae (7.46 ± 0.01 mm TL) with the first dorsal and pelvic‐fins; (g) 30 dph juveniles (7.79 ± 0.006 mm TL) with overall adult number of fin spines and soft rays; (h) 40 dph juveniles (10.16 ± 0.09 mm TL) with full juvenile colouration; (i) 50 dph juveniles (18.27 ± 0.03 mm TL) with silvering in appearance; (j) 70 dph juveniles (4.47 ± 0.47 mm TL) with yellow and red blotches on the first dorsal fin; (k) 100 dph juveniles (4.16 ± 0.31 mm TL) with red blotches on the head and snout. The scale bars of (a)–(h) = 1.0 mm and scale bars of (i)–(k) = 10.0 mm
With thousands of eggs per clutch, there were great opportunities for experimentation. Eggs hatched 84 hours after fertilization. Within a day of hatching, the larvae were able to feed on S-type rotifers. By 12 days post-hatch, the larvae were undergoing flexion, and by 26 days post-hatch they started to settle. They continued to settle as transparent juveniles until day 40. By 50 days they had turned silver, and coloration continued to develop as they fish grew. By 100 days post-hatch, the juveniles started to exhibit territorial behavior and were approaching 4 cm (1.5 inches) in length. It’s worth noting that the maximum length given for Istigobius ornatus by Fishbase is 11 cm (4.5 inches).
More precise breeding and rearing information can be obtained by reading the open-access paper.
Not the first Istigobious bred?
Also of note: the authors wrote that two other species of Istigobius were successfully captive-bred decades prior; specifically, Istigobius hoshinonis and I. campbelli, as documented by Shiobara and Suzuki in the early 1980s. With this revelation, three new Istigobious species will be added to the running tally of CORAL Magazine’s captive-bred marine aquarium fish species list this year!
References:
Chiu, P‐S, Leu, M‐Y, Meng, P‐J. Year‐round natural spawning, early development, and the effects of temperature, salinity and prey density on captive ornate goby Istigobius ornatus (Rüppell, 1830) larval survival. Aquac Res. 2019; 50: 173– 187. https://doi.org/10.1111/are.13880
Shiobara, Y., & Suzuki, K. (1983). Life history of two Gobioids, Istigobius hoshinonis (Tanaka) and I. campbelli (Jordan et Snyder), under natural and rearing conditions. Journal of the Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University, 16, 193–205.
From Reef to Rain forest media
==========================
An adult Ornate Goby, Istigobius ornatus, broodstock used to spawn and rear the species for the first time in captivity. Image courtesy Pei-Sheng Chiu.
Earlier this year, an in-depth study on the breeding and rearing of the Ornate Goby (Istigobius ornatus) was published in the journal Aquaculture Research by Taiwanese authors Pei‐Sheng Chiu, Ming‐Yih Leu, and Pei‐Jie Meng. Having studied the effects of temperature, salinity, and prey densities on the survival rates of this species, the authors believe that their finding “could guide future programs in captive-breeding technology development and commercial production of other marine ornamental gobies.” In short, the open-access article is a worthy read, particularly if you’re interested in breeding saltwater gobies for fun and/or profit!
Admittedly, the appearance of the Ornate Goby doesn’t always live up to its common name moniker. Often cryptically dressed in white-to-beige with black spots, only some specimens appear to show blue dots on their flanks, and few individuals show yellow in the first dorsal fin. Given what’s known of the sexual dimorphism in the Istigobius genus, these more colorful individuals are probably mature males; the researchers noted that their broodstock males had “a more colourful trunk, larger size, and pointed genital papilla,” and Fishbase records suggest that males have darker ventral and anal fins as well.
The Ornate Goby is considered common in the shallows (0-5 m [0-16 ft]) of the Indo-Pacific, and is tolerant of brackish water environments. Mainly owing to its appearance, it’s not common in the marine aquarium trade; according to AquariumTradeData.org, for the years with data available, reported imports ranged from 51 to 222 annually. Most Ornate Gobies arriving in the U.S. over those years were exported from Sri Lanka, and to a lesser extent, occasional specimens entered the trade from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Kenya.
Still, this goby has potential. The authors note, “In addition to being marine ornamental fish, I. ornatus have great potential to fulfill the roles of sand‐cleaners and benthivorous fish in home aquaria—a species that can keep the sand spotless and white and clear off the residues from fish diets.”
Perhaps a rebranding as the “Ornate Sand-cleaning Goby” would be beneficial if aquacultured specimens are ever made available. Captive breeding might also gradually select for more vibrantly colored strains.
Aquaculture of Istigobius ornatus
While the paper is extremely detailed the main point is that the scientists found success utilizing Tetraselmis chui microalgae alongside the smaller-strain S-Type rotifer Brachionus ibericus for initial feedings, followed up with copepodites harpacticoid copepod Microsetella sp., along with brine shrimp nauplii and commercial diets. The authors note that the more commonly seen Brachionus rotundiformis rotifer would likely not be a viable first feeding option for I. ornatus, as their mouths are too small to consume them.
Larval and juvenile development of Istigobius ornatus at: (a) Newly hatched larvae (2.12 ± 0.04 mm TL) with 25–26 somites; (b) 1 day post hatch (dph) preflexion larvae (2.47 ± 0.05 mm TL) with yolk completely absorbed; (c) 5 dph preflexion larvae (2.82 ± 0.005 mm TL) with melanophores on the caudal region; (d) 12 dph flexion larvae (3.53 ± 0.005 mm TL) with an upward turn of the notochord tip; (e) 16 dph post flexion larvae (4.47 ± 0.15 mm TL) with the hypural bone pointed upward; (f) 26 dph post flexion larvae (7.46 ± 0.01 mm TL) with the first dorsal and pelvic‐fins; (g) 30 dph juveniles (7.79 ± 0.006 mm TL) with overall adult number of fin spines and soft rays; (h) 40 dph juveniles (10.16 ± 0.09 mm TL) with full juvenile colouration; (i) 50 dph juveniles (18.27 ± 0.03 mm TL) with silvering in appearance; (j) 70 dph juveniles (4.47 ± 0.47 mm TL) with yellow and red blotches on the first dorsal fin; (k) 100 dph juveniles (4.16 ± 0.31 mm TL) with red blotches on the head and snout. The scale bars of (a)–(h) = 1.0 mm and scale bars of (i)–(k) = 10.0 mm
With thousands of eggs per clutch, there were great opportunities for experimentation. Eggs hatched 84 hours after fertilization. Within a day of hatching, the larvae were able to feed on S-type rotifers. By 12 days post-hatch, the larvae were undergoing flexion, and by 26 days post-hatch they started to settle. They continued to settle as transparent juveniles until day 40. By 50 days they had turned silver, and coloration continued to develop as they fish grew. By 100 days post-hatch, the juveniles started to exhibit territorial behavior and were approaching 4 cm (1.5 inches) in length. It’s worth noting that the maximum length given for Istigobius ornatus by Fishbase is 11 cm (4.5 inches).
More precise breeding and rearing information can be obtained by reading the open-access paper.
Not the first Istigobious bred?
Also of note: the authors wrote that two other species of Istigobius were successfully captive-bred decades prior; specifically, Istigobius hoshinonis and I. campbelli, as documented by Shiobara and Suzuki in the early 1980s. With this revelation, three new Istigobious species will be added to the running tally of CORAL Magazine’s captive-bred marine aquarium fish species list this year!
References:
Chiu, P‐S, Leu, M‐Y, Meng, P‐J. Year‐round natural spawning, early development, and the effects of temperature, salinity and prey density on captive ornate goby Istigobius ornatus (Rüppell, 1830) larval survival. Aquac Res. 2019; 50: 173– 187. https://doi.org/10.1111/are.13880
Shiobara, Y., & Suzuki, K. (1983). Life history of two Gobioids, Istigobius hoshinonis (Tanaka) and I. campbelli (Jordan et Snyder), under natural and rearing conditions. Journal of the Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University, 16, 193–205.
18 Jul, 2019
An adult Ornate Goby, Istigobius ornatus, broodstock used to spawn and rear the species for the first time in captivity. Image courtesy Pei-Sheng Chiu.
Earlier this year, an in-depth study on the breeding and rearing of the Ornate Goby (Istigobius ornatus) was published in the journal Aquaculture Research by Taiwanese authors Pei‐Sheng Chiu, Ming‐Yih Leu, and Pei‐Jie Meng. Having studied the effects of temperature, salinity, and prey densities on the survival rates of this species, the authors believe that their finding “could guide future programs in captive-breeding technology development and commercial production of other marine ornamental gobies.” In short, the open-access article is a worthy read, particularly if you’re interested in breeding saltwater gobies for fun and/or profit!
Admittedly, the appearance of the Ornate Goby doesn’t always live up to its common name moniker. Often cryptically dressed in white-to-beige with black spots, only some specimens appear to show blue dots on their flanks, and few individuals show yellow in the first dorsal fin. Given what’s known of the sexual dimorphism in the Istigobius genus, these more colorful individuals are probably mature males; the researchers noted that their broodstock males had “a more colourful trunk, larger size, and pointed genital papilla,” and Fishbase records suggest that males have darker ventral and anal fins as well.
The Ornate Goby is considered common in the shallows (0-5 m [0-16 ft]) of the Indo-Pacific, and is tolerant of brackish water environments. Mainly owing to its appearance, it’s not common in the marine aquarium trade; according to AquariumTradeData.org, for the years with data available, reported imports ranged from 51 to 222 annually. Most Ornate Gobies arriving in the U.S. over those years were exported from Sri Lanka, and to a lesser extent, occasional specimens entered the trade from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Kenya.
Still, this goby has potential. The authors note, “In addition to being marine ornamental fish, I. ornatus have great potential to fulfill the roles of sand‐cleaners and benthivorous fish in home aquaria—a species that can keep the sand spotless and white and clear off the residues from fish diets.”
Perhaps a rebranding as the “Ornate Sand-cleaning Goby” would be beneficial if aquacultured specimens are ever made available. Captive breeding might also gradually select for more vibrantly colored strains.
Aquaculture of Istigobius ornatus
While the paper is extremely detailed the main point is that the scientists found success utilizing Tetraselmis chui microalgae alongside the smaller-strain S-Type rotifer Brachionus ibericus for initial feedings, followed up with copepodites harpacticoid copepod Microsetella sp., along with brine shrimp nauplii and commercial diets. The authors note that the more commonly seen Brachionus rotundiformis rotifer would likely not be a viable first feeding option for I. ornatus, as their mouths are too small to consume them.
Larval and juvenile development of Istigobius ornatus at: (a) Newly hatched larvae (2.12 ± 0.04 mm TL) with 25–26 somites; (b) 1 day post hatch (dph) preflexion larvae (2.47 ± 0.05 mm TL) with yolk completely absorbed; (c) 5 dph preflexion larvae (2.82 ± 0.005 mm TL) with melanophores on the caudal region; (d) 12 dph flexion larvae (3.53 ± 0.005 mm TL) with an upward turn of the notochord tip; (e) 16 dph post flexion larvae (4.47 ± 0.15 mm TL) with the hypural bone pointed upward; (f) 26 dph post flexion larvae (7.46 ± 0.01 mm TL) with the first dorsal and pelvic‐fins; (g) 30 dph juveniles (7.79 ± 0.006 mm TL) with overall adult number of fin spines and soft rays; (h) 40 dph juveniles (10.16 ± 0.09 mm TL) with full juvenile colouration; (i) 50 dph juveniles (18.27 ± 0.03 mm TL) with silvering in appearance; (j) 70 dph juveniles (4.47 ± 0.47 mm TL) with yellow and red blotches on the first dorsal fin; (k) 100 dph juveniles (4.16 ± 0.31 mm TL) with red blotches on the head and snout. The scale bars of (a)–(h) = 1.0 mm and scale bars of (i)–(k) = 10.0 mm
With thousands of eggs per clutch, there were great opportunities for experimentation. Eggs hatched 84 hours after fertilization. Within a day of hatching, the larvae were able to feed on S-type rotifers. By 12 days post-hatch, the larvae were undergoing flexion, and by 26 days post-hatch they started to settle. They continued to settle as transparent juveniles until day 40. By 50 days they had turned silver, and coloration continued to develop as they fish grew. By 100 days post-hatch, the juveniles started to exhibit territorial behavior and were approaching 4 cm (1.5 inches) in length. It’s worth noting that the maximum length given for Istigobius ornatus by Fishbase is 11 cm (4.5 inches).
More precise breeding and rearing information can be obtained by reading the open-access paper.
Not the first Istigobious bred?
Also of note: the authors wrote that two other species of Istigobius were successfully captive-bred decades prior; specifically, Istigobius hoshinonis and I. campbelli, as documented by Shiobara and Suzuki in the early 1980s. With this revelation, three new Istigobious species will be added to the running tally of CORAL Magazine’s captive-bred marine aquarium fish species list this year!
References:
Chiu, P‐S, Leu, M‐Y, Meng, P‐J. Year‐round natural spawning, early development, and the effects of temperature, salinity and prey density on captive ornate goby Istigobius ornatus (Rüppell, 1830) larval survival. Aquac Res. 2019; 50: 173– 187. https://doi.org/10.1111/are.13880
Shiobara, Y., & Suzuki, K. (1983). Life history of two Gobioids, Istigobius hoshinonis (Tanaka) and I. campbelli (Jordan et Snyder), under natural and rearing conditions. Journal of the Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University, 16, 193–205.
From Reef to Rain forest media
==========================
New Captive-Bred Rabbitfish from ORA26 Jul, 2019
ORA Two-Barred Rabbitfish, Siganus virgatus, is the newest captive-bred species from the Ft. Pierce, Florida, aquaculture farms.
via Oceans, Reefs & Aquariums
Everyone here at ORA is thrilled to announce the release of the first ever, captive bred Two-Barred Rabbitfish (Siganus virgatus)!
This fantastic species is an amazing algae-eating machine for both reef tanks and fish only systems alike. Our fish will eat all types of common fish food pellets, as well as sheets of dried Nori or fresh macroalgae like Ulva.
Bring your aquarium one step closer to 100% aquacultured with the new ORA Two-Barred Rabbitfish, shipping everywhere Monday!
Visit www.orafarm.com to learn more about this captive bred species and more.
Siganus virgatus: Species Profile
Maximum Length: 11 inches (28 cm)
Minimum Aquarium Size: 120-gallons (450-L)
The Two-Barred Rabbitfish, also known as the Barhead Spinefoot or Doublebar Rabbitfish, is a herbivorous fish with a wide distribution throughout the Indo-Pacific. They have pearlescent white on their sides, with bright yellow extending along their dorsal edges and caudal fin. Attractive blue striations line across the top of their bodies, becoming more concentrated toward the head. Their two distinct and namesake black bars come down through the eyes and also extend upwards to the dorsal fin from behind the gills. The fish can rapidly turn off its normal coloration and replace it with a camouflage like blotching, depending on mood or when sleeping. So don’t be alarmed if your beautiful fish suddenly becomes drab in an instant.
Two-Barred Rabbitfish exhibit similar grazing behavior, size and disposition to their cousins the tangs. These fish are amazing at consuming nuisance algae in the home aquarium. They will also readily accept diets formulated for herbivorous fish as well as macroalgae like Ulva and sheets of dried Nori.
All Rabbitfishes possess venomous dorsal, anal and pelvic fin spines which they use for defense. Use care when handling this fish to avoid being pricked by their spines.
Source
ORA Farm
==========================
ORA Two-Barred Rabbitfish, Siganus virgatus, is the newest captive-bred species from the Ft. Pierce, Florida, aquaculture farms.
via Oceans, Reefs & Aquariums
Everyone here at ORA is thrilled to announce the release of the first ever, captive bred Two-Barred Rabbitfish (Siganus virgatus)!
This fantastic species is an amazing algae-eating machine for both reef tanks and fish only systems alike. Our fish will eat all types of common fish food pellets, as well as sheets of dried Nori or fresh macroalgae like Ulva.
Bring your aquarium one step closer to 100% aquacultured with the new ORA Two-Barred Rabbitfish, shipping everywhere Monday!
Visit www.orafarm.com to learn more about this captive bred species and more.
Siganus virgatus: Species Profile
Maximum Length: 11 inches (28 cm)
Minimum Aquarium Size: 120-gallons (450-L)
The Two-Barred Rabbitfish, also known as the Barhead Spinefoot or Doublebar Rabbitfish, is a herbivorous fish with a wide distribution throughout the Indo-Pacific. They have pearlescent white on their sides, with bright yellow extending along their dorsal edges and caudal fin. Attractive blue striations line across the top of their bodies, becoming more concentrated toward the head. Their two distinct and namesake black bars come down through the eyes and also extend upwards to the dorsal fin from behind the gills. The fish can rapidly turn off its normal coloration and replace it with a camouflage like blotching, depending on mood or when sleeping. So don’t be alarmed if your beautiful fish suddenly becomes drab in an instant.
Two-Barred Rabbitfish exhibit similar grazing behavior, size and disposition to their cousins the tangs. These fish are amazing at consuming nuisance algae in the home aquarium. They will also readily accept diets formulated for herbivorous fish as well as macroalgae like Ulva and sheets of dried Nori.
All Rabbitfishes possess venomous dorsal, anal and pelvic fin spines which they use for defense. Use care when handling this fish to avoid being pricked by their spines.
Source
ORA Farm
==========================
Description of a new mud-dwelling goby (Gobiidae: Acentrogobius) from Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea.
Abstract
A new species belonging to the gobiid genus Acentrogobius is described from mud-bottom habitat in the vicinity of Alotau, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. Acentrogobius quinquemaculatus is described on the basis of 41 specimens, 13.1-33.4 mm SL. Diagnostic features include a usual combination of 9 soft dorsal and anal rays, 16-18 pectoral rays, 27-29 longitudinal scales, 8 transverse scales, 11-13 predorsal scales, and 2-3 rows of cycloid scales on the upper opercle. The new taxon is similar to A. caninus, which differs in having a slightly lower longitudinal scale count (25-26) and more predorsal scales (17-20). The two species also exhibit similar colour patterns, including a mid-lateral row of large dark marks on the middle of the side, but, A. caninus differs in having a large green spot immediately above and behind the upper rear corner of the opercle. Additionally, A. caninus reaches a much larger size, to at least 100 mm SL compared to about 33 mm SL for A. quinquemaculatus.
PDF (531 KB)
from Aqua press
==========================
Abstract
A new species belonging to the gobiid genus Acentrogobius is described from mud-bottom habitat in the vicinity of Alotau, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. Acentrogobius quinquemaculatus is described on the basis of 41 specimens, 13.1-33.4 mm SL. Diagnostic features include a usual combination of 9 soft dorsal and anal rays, 16-18 pectoral rays, 27-29 longitudinal scales, 8 transverse scales, 11-13 predorsal scales, and 2-3 rows of cycloid scales on the upper opercle. The new taxon is similar to A. caninus, which differs in having a slightly lower longitudinal scale count (25-26) and more predorsal scales (17-20). The two species also exhibit similar colour patterns, including a mid-lateral row of large dark marks on the middle of the side, but, A. caninus differs in having a large green spot immediately above and behind the upper rear corner of the opercle. Additionally, A. caninus reaches a much larger size, to at least 100 mm SL compared to about 33 mm SL for A. quinquemaculatus.
PDF (531 KB)
from Aqua press
==========================
Laimosemion gili (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes: Cynolebiidae), a new miniature species from the Rio Negro basin, Brazil.
Abstract
Laimosemion gili is described from the Rio Preto drainage, Rio Negro basin, Amazonas state, Brazil. The new species was found in a small creek called Garukana, within a tropical rainforest in the vicinity of Campinas do Rio Preto. This miniature species is considered to be a member of the subgenus Owiyeye, which is diagnosed by a unique frontal squamation. Laimosemion gilican be distinguished from all other species of the genus by the unique colour pattern, having a metallic blue stripe starting midbody which reaches the origin of the caudal fin. The new species is apparently related to L. romeri, sharing with this latter species a broad black stripe on flanks in males, but is easily distinguished by some other morphological characters.
from Aqu Press
==========================
Abstract
Laimosemion gili is described from the Rio Preto drainage, Rio Negro basin, Amazonas state, Brazil. The new species was found in a small creek called Garukana, within a tropical rainforest in the vicinity of Campinas do Rio Preto. This miniature species is considered to be a member of the subgenus Owiyeye, which is diagnosed by a unique frontal squamation. Laimosemion gilican be distinguished from all other species of the genus by the unique colour pattern, having a metallic blue stripe starting midbody which reaches the origin of the caudal fin. The new species is apparently related to L. romeri, sharing with this latter species a broad black stripe on flanks in males, but is easily distinguished by some other morphological characters.
from Aqu Press
==========================
Aenigmachanna mahabali • A New Species of Troglophilic Snakehead (Pisces: Channidae) from Kerala, India
Aenigmachanna mahabali
Kumar, Basheer & Ravi, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4638.3.6
facebook.com/MonsterFishKeepers
Abstract
Aenigmachanna mahabali, a new species of troglophilic snakehead is described on the basis of a single specimen recovered from a well in Kerala, India, over 200km south of the type locality for the only known species in the genus. The new species can be distinguished from its congener in possessing fewer dorsal fin rays (53 vs 56-57), fewer total vertebrae (61 vs 64), fewer scales in lateral series (76 vs 83-85) and in the pectoral-fin rays being extended beyond the margin of the membrane into filaments.
Keywords: Pisces, Subterranean fish, troglomorph, anabantiform
Rahul G. Kumar, V.S. Basheer and Charan Ravi. 2019. Aenigmachanna mahabali, A New Species of Troglophilic Snakehead (Pisces: Channidae) from Kerala, India. Zootaxa. 4638(3); 410–418. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4638.3.6
facebook.com/MonsterFishKeepers/photos/10156681138618212
==========================
Aenigmachanna mahabali
Kumar, Basheer & Ravi, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4638.3.6
facebook.com/MonsterFishKeepers
Abstract
Aenigmachanna mahabali, a new species of troglophilic snakehead is described on the basis of a single specimen recovered from a well in Kerala, India, over 200km south of the type locality for the only known species in the genus. The new species can be distinguished from its congener in possessing fewer dorsal fin rays (53 vs 56-57), fewer total vertebrae (61 vs 64), fewer scales in lateral series (76 vs 83-85) and in the pectoral-fin rays being extended beyond the margin of the membrane into filaments.
Keywords: Pisces, Subterranean fish, troglomorph, anabantiform
Rahul G. Kumar, V.S. Basheer and Charan Ravi. 2019. Aenigmachanna mahabali, A New Species of Troglophilic Snakehead (Pisces: Channidae) from Kerala, India. Zootaxa. 4638(3); 410–418. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4638.3.6
facebook.com/MonsterFishKeepers/photos/10156681138618212
==========================
Chrysiptera uswanasi juvenile
Chrysiptera uswanasi adult
Chrysiptera uswanasi, the Newest Species of Damselfish from Papua
JAKE ADAMS
Chrysiptera uswanasi is yet another new species of damselfish from the island of Papua, Indonesia. Uswana’s damselfish is the seventh member of the very similar looking cluster of species in the C. oxycephala complex.
Other recently described damselfish from the Oxycephala group include C. papuensis, C. ellenae & C. maurineae from the East Indies and C. burtjonesi from the Solomon Islands. The differences between these closely related species gets harder and harder to distinguish with these so-called ‘cryptic species’ so genetic analysis is required to differentiate them.
The difference in coloration of Chrysiptera uswanasi and the other damselfish is mostly visible in the juveniles. In Uswana’s dmaselfish the juvenile coloration is a blue green overall with solid color on the face, head and dorsal region while the flanks are colored in numerous small bluish green spots.
But as an adult the freshly minted C. uswanasi is the ‘least yellow’ and ‘least blue’ of the oxycephala species being mostly green overall. It mostly resembles Chrysiptera ellenae also from West Papua, but found in the Raja Ampat region while C. uswanasi is so far only known from the Fakfak Peninsula & nearby Triton Bay.
Chrysiptera uswanasi is described by Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani in the latest issue of the Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation.
==========================
JAKE ADAMS
Chrysiptera uswanasi is yet another new species of damselfish from the island of Papua, Indonesia. Uswana’s damselfish is the seventh member of the very similar looking cluster of species in the C. oxycephala complex.
Other recently described damselfish from the Oxycephala group include C. papuensis, C. ellenae & C. maurineae from the East Indies and C. burtjonesi from the Solomon Islands. The differences between these closely related species gets harder and harder to distinguish with these so-called ‘cryptic species’ so genetic analysis is required to differentiate them.
The difference in coloration of Chrysiptera uswanasi and the other damselfish is mostly visible in the juveniles. In Uswana’s dmaselfish the juvenile coloration is a blue green overall with solid color on the face, head and dorsal region while the flanks are colored in numerous small bluish green spots.
But as an adult the freshly minted C. uswanasi is the ‘least yellow’ and ‘least blue’ of the oxycephala species being mostly green overall. It mostly resembles Chrysiptera ellenae also from West Papua, but found in the Raja Ampat region while C. uswanasi is so far only known from the Fakfak Peninsula & nearby Triton Bay.
Chrysiptera uswanasi is described by Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani in the latest issue of the Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation.
==========================
Liopropoma incandescens is a Brilliant New Species of BassletJAKE ADAM
00Liopropoma incandescens is a smoking hot new species of basslet from one of our absolute favorited groups of marine fish, the Liopropoma. Like so many of its congeners this new species of Liopropoma wasnot just swimming around on some shallow reefs waiting for normal divers to discover it.
Holotype of the newly described incandescent basslet, Liopropoma incandescens from Pohnpei Micronesia.In a story that is becoming quite familiar, deep diving specialists Brian Greene, Luiz Rocha & Co dove to bone crushing depths of over 400 feet to collect just one lonely specimen as the holotype for this new species. We’d say the dive was worth it because the gorgeous new incandescent basslet is glistening with beautiful colors.
Liopropoma incandescens has a salmon pink body, yellow accents in the unpaired fins and a degree of lightly defined yellow markings on the face and top of the body. This color scheme together with the small black tail spots edged in blue is highly reminiscent of the Caribbean cave basslet, Liopropoma mowbrayi, its Atlantic twin.
The similar looking cave basslet from the Caribbean Sea, Liopropoma mowbrayiThe single holotype collected has a modest length of just 54 mm or about two inches but another large individual approximately 10cm/4 inches long was also observed in the vicinity, so we can expect to see larger examples of this species. That’s a big IF because the likelihood of deep diving collection of ornamental fish in this part of the world is incredibly unlikely, but in the meantime we look forward to at least seeing what this fish looks like at an adult size. [ZooKeys]
from ReefBuilders
==========================
00Liopropoma incandescens is a smoking hot new species of basslet from one of our absolute favorited groups of marine fish, the Liopropoma. Like so many of its congeners this new species of Liopropoma wasnot just swimming around on some shallow reefs waiting for normal divers to discover it.
Holotype of the newly described incandescent basslet, Liopropoma incandescens from Pohnpei Micronesia.In a story that is becoming quite familiar, deep diving specialists Brian Greene, Luiz Rocha & Co dove to bone crushing depths of over 400 feet to collect just one lonely specimen as the holotype for this new species. We’d say the dive was worth it because the gorgeous new incandescent basslet is glistening with beautiful colors.
Liopropoma incandescens has a salmon pink body, yellow accents in the unpaired fins and a degree of lightly defined yellow markings on the face and top of the body. This color scheme together with the small black tail spots edged in blue is highly reminiscent of the Caribbean cave basslet, Liopropoma mowbrayi, its Atlantic twin.
The similar looking cave basslet from the Caribbean Sea, Liopropoma mowbrayiThe single holotype collected has a modest length of just 54 mm or about two inches but another large individual approximately 10cm/4 inches long was also observed in the vicinity, so we can expect to see larger examples of this species. That’s a big IF because the likelihood of deep diving collection of ornamental fish in this part of the world is incredibly unlikely, but in the meantime we look forward to at least seeing what this fish looks like at an adult size. [ZooKeys]
from ReefBuilders
==========================
A new genus and two new species of miniature clingfishes from temperate southern Australia (Teleostei, Gobiesocidae)
Kevin W. Conway, Glenn I. Moore, Adam P. SummersAbstractA new genus and two new species of miniature clingfishes are described based on specimens collected from dense stands of macroalgae in intertidal and shallow subtidal areas along the coast of southern Australia. The new genus, Barryichthys, is distinguished from other genera of the Gobiesocidae by unique features of the adhesive disc, including elongate papillae in adhesive disc regions A and B, the reduction and/or loss of several elements of the cephalic lateral line canals, the lower gill arch skeleton, and the neurocranium, and by having two distinct types of pectoral-fin rays. Barryichthys hutchinsi is described based on 19 specimens (12.4–18.7 mm SL) from Western Australia and South Australia. Barryichthys algicola is described based on 22 specimens (9.0–21.0 mm SL) from Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. The new species are distinguished from each other by characters of body and head shape, vertebral counts, and aspects of live colour pattern. The new genus shares several characters in common with Parvicrepis, another genus of miniature gobiesocids from southern Australia that also inhabits macroalgae habitats. The many reductions and novel characters of Barryichthys are discussed within the context of miniaturisation.
KeywordsMacroalgae, miniaturisation, osteology, reduction, taxonomy
IntroductionThe family Gobiesocidae contains 50 genera and more than 170 species of predominately marine fishes found in coastal areas of the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans, from the intertidal zone to ~500 meters depth (Briggs 1955; Hastings and Conway 2017). Seven species are known to inhabit freshwater streams in the Neotropics (Briggs and Miller 1960; Conway et al. 2017a). Commonly referred to as clingfishes, members of this family generally exhibit a well-developed ventral adhesive disc (formed by elements of the paired fins and paired-fin girdles; Guitel 1888), with which they can attach to smooth or even heavily structured substrates with great tenacity (Wainwright et al. 2013; Ditsche et al. 2014). Although some clingfishes may reach body lengths over 200 mm in standard length (SL) (e.g., Sicyasessanguineus Müller & Troschel in Müller 1843), the majority are small-bodied and do not exceed 50 mm SL (Briggs 1955; Brandl et al. 2018). Several small-bodied clingfishes are not known to exceed 26 mm SLand are considered miniature species following the criteria of Weitzman and Vari (1988).
A number of temperate species of clingfishes, including several small-bodied or miniature species, are known to exhibit intimate (potentially obligate) associations with macroalgae and/or seagrasses. This includes members of the genus Rimicola Jordan and Evermann in Jordan, 1896 in the western Pacific (Roland 1978; Lamb and Edgell 2010), Acyrtops Schultz, 1951 in the western central Atlantic (Gould 1965), Opeatogenys Briggs, 1955 in the eastern central Atlantic (Hofrichter and Patzner 2000; Gonçalves et al. 2005), EckloniaichthysSmith, 1942 in South Africa (Allen and Griffiths 1981), ParvicrepisWhitley, 1931, Posidonichthys Briggs, 1993, and two species of Cochleoceps (C. spatula (Günther, 1861) and C. viridis Hutchins, 1991) in southern Australia (Briggs 1993; Hutchins 1983, 1991, 1994a, 2008), and Gastrocyathus Briggs, 1955, Gastrocymba Briggs, 1955, Gastroscyphus Briggs, 1955, and Haplocylix Briggs, 1955 in New Zealand (Paulin and Roberts 1992; Stewart 2015). All these taxa share a number of characteristics that may represent adaptations for dwelling on the surface of macroalgae and/or seagrass blades, including narrow, elongate bodies and relatively narrow heads, short dorsal and anal fins, modified pectoral fins in which the lower rays are generally notably shorter than the upper rays (Briggs 1955), and live colour patterns comprised predominately of different shades of green, brown, orange or red. This type of colouration likely facilitates crypsis on the fronds of macroalgae or blades of seagrass to which they adhere (Paulin and Roberts 1992; Hofrichter and Patzner 2000).
Several undescribed species of macroalgae and/or seagrass inhabiting clingfishes have been known from the southern coast of Australia since at least the 1980s (Hutchins 1983, 1991a, b; Last et al. 1983; Kuiter 1993). They are considered to represent at least four different genera, three of which have yet to be formally described (viz. Genus A, B, and C sensu Hutchins 1994a, 2008). Hutchins (1994a, 2008) considered the undescribed Genus B to be monotypic and comprised of a single undescribed species (referred to using the common name “Rat Clingfish”; Hutchins 1991b, 1994a, 2008) with a disjunct distribution in shallow coastal areas along the southern coast of Australia, including Western Australia in the west and Victoria and Tasmania in the east (Hutchins 2008). Members of Genus B are very small (≤21 mm SL) and similar in general appearance to members of Parvicrepis, with which they are sympatric in shallow coastal areas rich in “weed” (Hutchins 1994a, 2008). Examination of unidentified and unsorted material of gobiesocids as well as material identified previously as Parvicrepis, from the southern coast of Australia held within the Western Australian Museum (Perth) and the Australian Museum (Sydney) produced additional specimens of the undescribed Genus B for study. Based on differences in vertebral counts, body and head shape, and colouration in life, we consider this material of Genus B to represent two different species, both of which are undescribed. In the present paper, we provide descriptions for these two new miniature species, and provide a formal description for the undescribed Genus B, which we name Barryichthys gen. nov.
More information at zookeys.pensoft.net/article/34521
==========================
Kevin W. Conway, Glenn I. Moore, Adam P. SummersAbstractA new genus and two new species of miniature clingfishes are described based on specimens collected from dense stands of macroalgae in intertidal and shallow subtidal areas along the coast of southern Australia. The new genus, Barryichthys, is distinguished from other genera of the Gobiesocidae by unique features of the adhesive disc, including elongate papillae in adhesive disc regions A and B, the reduction and/or loss of several elements of the cephalic lateral line canals, the lower gill arch skeleton, and the neurocranium, and by having two distinct types of pectoral-fin rays. Barryichthys hutchinsi is described based on 19 specimens (12.4–18.7 mm SL) from Western Australia and South Australia. Barryichthys algicola is described based on 22 specimens (9.0–21.0 mm SL) from Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. The new species are distinguished from each other by characters of body and head shape, vertebral counts, and aspects of live colour pattern. The new genus shares several characters in common with Parvicrepis, another genus of miniature gobiesocids from southern Australia that also inhabits macroalgae habitats. The many reductions and novel characters of Barryichthys are discussed within the context of miniaturisation.
KeywordsMacroalgae, miniaturisation, osteology, reduction, taxonomy
IntroductionThe family Gobiesocidae contains 50 genera and more than 170 species of predominately marine fishes found in coastal areas of the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans, from the intertidal zone to ~500 meters depth (Briggs 1955; Hastings and Conway 2017). Seven species are known to inhabit freshwater streams in the Neotropics (Briggs and Miller 1960; Conway et al. 2017a). Commonly referred to as clingfishes, members of this family generally exhibit a well-developed ventral adhesive disc (formed by elements of the paired fins and paired-fin girdles; Guitel 1888), with which they can attach to smooth or even heavily structured substrates with great tenacity (Wainwright et al. 2013; Ditsche et al. 2014). Although some clingfishes may reach body lengths over 200 mm in standard length (SL) (e.g., Sicyasessanguineus Müller & Troschel in Müller 1843), the majority are small-bodied and do not exceed 50 mm SL (Briggs 1955; Brandl et al. 2018). Several small-bodied clingfishes are not known to exceed 26 mm SLand are considered miniature species following the criteria of Weitzman and Vari (1988).
A number of temperate species of clingfishes, including several small-bodied or miniature species, are known to exhibit intimate (potentially obligate) associations with macroalgae and/or seagrasses. This includes members of the genus Rimicola Jordan and Evermann in Jordan, 1896 in the western Pacific (Roland 1978; Lamb and Edgell 2010), Acyrtops Schultz, 1951 in the western central Atlantic (Gould 1965), Opeatogenys Briggs, 1955 in the eastern central Atlantic (Hofrichter and Patzner 2000; Gonçalves et al. 2005), EckloniaichthysSmith, 1942 in South Africa (Allen and Griffiths 1981), ParvicrepisWhitley, 1931, Posidonichthys Briggs, 1993, and two species of Cochleoceps (C. spatula (Günther, 1861) and C. viridis Hutchins, 1991) in southern Australia (Briggs 1993; Hutchins 1983, 1991, 1994a, 2008), and Gastrocyathus Briggs, 1955, Gastrocymba Briggs, 1955, Gastroscyphus Briggs, 1955, and Haplocylix Briggs, 1955 in New Zealand (Paulin and Roberts 1992; Stewart 2015). All these taxa share a number of characteristics that may represent adaptations for dwelling on the surface of macroalgae and/or seagrass blades, including narrow, elongate bodies and relatively narrow heads, short dorsal and anal fins, modified pectoral fins in which the lower rays are generally notably shorter than the upper rays (Briggs 1955), and live colour patterns comprised predominately of different shades of green, brown, orange or red. This type of colouration likely facilitates crypsis on the fronds of macroalgae or blades of seagrass to which they adhere (Paulin and Roberts 1992; Hofrichter and Patzner 2000).
Several undescribed species of macroalgae and/or seagrass inhabiting clingfishes have been known from the southern coast of Australia since at least the 1980s (Hutchins 1983, 1991a, b; Last et al. 1983; Kuiter 1993). They are considered to represent at least four different genera, three of which have yet to be formally described (viz. Genus A, B, and C sensu Hutchins 1994a, 2008). Hutchins (1994a, 2008) considered the undescribed Genus B to be monotypic and comprised of a single undescribed species (referred to using the common name “Rat Clingfish”; Hutchins 1991b, 1994a, 2008) with a disjunct distribution in shallow coastal areas along the southern coast of Australia, including Western Australia in the west and Victoria and Tasmania in the east (Hutchins 2008). Members of Genus B are very small (≤21 mm SL) and similar in general appearance to members of Parvicrepis, with which they are sympatric in shallow coastal areas rich in “weed” (Hutchins 1994a, 2008). Examination of unidentified and unsorted material of gobiesocids as well as material identified previously as Parvicrepis, from the southern coast of Australia held within the Western Australian Museum (Perth) and the Australian Museum (Sydney) produced additional specimens of the undescribed Genus B for study. Based on differences in vertebral counts, body and head shape, and colouration in life, we consider this material of Genus B to represent two different species, both of which are undescribed. In the present paper, we provide descriptions for these two new miniature species, and provide a formal description for the undescribed Genus B, which we name Barryichthys gen. nov.
More information at zookeys.pensoft.net/article/34521
==========================
Jenynsia sulfurica sp.nov. from Argentina
Jenynsia sulfurica, male (photo from authors of publication)
new species:
Jenynsia sulfurica Aguilera, Terán, Mirande, Alonso, Rometsch, Meyer & Torres-Dowdall, 2019
published in:
Aguilera, G., G.E. Terán, J.M. Mirande, F. Alonso, S. Rometsch, A. Meyer & J. Torres-Dowdall (2019):
Molecular and morphological convergence to sulfide-tolerant fishes in a new species of Jenynsia (Cyprinodontiformes: Anablepidae), the first extremophile member of the family.
PlosOne 14 (7): e0218810.19 p.
abstract (from publication):
Freshwater sulfide springs have extreme environmental conditions that only few vertebrate species can tolerate. These species often develop a series of morphological and molecular adaptations to cope with the challenges of life under the toxic and hypoxic conditions of sulfide springs. In this paper, we described a new fish species in the genus Jenynsia, Anablepidae, from a sulfide spring in Northwestern Argentina, the first in the family known from such extreme environment. Jenynsia sulfurica n. sp. is diagnosable by the lack of scales on the pre-pelvic area or the presence of a single row of scales, continuous or not, from the isthmus to the bases of the pelvic fins. Additionally, it presents a series of morphological and molecular characteristics that appear convergent with those seen in other fish species (e.g., Poeciliids) inhabiting sulfide springs. Most notably, J. sulfurica has an enlarged head and postorbital area compared to other fish of the genus and a prognathous lower jaw with a hypertrophied lip, thought to facilitate respiration at the air-water interface. Analyses of cox1 sequence showed that J. sulfurica has two unique mutations resulting in amino acid substitution convergent to those seen in Poeciliids from sulfide springs and known to provide a physiological mechanism related to living in sulfide environments. A phylogenetic analysis, including molecular and morphological characters, placed J. sulfurica as sister taxa to J. alternimaculata, a species found in nearby, non-sulfide habitats directly connected to the sulfide springs. Thus, it can be inferred that the selection imposed by the presence of H2S has resulted in the divergence between these two species and has potentially served as a barrier to gene flow.
==========================
Jenynsia sulfurica, male (photo from authors of publication)
new species:
Jenynsia sulfurica Aguilera, Terán, Mirande, Alonso, Rometsch, Meyer & Torres-Dowdall, 2019
published in:
Aguilera, G., G.E. Terán, J.M. Mirande, F. Alonso, S. Rometsch, A. Meyer & J. Torres-Dowdall (2019):
Molecular and morphological convergence to sulfide-tolerant fishes in a new species of Jenynsia (Cyprinodontiformes: Anablepidae), the first extremophile member of the family.
PlosOne 14 (7): e0218810.19 p.
abstract (from publication):
Freshwater sulfide springs have extreme environmental conditions that only few vertebrate species can tolerate. These species often develop a series of morphological and molecular adaptations to cope with the challenges of life under the toxic and hypoxic conditions of sulfide springs. In this paper, we described a new fish species in the genus Jenynsia, Anablepidae, from a sulfide spring in Northwestern Argentina, the first in the family known from such extreme environment. Jenynsia sulfurica n. sp. is diagnosable by the lack of scales on the pre-pelvic area or the presence of a single row of scales, continuous or not, from the isthmus to the bases of the pelvic fins. Additionally, it presents a series of morphological and molecular characteristics that appear convergent with those seen in other fish species (e.g., Poeciliids) inhabiting sulfide springs. Most notably, J. sulfurica has an enlarged head and postorbital area compared to other fish of the genus and a prognathous lower jaw with a hypertrophied lip, thought to facilitate respiration at the air-water interface. Analyses of cox1 sequence showed that J. sulfurica has two unique mutations resulting in amino acid substitution convergent to those seen in Poeciliids from sulfide springs and known to provide a physiological mechanism related to living in sulfide environments. A phylogenetic analysis, including molecular and morphological characters, placed J. sulfurica as sister taxa to J. alternimaculata, a species found in nearby, non-sulfide habitats directly connected to the sulfide springs. Thus, it can be inferred that the selection imposed by the presence of H2S has resulted in the divergence between these two species and has potentially served as a barrier to gene flow.
==========================
Knodus nuptialis • A New Species of Knodus Eigenmann(Characiformes: Characidae: Stevardiinae) from Rio Xingu Basin, Brazil, with Comments on Nuptial Tubercles and Gill Gland in Characiform Fishes
Knodus nuptialis
Menezes & Marinho, 2019
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217915
Abstract
Knodus nuptialis n. sp. is described from the Rio Curuá drainage, Rio Xingu basin, Brazil. It can be diagnosed from its congeners by having dentary teeth decreasing gradually in size posteriorly, outer premaxillary teeth row with five cusps, 12–15 branched anal-fin rays and a single humeral spot. The species presents notable sexual dimorphism consisting of densely concentrated nuptial tubercles on head, body, and fins, gill-gland, and bony hooks in the anal fin of mature males. It was found that these sexually dimorphic features are useful and functional in males of the new species only during the reproductive season and after this period, they become atrophied, and eventually disappear. The list of characiform species presenting breeding tubercles is updated and nine species and two genera of the Characidae, Deuterodon and Bryconacidnus, are for the first time reported to have breeding tubercles.
Knodus nuptialis, new species
Diagnosis: Knodus nuptialis can be distinguished from all congeners, except K. deuteronoides Eigenmann in Eigenmann and K. tiquiensis Ferreira and Lima, by having the dentary teeth arranged in a continuous series, with teeth decreasing gradually in size posteriorly (versus arranged in a discontinuous series with the anterior teeth conspicuously larger, followed by abruptly smaller teeth posteriorly). Knodus nuptialis differs from K. deuteronoides by having 3–5 (rarely 3) premaxillary teeth in the outer row (versus 2–3 (rarely 3)), 4 scale rows below lateral line (versus 3), the origin of the dorsal fin closer to snout tip than to caudal-fin base (versus dorsal-fin origin in the middle of the distance between snout tip and caudal-fin base), the origin of the anal fin posterior to vertical crossing base of last dorsal-fin ray (versus anal-fin origin anterior to vertical crossing base of last dorsal-fin ray in K. deuteronoides; data from [13], and midlateral dark stripe reaching humeral spot (versus not reaching, humeral spot with a pale area behind; data from [14]. The new species can be distinguished from K. tiquiensis by having a single humeral spot (versus two) and the relatively narrow midlateral stripe (versus broad stripe). Knodus nuptialis can be further distinguished from all congeners, except K. deuterodonoides, K. figueiredoiEsguícero and Castro, K. geryi Lima, Britski and Machado, K. meridae Eigenmann, K. orteguasae Fowler, and K. tiquiensis, by having 12–15 branched anal-fin rays (versus 16–26). It can be further distinguished from K. figueiredoi by having inner premaxillary teeth with 5 to 8 cusps (versus 3), from K. meridae and K. orteguasae by having 4 scale rows between lateral line and pelvic-fin origin (versus 2 ou 3) and from K. deuterodonoides and K. tiquiensis by the features aforementioned. The presence of densely concentrated nuptial tubercles in mature males may also help to diagnose the new species.
Etymology: The species name nuptialis is from the Latin meaning pertaining to marriage, in allusion to the presence of a series of sexual dimorphic traits (hooks, gill glands and nuptial tubercles) during the breeding season of this species.
Distribution: Knodus nuptialis is so far known from the Rio 13 de Maio, tributary of Rio Curuá, upper Rio Xingu basin in the state of Pará, Brazil (Figs 9 and 10).
Naércio A. Menezes and Manoela M. F. Marinho. 2019. A New Species of Knodus Eigenmann (Characiformes: Characidae: Stevardiinae) with Comments on Nuptial Tubercles and Gill Gland in Characiform Fishes. PLoS ONE. 14(7): e0217915.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217915
==========================
Knodus nuptialis
Menezes & Marinho, 2019
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217915
Abstract
Knodus nuptialis n. sp. is described from the Rio Curuá drainage, Rio Xingu basin, Brazil. It can be diagnosed from its congeners by having dentary teeth decreasing gradually in size posteriorly, outer premaxillary teeth row with five cusps, 12–15 branched anal-fin rays and a single humeral spot. The species presents notable sexual dimorphism consisting of densely concentrated nuptial tubercles on head, body, and fins, gill-gland, and bony hooks in the anal fin of mature males. It was found that these sexually dimorphic features are useful and functional in males of the new species only during the reproductive season and after this period, they become atrophied, and eventually disappear. The list of characiform species presenting breeding tubercles is updated and nine species and two genera of the Characidae, Deuterodon and Bryconacidnus, are for the first time reported to have breeding tubercles.
Knodus nuptialis, new species
Diagnosis: Knodus nuptialis can be distinguished from all congeners, except K. deuteronoides Eigenmann in Eigenmann and K. tiquiensis Ferreira and Lima, by having the dentary teeth arranged in a continuous series, with teeth decreasing gradually in size posteriorly (versus arranged in a discontinuous series with the anterior teeth conspicuously larger, followed by abruptly smaller teeth posteriorly). Knodus nuptialis differs from K. deuteronoides by having 3–5 (rarely 3) premaxillary teeth in the outer row (versus 2–3 (rarely 3)), 4 scale rows below lateral line (versus 3), the origin of the dorsal fin closer to snout tip than to caudal-fin base (versus dorsal-fin origin in the middle of the distance between snout tip and caudal-fin base), the origin of the anal fin posterior to vertical crossing base of last dorsal-fin ray (versus anal-fin origin anterior to vertical crossing base of last dorsal-fin ray in K. deuteronoides; data from [13], and midlateral dark stripe reaching humeral spot (versus not reaching, humeral spot with a pale area behind; data from [14]. The new species can be distinguished from K. tiquiensis by having a single humeral spot (versus two) and the relatively narrow midlateral stripe (versus broad stripe). Knodus nuptialis can be further distinguished from all congeners, except K. deuterodonoides, K. figueiredoiEsguícero and Castro, K. geryi Lima, Britski and Machado, K. meridae Eigenmann, K. orteguasae Fowler, and K. tiquiensis, by having 12–15 branched anal-fin rays (versus 16–26). It can be further distinguished from K. figueiredoi by having inner premaxillary teeth with 5 to 8 cusps (versus 3), from K. meridae and K. orteguasae by having 4 scale rows between lateral line and pelvic-fin origin (versus 2 ou 3) and from K. deuterodonoides and K. tiquiensis by the features aforementioned. The presence of densely concentrated nuptial tubercles in mature males may also help to diagnose the new species.
Etymology: The species name nuptialis is from the Latin meaning pertaining to marriage, in allusion to the presence of a series of sexual dimorphic traits (hooks, gill glands and nuptial tubercles) during the breeding season of this species.
Distribution: Knodus nuptialis is so far known from the Rio 13 de Maio, tributary of Rio Curuá, upper Rio Xingu basin in the state of Pará, Brazil (Figs 9 and 10).
Naércio A. Menezes and Manoela M. F. Marinho. 2019. A New Species of Knodus Eigenmann (Characiformes: Characidae: Stevardiinae) with Comments on Nuptial Tubercles and Gill Gland in Characiform Fishes. PLoS ONE. 14(7): e0217915.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217915
==========================
Wakanda forever! Scientists describe new species of 'twilight zone' fish from Africa
California Academy of Sciences
Summary:
Deep-diving scientists spotted dazzling fairy wrasses -- previously unknown to science -- in the dimly lit mesophotic coral reefs of eastern Zanzibar. The multicolored wrasses sport deep purple scales so pigmented, they even retain their color (which is typically lost) when preserved for research. The scientists name this 'twilight zone' reef-dweller Cirrhilabrus wakanda (common name 'Vibranium fairy wrasse') in honor of the mythical nation of Wakanda from the Marvel Entertainment comics and movie 'Black Panther.'
Share:
FULL STORY
Africa has new purple-clad warriors more than 200 feet beneath the ocean's surface. Deep-diving scientists from the California Academy of Sciences' Hope for Reefs initiative and the University of Sydney spotted dazzling fairy wrasses -- previously unknown to science -- in the dimly lit mesophotic coral reefs of eastern Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania. The multicolored wrasses sport deep purple scales so pigmented, they even retain their color (which is typically lost) when preserved for research. The scientists name this "twilight zone" reef-dweller Cirrhilabrus wakanda (common name "Vibranium Fairy Wrasse") in honor of the mythical nation of Wakanda from the Marvel Entertainment comics and movie Black Panther. The new fish is described today in ZooKeys.
"When we thought about the secretive and isolated nature of these unexplored African reefs, we knew we had to name this new species after Wakanda," says Yi-Kai Tea, lead author and ichthyology PhD student from the University of Sydney. "We've known about other related fairy wrasses from the Indian Ocean, but always thought there was a missing species along the continent's eastern edge. When I saw this amazing purple fish, I knew instantly we were dealing with the missing piece of the puzzle."
Underwater Wakanda
The Academy scientists say Cirrhilabrus wakanda's remote home in mesophotic coral reefs -- below recreational diving limits -- probably contributed to their long-hidden status in the shadows of the Indian Ocean. Hope for Reefs' scientific divers are highly trained for the dangerous process of researching in these deep, little-known mesophotic reefs, located 200 to 500 feet beneath the ocean's surface. Accessing them requires technical equipment and physically intense training well beyond that of shallow-water diving. The team's special diving gear (known as closed-circuit rebreathers) includes multiple tanks with custom gas blends and electronic monitoring equipment that allow the divers to explore deep reefs for mere minutes before a lengthy, hours-long ascent to the surface.
"Preparation for these deep dives is very intense and our dive gear often weighs more than us," says Dr. Luiz Rocha, Academy Curator of Fishes and co-leader of the Hope for Reefs initiative. "When we reach these reefs and find unknown species as spectacular as this fairy wrasse, it feels like our hard work is paying off."
Using a microscope, the team examined the specimens' scales, fin rays, and body structures. DNA and morphological analyses revealed the new fairy wrasse to be different from the other seven species in the western Indian Ocean as well as other relatives in the Pacific. The new species' common name is inspired by the fictional metal vibranium, a rare, and, according to Rocha, "totally awesome" substance found in the Black Panther nation of Wakanda. The Vibranium Fairy Wrasse's purple chain-link scale pattern reminded the scientists of Black Panther's super-strong suit and the fabric motifs worn by Wakandans in the hit film.
Precious life in deep reefs
In a recent landmark paper, the Academy team found that twilight zone reefs are unique ecosystems bursting with life and are just as vulnerable to human threats as their shallow counterparts. Their findings upended the long-standing assumption that species might avoid human-related stressors on those deeper reefs. The Hope for Reefs team will continue to visit and study twilight zone sites around the world to shed light on these often-overlooked ecosystems.
In addition to this new fish from Zanzibar, Rocha and his colleagues recently published descriptions of mesophotic fish from Rapa Nui [Easter Island] and Micronesia. Luzonichthys kiomeamea is an orange, white, and sunny yellow dwarf anthias endemic to Rapa Nui, and the basslet Liopropoma incandescens(another new species published today in Zookeys) inhabits Pohnpei's deep reefs -- a neon orange and yellow specimen collected from a rocky slope 426 feet beneath the ocean's surface.
"It's a time of global crisis for coral reefs, and exploring little-known habitats and the life they support is now more important than ever," says Rocha. "Because they are out of sight, these deeper reefs are often left out of marine reserves, so we hope our discoveries inspire their protection."
Story Source:
Materials provided by California Academy of Sciences. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
California Academy of Sciences
Summary:
Deep-diving scientists spotted dazzling fairy wrasses -- previously unknown to science -- in the dimly lit mesophotic coral reefs of eastern Zanzibar. The multicolored wrasses sport deep purple scales so pigmented, they even retain their color (which is typically lost) when preserved for research. The scientists name this 'twilight zone' reef-dweller Cirrhilabrus wakanda (common name 'Vibranium fairy wrasse') in honor of the mythical nation of Wakanda from the Marvel Entertainment comics and movie 'Black Panther.'
Share:
FULL STORY
Africa has new purple-clad warriors more than 200 feet beneath the ocean's surface. Deep-diving scientists from the California Academy of Sciences' Hope for Reefs initiative and the University of Sydney spotted dazzling fairy wrasses -- previously unknown to science -- in the dimly lit mesophotic coral reefs of eastern Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania. The multicolored wrasses sport deep purple scales so pigmented, they even retain their color (which is typically lost) when preserved for research. The scientists name this "twilight zone" reef-dweller Cirrhilabrus wakanda (common name "Vibranium Fairy Wrasse") in honor of the mythical nation of Wakanda from the Marvel Entertainment comics and movie Black Panther. The new fish is described today in ZooKeys.
"When we thought about the secretive and isolated nature of these unexplored African reefs, we knew we had to name this new species after Wakanda," says Yi-Kai Tea, lead author and ichthyology PhD student from the University of Sydney. "We've known about other related fairy wrasses from the Indian Ocean, but always thought there was a missing species along the continent's eastern edge. When I saw this amazing purple fish, I knew instantly we were dealing with the missing piece of the puzzle."
Underwater Wakanda
The Academy scientists say Cirrhilabrus wakanda's remote home in mesophotic coral reefs -- below recreational diving limits -- probably contributed to their long-hidden status in the shadows of the Indian Ocean. Hope for Reefs' scientific divers are highly trained for the dangerous process of researching in these deep, little-known mesophotic reefs, located 200 to 500 feet beneath the ocean's surface. Accessing them requires technical equipment and physically intense training well beyond that of shallow-water diving. The team's special diving gear (known as closed-circuit rebreathers) includes multiple tanks with custom gas blends and electronic monitoring equipment that allow the divers to explore deep reefs for mere minutes before a lengthy, hours-long ascent to the surface.
"Preparation for these deep dives is very intense and our dive gear often weighs more than us," says Dr. Luiz Rocha, Academy Curator of Fishes and co-leader of the Hope for Reefs initiative. "When we reach these reefs and find unknown species as spectacular as this fairy wrasse, it feels like our hard work is paying off."
Using a microscope, the team examined the specimens' scales, fin rays, and body structures. DNA and morphological analyses revealed the new fairy wrasse to be different from the other seven species in the western Indian Ocean as well as other relatives in the Pacific. The new species' common name is inspired by the fictional metal vibranium, a rare, and, according to Rocha, "totally awesome" substance found in the Black Panther nation of Wakanda. The Vibranium Fairy Wrasse's purple chain-link scale pattern reminded the scientists of Black Panther's super-strong suit and the fabric motifs worn by Wakandans in the hit film.
Precious life in deep reefs
In a recent landmark paper, the Academy team found that twilight zone reefs are unique ecosystems bursting with life and are just as vulnerable to human threats as their shallow counterparts. Their findings upended the long-standing assumption that species might avoid human-related stressors on those deeper reefs. The Hope for Reefs team will continue to visit and study twilight zone sites around the world to shed light on these often-overlooked ecosystems.
In addition to this new fish from Zanzibar, Rocha and his colleagues recently published descriptions of mesophotic fish from Rapa Nui [Easter Island] and Micronesia. Luzonichthys kiomeamea is an orange, white, and sunny yellow dwarf anthias endemic to Rapa Nui, and the basslet Liopropoma incandescens(another new species published today in Zookeys) inhabits Pohnpei's deep reefs -- a neon orange and yellow specimen collected from a rocky slope 426 feet beneath the ocean's surface.
"It's a time of global crisis for coral reefs, and exploring little-known habitats and the life they support is now more important than ever," says Rocha. "Because they are out of sight, these deeper reefs are often left out of marine reserves, so we hope our discoveries inspire their protection."
Story Source:
Materials provided by California Academy of Sciences. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
- Yi-Kai Tea, Hudson T. Pinheiro, Bart Shepherd, Luiz A. Rocha. Cirrhilabrus wakanda, a new species of fairy wrasse from mesophotic ecosystems of Zanzibar, Tanzania, Africa (Teleostei, Labridae). ZooKeys, 2019; 863: 85 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.863.35580
A Redescription of the Bearded Gudgeon, Pogoneleotris heterolepis (Günther, 1869) (Gobioidei: Butidae)
Pogoneleotris heterolepis (Günther, 1869)
in Larson & Hui, 2019.
RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY. 67
Abstract
The poorly known butid gudgeon Pogoneleotris heterolepis is redescribed based on 15 specimens obtained from fish markets and local fishers from 1982 to 2018, plus examination of the holotype. It is unique among butids in having a longitudinal papilla pattern and the preopercular canal continuous with the oculoscapular canal and is one of only two gobioids (other than Rhyacichthys and Terateleotris) known to have this latter condition.
Key words: riverine fish, Borneo, aquatic biodiversity, Butidae, Pogoneleotris
TAXONOMY
Pogoneleotris Bleeker, 1875: 107
(type species Eleotris heterolepis Günther, 1869,
by original designation and monotypy).
Pogoneleotris heterolepis (Günther, 1869)
Eleotris heterolepis Günther, 1869: 445 (type locality: Malaysia: Borneo: Sarawak).
Pogoneleotris heterolepis – Bleeker, 1875: 107 (Borneo); Vinciguerra, 1926: 543, pl. 1; Koumans, 1953: 323; Tortonese, 1963: 342; Kottelat & Lim, 1995: 247; Larson in Randall & Lim, 2000: 639; Larson & Murdy, 2001: 3577; Parenti & Lim 2005: 194; Atack, 2006: 167; Kottelat, 2013: 395; Tan & Grinang, 2018: 203–210.
Diagnosis. First dorsal fin VI; second dorsal fin I,11–12; anal fin I,10; pectoral fin 20–23, usually 22; 17 segmented caudal fin rays in 9/8 pattern, branched caudal fin rays 15- 17, usually 15 in 8/7 pattern, procurrent caudal elements 11–15 dorsally, 11–13 ventrally; lateral scales about 38–64, counting main rows only (difficult to see scale rows due to many auxiliary scales); TRB 15–25. Vertebrae 10+16=26 (n = 15); dorsal pterygiophore pattern 3-22110; epurals 2; 2 anal pteryiophores before first caudal vertebra. Pelvic fins separate, space between fin bases scaled. Body with large scales, ctenoid scales alternating with clusters of cycloid scales and auxiliary scales present. Teeth sharp, in about six rows in both jaws. Sensory canals and pores mostly obscured by skin and sensory papillae, but canal extends from pore just above upper lip continuously to rear of opercle; pores usually at ends of branches from main canal; four preopercular pores present, in canal continuous with oculoscapular canal. Sensory papillae in longitudinal pattern, papillae themselves are mostly elongate thin flaps or variously branched, others are seated in oval pits on cheek. Known only from estuarine rivers in Sarawak, Malaysia.
Fig. 4. Fresh Pogoneleotris heterolepis from Simunjan, Sarawak; ZRC56949, female above (166.7 mm SL), male below (160.0 mm SL).
Fig. 5. Simunjan River habitat of this species; showing fishers’ boat moored beside lines onto bank from gill net.
Fig. 2. Dorsal view (right side reversed) of head of fresh Pogoneleotris heterolepis (ZRC56949, 160.0 mm SL male); showing extent of scalation and sensory papillae.
Habitat. Known only from estuarine habitats; found in turbid rivers with mud substrate (Fig. 5). Tan & Grinang (2018) describe the habitat from which these came, and dissected one specimen (which contained crustacean remains).
Remarks. It is commonly known as the bearded gudgeon, Ikan buccat butta or Batu betutu, and has been referred to as the Sarawak mud gudgeon. At the Rajang River delta, the local name in the Melanau dialect is Ilong mapak [=blind fish] (Tan & Grinang, 2018).
This species’ conservation status has not been assessed by the IUCN. As it is regularly consumed by the local people and is restricted to mangrove habitats (which are generally threatened throughout South-east Asia), its conservation status deserves assessment sooner rather than later.
Helen K. Larson and Tan Heok Hui. 2019. A Redescription of the Bearded Gudgeon, Pogoneleotris heterolepis (Günther, 1869) (Teleostei: Gobioidei: Butidae). RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY. 67: 385–390.
==========================
Pogoneleotris heterolepis (Günther, 1869)
in Larson & Hui, 2019.
RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY. 67
Abstract
The poorly known butid gudgeon Pogoneleotris heterolepis is redescribed based on 15 specimens obtained from fish markets and local fishers from 1982 to 2018, plus examination of the holotype. It is unique among butids in having a longitudinal papilla pattern and the preopercular canal continuous with the oculoscapular canal and is one of only two gobioids (other than Rhyacichthys and Terateleotris) known to have this latter condition.
Key words: riverine fish, Borneo, aquatic biodiversity, Butidae, Pogoneleotris
TAXONOMY
Pogoneleotris Bleeker, 1875: 107
(type species Eleotris heterolepis Günther, 1869,
by original designation and monotypy).
Pogoneleotris heterolepis (Günther, 1869)
Eleotris heterolepis Günther, 1869: 445 (type locality: Malaysia: Borneo: Sarawak).
Pogoneleotris heterolepis – Bleeker, 1875: 107 (Borneo); Vinciguerra, 1926: 543, pl. 1; Koumans, 1953: 323; Tortonese, 1963: 342; Kottelat & Lim, 1995: 247; Larson in Randall & Lim, 2000: 639; Larson & Murdy, 2001: 3577; Parenti & Lim 2005: 194; Atack, 2006: 167; Kottelat, 2013: 395; Tan & Grinang, 2018: 203–210.
Diagnosis. First dorsal fin VI; second dorsal fin I,11–12; anal fin I,10; pectoral fin 20–23, usually 22; 17 segmented caudal fin rays in 9/8 pattern, branched caudal fin rays 15- 17, usually 15 in 8/7 pattern, procurrent caudal elements 11–15 dorsally, 11–13 ventrally; lateral scales about 38–64, counting main rows only (difficult to see scale rows due to many auxiliary scales); TRB 15–25. Vertebrae 10+16=26 (n = 15); dorsal pterygiophore pattern 3-22110; epurals 2; 2 anal pteryiophores before first caudal vertebra. Pelvic fins separate, space between fin bases scaled. Body with large scales, ctenoid scales alternating with clusters of cycloid scales and auxiliary scales present. Teeth sharp, in about six rows in both jaws. Sensory canals and pores mostly obscured by skin and sensory papillae, but canal extends from pore just above upper lip continuously to rear of opercle; pores usually at ends of branches from main canal; four preopercular pores present, in canal continuous with oculoscapular canal. Sensory papillae in longitudinal pattern, papillae themselves are mostly elongate thin flaps or variously branched, others are seated in oval pits on cheek. Known only from estuarine rivers in Sarawak, Malaysia.
Fig. 4. Fresh Pogoneleotris heterolepis from Simunjan, Sarawak; ZRC56949, female above (166.7 mm SL), male below (160.0 mm SL).
Fig. 5. Simunjan River habitat of this species; showing fishers’ boat moored beside lines onto bank from gill net.
Fig. 2. Dorsal view (right side reversed) of head of fresh Pogoneleotris heterolepis (ZRC56949, 160.0 mm SL male); showing extent of scalation and sensory papillae.
Habitat. Known only from estuarine habitats; found in turbid rivers with mud substrate (Fig. 5). Tan & Grinang (2018) describe the habitat from which these came, and dissected one specimen (which contained crustacean remains).
Remarks. It is commonly known as the bearded gudgeon, Ikan buccat butta or Batu betutu, and has been referred to as the Sarawak mud gudgeon. At the Rajang River delta, the local name in the Melanau dialect is Ilong mapak [=blind fish] (Tan & Grinang, 2018).
This species’ conservation status has not been assessed by the IUCN. As it is regularly consumed by the local people and is restricted to mangrove habitats (which are generally threatened throughout South-east Asia), its conservation status deserves assessment sooner rather than later.
Helen K. Larson and Tan Heok Hui. 2019. A Redescription of the Bearded Gudgeon, Pogoneleotris heterolepis (Günther, 1869) (Teleostei: Gobioidei: Butidae). RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY. 67: 385–390.
==========================
Starksia splendens, a New Blenny Species from the Cayman IslandsJAKE ADAMSHARESBlennies are a broad group of marine fish that occur on tropical and temperate oceans all over the world, and recently we’ve discovered one more. Starksia splendens is part of a group of closely related small labrisomid blennies from the Caribbean which was identified as unique based on a variety of factors.
The species of Starksia have highly variable coloration and pattern, two features which are usually the first indications that any species is new and different from other species. In the case of Starksia splendens, it took a lot of underwater photographs of this fish and genetic analysis to determine that this fish is indeed a unique species.
Since the appearance of Starksia blennies varies so much from juvenile to adult, male to female, breeding coloration and even the part of the reef with which it is trying to blend in, it was close examination of DNA which confirmed the divergence of S. splendens from similar species. The defining physical characteristic turned out to be the presence of thin black stripes on the lips of both sexes, even though the overall body appearance varies wildly. The newly described Starksia splendens is only known from the Cayman Islands and was previously believed to be a local endemic population of S. lepicoelia. [JOSF]
from ReefBuilders
==========================
The species of Starksia have highly variable coloration and pattern, two features which are usually the first indications that any species is new and different from other species. In the case of Starksia splendens, it took a lot of underwater photographs of this fish and genetic analysis to determine that this fish is indeed a unique species.
Since the appearance of Starksia blennies varies so much from juvenile to adult, male to female, breeding coloration and even the part of the reef with which it is trying to blend in, it was close examination of DNA which confirmed the divergence of S. splendens from similar species. The defining physical characteristic turned out to be the presence of thin black stripes on the lips of both sexes, even though the overall body appearance varies wildly. The newly described Starksia splendens is only known from the Cayman Islands and was previously believed to be a local endemic population of S. lepicoelia. [JOSF]
from ReefBuilders
==========================
Meiacanthus solomon, a New Blenny Species from Melanesia
JAKE ADAMS
Blennies are one of the most beloved and fun groups of small saltwater and reef fish yet we don’t see nearly enough new ones from year to year. The newly described Meiacanthus solomon breaks the drought from a genus of fangblennies which is recognizable for sporting a pattern of white, black and yellow stripes.
Meiacanthus vittatus from Papua New GuineaOne thing which we have always found peculiar about the Meiacanthusgenus is that we tend to think of this group as being from shallow water, which is where most of the small and adorable aquarium fangblenny species come from. However many new and undescribed species of Meiacanthus are actually found in deep water beyond the reach of conventional SCUBA like the new M. solomon.
Meiacanthus luteus from Queensland AustraliaAs you might expect, the Solomon Fangblenny was collected in the Florida Islands group of the Solomon Islands at a depth of 65 meters or more than 210 feet deep. The single type specimen is a lone small male measuring barely more than one inch long at ~28mm although from what we know about this genus, it very probably grows to double that total length.
A group of Meiacanthus limbatus, the male having the outstretched fins in the lower left of the image.Meiacanthus solomon is mostly white with two pronounced dark longitudinal stripes on the upper half of the body from the tip of the snout to the base of the tail. The base of the dorsal fin is a full length black stripe and has a distinctive yellow edge to the dorsal fin which helps to distinguish the species. New species descriptions can be pretty exciting because they often include information and images of closely related species which is precisely the case with Meiacanthus solomon. [JOSF]
from ReefBuilders
==========================
JAKE ADAMS
Blennies are one of the most beloved and fun groups of small saltwater and reef fish yet we don’t see nearly enough new ones from year to year. The newly described Meiacanthus solomon breaks the drought from a genus of fangblennies which is recognizable for sporting a pattern of white, black and yellow stripes.
Meiacanthus vittatus from Papua New GuineaOne thing which we have always found peculiar about the Meiacanthusgenus is that we tend to think of this group as being from shallow water, which is where most of the small and adorable aquarium fangblenny species come from. However many new and undescribed species of Meiacanthus are actually found in deep water beyond the reach of conventional SCUBA like the new M. solomon.
Meiacanthus luteus from Queensland AustraliaAs you might expect, the Solomon Fangblenny was collected in the Florida Islands group of the Solomon Islands at a depth of 65 meters or more than 210 feet deep. The single type specimen is a lone small male measuring barely more than one inch long at ~28mm although from what we know about this genus, it very probably grows to double that total length.
A group of Meiacanthus limbatus, the male having the outstretched fins in the lower left of the image.Meiacanthus solomon is mostly white with two pronounced dark longitudinal stripes on the upper half of the body from the tip of the snout to the base of the tail. The base of the dorsal fin is a full length black stripe and has a distinctive yellow edge to the dorsal fin which helps to distinguish the species. New species descriptions can be pretty exciting because they often include information and images of closely related species which is precisely the case with Meiacanthus solomon. [JOSF]
from ReefBuilders
==========================
The Parosphromenus Project
Don`t forget to sign up for our International Meeting at Chester Zoo 6-8 September 2019, - send an email to helene.schoubye@parosphromenus-project.org
See more about it here https://www.parosphromenus-project.org/…/international-
==========================
Don`t forget to sign up for our International Meeting at Chester Zoo 6-8 September 2019, - send an email to helene.schoubye@parosphromenus-project.org
See more about it here https://www.parosphromenus-project.org/…/international-
==========================
A job with in fish research
About the positionIn the research group for Pelagic Fish at the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, Norway, there is a vacancy for a scientist focusing on the challenges in stock assessment and advice on pelagic fish in the North Sea area, especially regarding herring and sprat.
Pelagic fish like herring, sprat, mackerel and horse mackerel are commercially important stocks in the North Sea ecosystem. These fish are migratory, mixing with other populations from connected areas along the Norwegian coast, Baltic Sea, Norwegian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, leading to complexity in stock assessment, management and advice. Climate change has also led more warm water pelagic species like sardine and anchovies to migrate into the North Sea area. The ecosystem itself is complex with high human influence that may lead to local environmental changes. Research to understand the general biology, population structure and dynamics of pelagic fish in this area is of great importance for future sustainable stock assessment and advice.
Work tasks:Research tasks:
Relevant experience with pelagic fish in the North Sea and connected areas, especially the main target fish species herring and sprat, will be considered advantageous, given that this will be the focus area. In the evaluation of candidates, we will otherwise emphasize the following general skills and experience:
We offer:
Applications summarizing relevant skills and reasons to apply for the position should be submitted electronically via the link on this page, and should be accompanied by a full CV, with verification of relevant education and certificates, and with names of references from previous jobs with contact info. CV should contain a list of scientific publications, preferably with links to online copies when available.
Final date for applications: 30 August 2019
==========================
About the positionIn the research group for Pelagic Fish at the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, Norway, there is a vacancy for a scientist focusing on the challenges in stock assessment and advice on pelagic fish in the North Sea area, especially regarding herring and sprat.
Pelagic fish like herring, sprat, mackerel and horse mackerel are commercially important stocks in the North Sea ecosystem. These fish are migratory, mixing with other populations from connected areas along the Norwegian coast, Baltic Sea, Norwegian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, leading to complexity in stock assessment, management and advice. Climate change has also led more warm water pelagic species like sardine and anchovies to migrate into the North Sea area. The ecosystem itself is complex with high human influence that may lead to local environmental changes. Research to understand the general biology, population structure and dynamics of pelagic fish in this area is of great importance for future sustainable stock assessment and advice.
Work tasks:Research tasks:
- Increase biological knowledge of these populations based on data collected during research surveys and from fisheries, combined with scientific experiments.
- Work to understand and define population structure and connectivity, hereunder develop tools to distinguish between populations in mixed samples.
- Work to understand population dynamics, hereunder work to understand processes influencing natural mortality, recruitment and production in the populations, including effects of climate, local environmental changes, interactions with other stocks or other ecosystem changes.
- Although the focus area will be the North Sea, contributions to relevant research on pelagic fish in other areas may be expected.
- Plan and conduct research surveys and the annual monitoring of fisheries on pelagic fish in the North Sea and connected areas.
- Take part in the annual stock assessment working group and relevant workshops for pelagic fish stocks in the North Sea area handled by ICES (International Council for Exploration of the Sea).
- Take part in general advisory work on pelagic fish stocks in the North Sea area; hereunder communication with stakeholders and national and international fisheries authorities.
Relevant experience with pelagic fish in the North Sea and connected areas, especially the main target fish species herring and sprat, will be considered advantageous, given that this will be the focus area. In the evaluation of candidates, we will otherwise emphasize the following general skills and experience:
- Documented high competence and experience with quantitative analyses of complex data.
- Experience with research in fish population biology, structure, and dynamics.
- Experience from planning and conducting fish stock monitoring and sampling through research surveys (acoustics, biological sampling, environmental sampling) and other field surveys.
- Experience from running field (e.g. tagging experiments) and lab experiments to study the biology of fish.
- Experience from stock assessment and advice processes.
- General skills in scientific publishing.
- Good communication skills, as communication of our scientific results and advice to the scientific community, local and international authorities and industry is an important part of the position and planned role.
We offer:
- A challenging and creative working environment.
- Work at a national institute with extensive international contacts.
- Flexible working hours, good pensions and welfare schemes.
- Research surveys in the North East Atlantic and other relevant field work and experiments.
- The Institute of Marine Research offers a governmentally regulated salary as 1109/1110 research scientist depending on qualifications, a pension scheme through the Norwegian Public Service Pension Funds (see www.spk.no/en/ for more information), and other welfare benefits.
Applications summarizing relevant skills and reasons to apply for the position should be submitted electronically via the link on this page, and should be accompanied by a full CV, with verification of relevant education and certificates, and with names of references from previous jobs with contact info. CV should contain a list of scientific publications, preferably with links to online copies when available.
Final date for applications: 30 August 2019
==========================
Enteromius pinnimaculatus • A New Species of Enteromius (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) from southern Gabon
Enteromius pinnimaculatus
Mipounga, Cutler, Mve Beh, Adam & Sidlauskas, 2019
DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13995
twitter.com/BrianSidlauskas
Abstract
We present and describe a new species of Enteromius, adding to the 16 species of Enteromius currently recorded from Gabon, West Africa. This new species is distinguished from all other Gabonese Enteromius by the presence of several distinct spots on the dorsal fin in combination with three or four round spots on the flanks. In Africa, it is superficially similar to Enteromius walkeri and with which it shares an unusual allometry in that the proportional length of the barbels decreases as the fish grows. Nevertheless, one can distinguish these species by vertebral number, maximum standard length, the length of the anterior barbels, the length of the caudal peduncle and in most specimens, the number of lateral‐line and circumpeduncular scales. These two species also inhabit widely separated drainages, with E. walkeri occurring in coastal drainages of Ghana including the Pra and Ankobra Rivers and the new species occurring in tributaries of the Louetsi and Bibaka Rivers of Gabon, which are part of the Ogowe and Nyanga drainages, respectively. Despite extensive collections in those drainages the new species is known from only two localities, suggesting the importance of conservation of its known habitat.
Keywords: allometry, biodiversity, central Africa, conservation, endemic, morphometrics, systematics
FIGURE 1: Live coloration of Enteromius pinnimaculatus sp. nov. Uncatalogued specimen from swampy lowland tributary of the Bissina River, Nyanga River drainage, Gabon.
Figure 10: (a) Adult Enteromius pinnimaculatus sp. nov. holotype, tissue voucher GAB17‐486, 41.05 mm standard length (LS), Oregon State University, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Corvallis, Oregon specimen OS22149, (b) adult paratype, 37.6 mm LS (OS22153) and (c) smaller adult paratype, 27.0 mm LS (OS22152) prior to clearing and staining
Enteromius pinnimaculatus sp. nov.
Etymology: The specific epithet pinnimaculatus refers to the multiple small dark spots on the dorsal fin, which is a rare characteristic within Enteromius. An adjective in the nominative singular.
Hans Kevin Mipounga, Joseph Cutler, Jean Hervé Mve Beh, Benjamin Adam and Brian L. Sidlauskas. 2019. Enteromius pinnimaculatus sp. nov. (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) from southern Gabon. Journal of Fish Biology. DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13995
twitter.com/BrianSidlauskas/status/1124082558042542080
twitter.com/BrianSidlauskas/status/1134130859299069952
==========================
Enteromius pinnimaculatus
Mipounga, Cutler, Mve Beh, Adam & Sidlauskas, 2019
DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13995
twitter.com/BrianSidlauskas
Abstract
We present and describe a new species of Enteromius, adding to the 16 species of Enteromius currently recorded from Gabon, West Africa. This new species is distinguished from all other Gabonese Enteromius by the presence of several distinct spots on the dorsal fin in combination with three or four round spots on the flanks. In Africa, it is superficially similar to Enteromius walkeri and with which it shares an unusual allometry in that the proportional length of the barbels decreases as the fish grows. Nevertheless, one can distinguish these species by vertebral number, maximum standard length, the length of the anterior barbels, the length of the caudal peduncle and in most specimens, the number of lateral‐line and circumpeduncular scales. These two species also inhabit widely separated drainages, with E. walkeri occurring in coastal drainages of Ghana including the Pra and Ankobra Rivers and the new species occurring in tributaries of the Louetsi and Bibaka Rivers of Gabon, which are part of the Ogowe and Nyanga drainages, respectively. Despite extensive collections in those drainages the new species is known from only two localities, suggesting the importance of conservation of its known habitat.
Keywords: allometry, biodiversity, central Africa, conservation, endemic, morphometrics, systematics
FIGURE 1: Live coloration of Enteromius pinnimaculatus sp. nov. Uncatalogued specimen from swampy lowland tributary of the Bissina River, Nyanga River drainage, Gabon.
Figure 10: (a) Adult Enteromius pinnimaculatus sp. nov. holotype, tissue voucher GAB17‐486, 41.05 mm standard length (LS), Oregon State University, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Corvallis, Oregon specimen OS22149, (b) adult paratype, 37.6 mm LS (OS22153) and (c) smaller adult paratype, 27.0 mm LS (OS22152) prior to clearing and staining
Enteromius pinnimaculatus sp. nov.
Etymology: The specific epithet pinnimaculatus refers to the multiple small dark spots on the dorsal fin, which is a rare characteristic within Enteromius. An adjective in the nominative singular.
Hans Kevin Mipounga, Joseph Cutler, Jean Hervé Mve Beh, Benjamin Adam and Brian L. Sidlauskas. 2019. Enteromius pinnimaculatus sp. nov. (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) from southern Gabon. Journal of Fish Biology. DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13995
twitter.com/BrianSidlauskas/status/1124082558042542080
twitter.com/BrianSidlauskas/status/1134130859299069952
==========================
Leporinus sidlauskasi • A New Species of Leporinus (Characiformes: Anostomidae) from the Rio Tapajós basin, Brazil
Leporinus sidlauskasi
Britski & Birindelli, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4603.1.10
OregonState.edu
Abstract
A new species of Leporinus is described from the rio Teles Pires, rio Tapajós basin, Amazon basin, Brazil. The new species is diagnosed based on dental formula 3/4, a dark midlateral stripe on body and a series of transversal dark bars on the dorsum. The new species is similar to a handful of congeners based on the color pattern, including L. britski, L. microphysus, L. parvulus, and L. vanzoi, all of which also occur at the rio Tapajós basin. The new species is distinguished from the aforementioned congeners based on number of premaxillary teeth, number of scales in lateral line and/or around caudal peduncle. The new species is apparently endemic to the rio Teles Pires near the Sete Quedas rapids and upstream.
Keywords: Leporinus vanzoi, Taxonomy, Anostomoidea, Rio Teles Pires, Pisces
Leporinus sidlauskasi sp. nov.
Heraldo A. Britski and José L. Birindelli. 2019. Description of A New Species of Leporinus (Characiformes: Anostomidae) from the Rio Tapajós basin, Brazil. Zootaxa. 4603(1); 183–191. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4603.1.10
twitter.com/BrianSidlauskas/status/1131960714472509441
facebook.com/BrianSidlauskas/posts/10216430313164262
New fish discovered in Amazon basin named after Oregon State researcher today.OregonState.edu/news/new-fish-discovered-amazon-basin-named-after-oregon-state-researcher
==========================
Leporinus sidlauskasi
Britski & Birindelli, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4603.1.10
OregonState.edu
Abstract
A new species of Leporinus is described from the rio Teles Pires, rio Tapajós basin, Amazon basin, Brazil. The new species is diagnosed based on dental formula 3/4, a dark midlateral stripe on body and a series of transversal dark bars on the dorsum. The new species is similar to a handful of congeners based on the color pattern, including L. britski, L. microphysus, L. parvulus, and L. vanzoi, all of which also occur at the rio Tapajós basin. The new species is distinguished from the aforementioned congeners based on number of premaxillary teeth, number of scales in lateral line and/or around caudal peduncle. The new species is apparently endemic to the rio Teles Pires near the Sete Quedas rapids and upstream.
Keywords: Leporinus vanzoi, Taxonomy, Anostomoidea, Rio Teles Pires, Pisces
Leporinus sidlauskasi sp. nov.
Heraldo A. Britski and José L. Birindelli. 2019. Description of A New Species of Leporinus (Characiformes: Anostomidae) from the Rio Tapajós basin, Brazil. Zootaxa. 4603(1); 183–191. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4603.1.10
twitter.com/BrianSidlauskas/status/1131960714472509441
facebook.com/BrianSidlauskas/posts/10216430313164262
New fish discovered in Amazon basin named after Oregon State researcher today.OregonState.edu/news/new-fish-discovered-amazon-basin-named-after-oregon-state-researcher
==========================
Channa brunnea • A New Species of Snakehead (Teleostei: Channidae) from West Bengal, India
Channa brunnea
Praveenraj, Uma, Moulitharan & Kannan, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4624.1.4
Abstract
Channa brunnea, a new species of snakehead fish lacking pelvic fins, from West Bengal, India, is distinguished from its pelvic fin-less congeners by possessing an uniform dark brown body, ochre to bright-orange blotches on the caudal fin, fewer dorsal and anal-fin rays (35–37 vs. 47–51 and 24 vs. 28–32, respectively), fewer vertebrae (43 vs. 45–57), and fewer lateral-line scales (43–46 vs. 51–63). Though Channa brunnea superficially resembles C. bleheri, it can be distinguished from the latter by possessing dark-brown oblique markings on the upper half of the body; transverse scale rows (4½–5½ vs. 3½); pre-anal scales (22–26 vs. 17–20); 2 rows of teeth in the fifth ceratobranchial, the outer row with 16 large conical teeth (vs. 3 rows of teeth, the outer row with 13 large conical teeth); dentary with 20 large, stout, conical teeth in the inner row (vs. 32 medium-sized conical teeth); and a Kimura’s two parameter (K2P) distance of 9.8–10.6%.
Keywords: Pisces, Channa bleheri, Channa andrao, cox1 gene, Eastern Himalaya, freshwater fish
Jayasimhan Praveenraj, Arumugam Uma, Nallathambi Moulitharan and Rajesh Kannan. 2019. Channa brunnea, A New Species of Snakehead (Teleostei: Channidae) from West Bengal, India. Zootaxa. 4624(1); 59–70. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4624.1.4
==========================
Channa brunnea
Praveenraj, Uma, Moulitharan & Kannan, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4624.1.4
Abstract
Channa brunnea, a new species of snakehead fish lacking pelvic fins, from West Bengal, India, is distinguished from its pelvic fin-less congeners by possessing an uniform dark brown body, ochre to bright-orange blotches on the caudal fin, fewer dorsal and anal-fin rays (35–37 vs. 47–51 and 24 vs. 28–32, respectively), fewer vertebrae (43 vs. 45–57), and fewer lateral-line scales (43–46 vs. 51–63). Though Channa brunnea superficially resembles C. bleheri, it can be distinguished from the latter by possessing dark-brown oblique markings on the upper half of the body; transverse scale rows (4½–5½ vs. 3½); pre-anal scales (22–26 vs. 17–20); 2 rows of teeth in the fifth ceratobranchial, the outer row with 16 large conical teeth (vs. 3 rows of teeth, the outer row with 13 large conical teeth); dentary with 20 large, stout, conical teeth in the inner row (vs. 32 medium-sized conical teeth); and a Kimura’s two parameter (K2P) distance of 9.8–10.6%.
Keywords: Pisces, Channa bleheri, Channa andrao, cox1 gene, Eastern Himalaya, freshwater fish
Jayasimhan Praveenraj, Arumugam Uma, Nallathambi Moulitharan and Rajesh Kannan. 2019. Channa brunnea, A New Species of Snakehead (Teleostei: Channidae) from West Bengal, India. Zootaxa. 4624(1); 59–70. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4624.1.4
==========================
Channa amari, a new species of Snakehead (Teleostei: Channidae) from North Bengal, India
Author(s): Arpita Dey*, Basudhara Roy Chowdhury, Ruksa Nur, Debapriya Sarkar, Laishram Kosygin and Sudip Barat
Abstract: Channa amari, a new ornamental species is described from Bhalka forest, West Bengal, India. It differs from congeners in having the following combination characters: absence of pelvic fins; 37 dorsal fin rays; 12-13 pectoral fin rays with 4-5 black bands; 23 – 25 anal fin rays; 10-11 caudal fin rays; 44- 45 lateral line pored scales; 40- 41 total vertebrae; 11-13 transverse scales rows; head length 29.4 % SL; inter-orbital space 32.6 % HL. This species is very colourful and may be considered as ornamental fish.
==========================
Author(s): Arpita Dey*, Basudhara Roy Chowdhury, Ruksa Nur, Debapriya Sarkar, Laishram Kosygin and Sudip Barat
Abstract: Channa amari, a new ornamental species is described from Bhalka forest, West Bengal, India. It differs from congeners in having the following combination characters: absence of pelvic fins; 37 dorsal fin rays; 12-13 pectoral fin rays with 4-5 black bands; 23 – 25 anal fin rays; 10-11 caudal fin rays; 44- 45 lateral line pored scales; 40- 41 total vertebrae; 11-13 transverse scales rows; head length 29.4 % SL; inter-orbital space 32.6 % HL. This species is very colourful and may be considered as ornamental fish.
==========================
A new cryptic species of Hyphessobrycon caruDurbin, 1908 (Characiformes, Characidae) from the Eastern Amazon,
Hyphessobrycon caru sp. nov. is described based on five different and independent methods of species delimitation, making the hypothesis of this new species supported by an integrative taxonomy perspective. This new species has a restricted distribution, occurring just in the upper Pindaré river drainage, Mearim river basin, Brazil. It is a member of the rosy tetra clade, which is characterized mainly by the presence of a dark brown or black blotch on dorsal fin and absence of a midlateral stripe on the body. Hyphessobrycon caru sp. nov. is distinguished from the members of this clade mainly by the shape of its humeral spot, possessing few irregular inconspicuous vertically arranged chromatophores in the humeral region, or sometimes a very thin and inconspicuous humeral spot, and other characters related to teeth count, and color pattern. The phylogenetic position of the new species within the rosy tetra clade was based on molecular phylogenetic analysis using sequences of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit 1. In addition, a new clade (here termed Hyphessobrycon micropterus clade) within the rosy tetra clade is proposed based on molecular data, comprising H. caru sp. nov., H. micropterus, H. piorskii, and H. simulatus, and with H. caru sp. nov. and H. piorskii recovered as sister species. Our results suggest cryptic speciation in the rosy tetra clade and, more specifically, in the H. micropterus clade. We recommend the use of integrative taxonomy for future taxonomic revisions and species descriptions when dealing with species complexes and groups containing possible cryptic species.
==========================
Hyphessobrycon caru sp. nov. is described based on five different and independent methods of species delimitation, making the hypothesis of this new species supported by an integrative taxonomy perspective. This new species has a restricted distribution, occurring just in the upper Pindaré river drainage, Mearim river basin, Brazil. It is a member of the rosy tetra clade, which is characterized mainly by the presence of a dark brown or black blotch on dorsal fin and absence of a midlateral stripe on the body. Hyphessobrycon caru sp. nov. is distinguished from the members of this clade mainly by the shape of its humeral spot, possessing few irregular inconspicuous vertically arranged chromatophores in the humeral region, or sometimes a very thin and inconspicuous humeral spot, and other characters related to teeth count, and color pattern. The phylogenetic position of the new species within the rosy tetra clade was based on molecular phylogenetic analysis using sequences of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit 1. In addition, a new clade (here termed Hyphessobrycon micropterus clade) within the rosy tetra clade is proposed based on molecular data, comprising H. caru sp. nov., H. micropterus, H. piorskii, and H. simulatus, and with H. caru sp. nov. and H. piorskii recovered as sister species. Our results suggest cryptic speciation in the rosy tetra clade and, more specifically, in the H. micropterus clade. We recommend the use of integrative taxonomy for future taxonomic revisions and species descriptions when dealing with species complexes and groups containing possible cryptic species.
==========================
A new species of the genus Garra paratrilobata Hamilton (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from Northeast India
NARENGBAM RONI, YENGKHOM CHINGLEMBA, YUMNAM RAMESHORI, WAIKHOM VISHWANATH
A new species of Garra with a rostral proboscis is described from the Barak River drainage in Manipur, India. Garra paratrilobata, new species, is distinguished from its congeners in having the combination of the following characters: a prominent trilobed proboscis, the median lobe with 5–7 uni- to tricuspid tubercles on its anterior margin and 4–6 minute tubercles on its anteroventral margin; lateral lobe of the proboscis with 3–4 minute tubercles; lateral surface of the snout lobular, with 6–9 tubercles; 33–34 lateral-line scales; and the rostral surface concave, creased and depressed.
A new species of pipefish Leptonotus vincentae sp. nov. (Syngnathidae) is described
on the basis of 12 specimens found in shallow waters (<2 m depth) of San Antonio Bay, Patagonia, Argentina, in the south‐west Atlantic Ocean. The species is distinguished from congeners by the combination of: dorsal‐fin rays 30–33, pectoral‐fin rays 12–13, trunk rings 18–19, tail rings 43–46, subdorsal rings (2–4) + (5.5–8) = (8.5–10), head length 13–14% standard length, snout length 35–55% head length and snout depth 21–30% in snout length. Although this species has often been mistaken for Leptonotus blainvilleanus, most diagnostic characters of the two species differ. Both species are clearly distinguished by their snout length. L. blainvilleanus has a relatively longer snout than L. vincentae sp. nov. The new species is similar to a south‐west Pacific species, Leptonotus elevatus. However, L. vincentae sp. nov. differs from this species in that it exhibits a lower number of dorsal‐fin rays and a relatively longer head.
==========================
on the basis of 12 specimens found in shallow waters (<2 m depth) of San Antonio Bay, Patagonia, Argentina, in the south‐west Atlantic Ocean. The species is distinguished from congeners by the combination of: dorsal‐fin rays 30–33, pectoral‐fin rays 12–13, trunk rings 18–19, tail rings 43–46, subdorsal rings (2–4) + (5.5–8) = (8.5–10), head length 13–14% standard length, snout length 35–55% head length and snout depth 21–30% in snout length. Although this species has often been mistaken for Leptonotus blainvilleanus, most diagnostic characters of the two species differ. Both species are clearly distinguished by their snout length. L. blainvilleanus has a relatively longer snout than L. vincentae sp. nov. The new species is similar to a south‐west Pacific species, Leptonotus elevatus. However, L. vincentae sp. nov. differs from this species in that it exhibits a lower number of dorsal‐fin rays and a relatively longer head.
==========================
Leptonotus vincentae • A New Pipefish Species (Syngnathidae: Syngnathinae) from the south‐west Atlantic Ocean near northern Patagonia
Leptonotus vincentae
Luzzatto & Estalles, 2019
Patagonian Pipefish || DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14056
twitter.com/AmandaVincent1
Abstract
A new species of pipefish Leptonotus vincentae sp. nov. (Syngnathidae) is described on the basis of 12 specimens found in shallow waters (<2 m depth) of San Antonio Bay, Patagonia, Argentina, in the south‐west Atlantic Ocean. The species is distinguished from congeners by the combination of: dorsal‐fin rays 30–33, pectoral‐fin rays 12–13, trunk rings 18–19, tail rings 43–46, subdorsal rings (2–4) + (5.5–8) = (8.5–10), head length 13–14% standard length, snout length 35–55% head length and snout depth 21–30% in snout length. Although this species has often been mistaken for Leptonotus blainvilleanus, most diagnostic characters of the two species differ. Both species are clearly distinguished by their snout length. L. blainvilleanus has a relatively longer snout than L. vincentae sp. nov. The new species is similar to a south‐west Pacific species, Leptonotus elevatus. However, L. vincentae sp. nov. differs from this species in that it exhibits a lower number of dorsal‐fin rays and a relatively longer head.
Keywords: Atlantic Ocean, Leptonotus blainvilleanus, new species, San Antonio Bay, sexual dimorphism, Syngnathiformes
Leptonotus vincentae sp. nov.
Etymology: The species is named after Amanda Vincent, whose work on conservation of syngnathids has increased our chances of having healthy populations of these fishes in the threatened seas of the world.
English: Patagonian Pipefish;
Spanish (Argentina): pez aguja patagónico;
Spanish (Spain): pez pipa patagónico.
Diego C. Luzzatto and María L. Estalles. 2019. Leptonotus vincentae, A New Pipefish Species (Syngnathidae: Syngnathinae) from the south‐west Atlantic Ocean near northern Patagonia. Journal of Fish Biology. DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14056
twitter.com/AmandaVincent1/status/1141485476559257600
==========================
Leptonotus vincentae
Luzzatto & Estalles, 2019
Patagonian Pipefish || DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14056
twitter.com/AmandaVincent1
Abstract
A new species of pipefish Leptonotus vincentae sp. nov. (Syngnathidae) is described on the basis of 12 specimens found in shallow waters (<2 m depth) of San Antonio Bay, Patagonia, Argentina, in the south‐west Atlantic Ocean. The species is distinguished from congeners by the combination of: dorsal‐fin rays 30–33, pectoral‐fin rays 12–13, trunk rings 18–19, tail rings 43–46, subdorsal rings (2–4) + (5.5–8) = (8.5–10), head length 13–14% standard length, snout length 35–55% head length and snout depth 21–30% in snout length. Although this species has often been mistaken for Leptonotus blainvilleanus, most diagnostic characters of the two species differ. Both species are clearly distinguished by their snout length. L. blainvilleanus has a relatively longer snout than L. vincentae sp. nov. The new species is similar to a south‐west Pacific species, Leptonotus elevatus. However, L. vincentae sp. nov. differs from this species in that it exhibits a lower number of dorsal‐fin rays and a relatively longer head.
Keywords: Atlantic Ocean, Leptonotus blainvilleanus, new species, San Antonio Bay, sexual dimorphism, Syngnathiformes
Leptonotus vincentae sp. nov.
Etymology: The species is named after Amanda Vincent, whose work on conservation of syngnathids has increased our chances of having healthy populations of these fishes in the threatened seas of the world.
English: Patagonian Pipefish;
Spanish (Argentina): pez aguja patagónico;
Spanish (Spain): pez pipa patagónico.
Diego C. Luzzatto and María L. Estalles. 2019. Leptonotus vincentae, A New Pipefish Species (Syngnathidae: Syngnathinae) from the south‐west Atlantic Ocean near northern Patagonia. Journal of Fish Biology. DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14056
twitter.com/AmandaVincent1/status/1141485476559257600
==========================
Pomacentrus vatosoa,
A New Species of Damselfish Pomacentrus vatosoa, (Teleostei: Pomacentridae: Pomacentrus) from Nosy Faho, Madagascar
Benjamin W. Frable1 and Yi-Kai Tea2 Pomacentrus vatosoa, new species, is described on the basis of four specimens collected from Nosy Faho, Madagascar. The new species is distinctive in having a pearlescent-white body with a large black spot midlaterally behind the pectoral fin, a black saddle of similar size on the dorsal edge of the caudal peduncle, and a black recurved band from the orbit to origin of dorsal fin. Aside from details in live coloration, the new species is readily diagnosed from congeners in having the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin rays XIV, 13–14; anal-fin rays II, 14; pectoral-fin rays 18–19; tubed lateral scales 19–20; gill rakers 5–6þ17–18 ¼ 22–24; infraorbitals naked; teeth on lower jaw partly biserial; no distinct notch between infraorbitals 1 and 2; and a crescent opening of the supraorbital canal above the eye. The new species appears to be most closely related to Pomacentrus atriaxillaris on the basis of meristic data, though comparative molecular sequences for P. atriaxillaris are lacking. Assignment of the new species to the genus Pomacentrus is accompanied with a brief discussion of the systematic contention within the Pomacentridae
PDF available until July 31 at:- bit.ly/2wuwE3t.
==========================
Benjamin W. Frable1 and Yi-Kai Tea2 Pomacentrus vatosoa, new species, is described on the basis of four specimens collected from Nosy Faho, Madagascar. The new species is distinctive in having a pearlescent-white body with a large black spot midlaterally behind the pectoral fin, a black saddle of similar size on the dorsal edge of the caudal peduncle, and a black recurved band from the orbit to origin of dorsal fin. Aside from details in live coloration, the new species is readily diagnosed from congeners in having the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin rays XIV, 13–14; anal-fin rays II, 14; pectoral-fin rays 18–19; tubed lateral scales 19–20; gill rakers 5–6þ17–18 ¼ 22–24; infraorbitals naked; teeth on lower jaw partly biserial; no distinct notch between infraorbitals 1 and 2; and a crescent opening of the supraorbital canal above the eye. The new species appears to be most closely related to Pomacentrus atriaxillaris on the basis of meristic data, though comparative molecular sequences for P. atriaxillaris are lacking. Assignment of the new species to the genus Pomacentrus is accompanied with a brief discussion of the systematic contention within the Pomacentridae
PDF available until July 31 at:- bit.ly/2wuwE3t.
==========================
Bryconops rheorubrum (Characiformes: Iguanodectidae), new species from the Rio Xingu Rapids, Brazil
Cárlison Silva-Oliveira, Mark Henry Sabaj, Rafaela Priscila Ota, Lúcia H. Rapp Py-Daniel
Author Affiliations +
Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 166(1):1-21 (2019).https://doi.org/10.1635/053.166.0115
AbstractA new species of Bryconops is described from the rio Xingu Basin, Brazil, that differs from all congeners by the following combination of characters: predorsal scales 8–9, perforated scales in the lateral line 43–45, and pigmentation pattern composed of wide silvery midlateral band on body, hyaline dorsal and anal fins (in alcohol), and dark blotch on distal half of dorsal caudal-fin lobe. The new species shares with members of the subgenus Bryconops maxillary relatively short, edentulous or with one conical tooth, and gill rakers without ossified denticles. The middle and lower Xingu support a remarkable diversity of Bryconopscomposed of at least nine species-level taxa; comments on their local distributions and habitats are provided, as well as a key to their identification.
Bryconops rheorubrum n. sp. A) INPA 57879 (52.8 mm SL, holotype); B) INPA 40413 (50.3 mm SL, paratype), rio Xingu (upper Volta Grande), rapids in narrow bedrock channel; C) INPA 47456 (51.2 mm SL, paratype), rio Xingu, rapids and pools just upstream of cachoeira do Jericoá. Photos by C. Silva-Oliveira.
Citation Download Citation
Cárlison Silva-Oliveira, Mark Henry Sabaj, Rafaela Priscila Ota, and Lúcia H. Rapp Py-Daniel"Bryconops rheorubrum (Characiformes: Iguanodectidae), new species from the Rio Xingu Rapids, Brazil," Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 166(1), 1-21, (6 June 2019).https://doi.org/10.1635/053.166.0115
==========================
Cárlison Silva-Oliveira, Mark Henry Sabaj, Rafaela Priscila Ota, Lúcia H. Rapp Py-Daniel
Author Affiliations +
Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 166(1):1-21 (2019).https://doi.org/10.1635/053.166.0115
AbstractA new species of Bryconops is described from the rio Xingu Basin, Brazil, that differs from all congeners by the following combination of characters: predorsal scales 8–9, perforated scales in the lateral line 43–45, and pigmentation pattern composed of wide silvery midlateral band on body, hyaline dorsal and anal fins (in alcohol), and dark blotch on distal half of dorsal caudal-fin lobe. The new species shares with members of the subgenus Bryconops maxillary relatively short, edentulous or with one conical tooth, and gill rakers without ossified denticles. The middle and lower Xingu support a remarkable diversity of Bryconopscomposed of at least nine species-level taxa; comments on their local distributions and habitats are provided, as well as a key to their identification.
Bryconops rheorubrum n. sp. A) INPA 57879 (52.8 mm SL, holotype); B) INPA 40413 (50.3 mm SL, paratype), rio Xingu (upper Volta Grande), rapids in narrow bedrock channel; C) INPA 47456 (51.2 mm SL, paratype), rio Xingu, rapids and pools just upstream of cachoeira do Jericoá. Photos by C. Silva-Oliveira.
Citation Download Citation
Cárlison Silva-Oliveira, Mark Henry Sabaj, Rafaela Priscila Ota, and Lúcia H. Rapp Py-Daniel"Bryconops rheorubrum (Characiformes: Iguanodectidae), new species from the Rio Xingu Rapids, Brazil," Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 166(1), 1-21, (6 June 2019).https://doi.org/10.1635/053.166.0115
==========================
Bali Aquarich Persistence Pays Off: Regal Angelfish, BRED!31 May, 2019
One less captive-breeding species first is out there to chase – Bali Aquarich lays claim to producing the world’s first captive-bred Regal Angelfish, Pygoplites diacanthus.
Wen-Ping Su of Bali Aquarich (Bali, Indonesia) saw fit to close out May 2019 by revealing yet another in a seemingly endless stream of groundbreaking marine fish aquaculture firsts. Shared as a bit of a guessing game for his friends and followers, Su’s clues included much of their history working with an iconic and often humbling marine angelfish.
Via translation and edited for clarity, Su asked, “Who am I? This is a very hard-to-do fish. It eats some pretty special food. Most people find it difficult to keep this fish; it’s often difficult just to get the fish to feed. We spawned this species before, years ago, but it was difficult to produce larvae….and the price of this fish, when harvested from the wild, is super-cheap. So we temporarily gave up attempting to breed this species. This time I tried it in our new system.”
Clearly, the “new system” at Bali Aquarich has borne fruit, in the form of the world’s first captive-bred Regal Angelfishes, Pygoplites diacanthus! Su privately noted that parents of these amazing babies represent the local Indonesian form of the species.
Why This Matters
Phrases like “game-changing” tend to lose their meaning over time, striking people as simple hyperbole. But truly, if you ever aspired to keep a Regal Angelfish in your home aquarium, this accomplishment could be a sea change for the species, and could make all the difference between your success or failure.
The more commonly seen gray-breasted form of the Regal Angelfish, Pygoplites diacanthus, typically imported from Indonesia, the Philippines, as well as short supply-chain origins such as Fiji. Image credit: Nick Hobgood, CC BY-SA 3.0
The Regal Angelfish, Pygoplites diacanthus, is highly prized but also widely regarded as a shy and very difficult angelfish to keep. Historically, specimens from the Red Sea, with their yellow breasts and more vibrant coloration, cost considerably more than their gray-breasted counterparts (which are most often available from Indonesian supply chain). This price disparity is, in part, due to simple logistics, but it’s also generally believed that Red Sea specimens are superior and offer a better chance at successful husbandry in captivity. Whether this “success factor” is somehow inherent to the fish themselves or due to disparities in capture and care methods depending on where they are sourced, it is certainly open for debate and should be investigated. That said, Kevin Kohen of LiveAquaria notes that in addition to Red Sea specimens, individuals collected from the “Maldives, Coral Sea, Fiji, and Tahiti are good shippers and are harvested and handled with care, and normally will adapt more easily than their Indo-Pacific counterparts.”
A subadult Red Sea Regal Angelfish, Pygoplites diacanthus, photographed at Marsa Alam, Egypt, by Flickr user zsispeo; CC BY-SA 2.0
But beyond their general rumored “sensitive” nature, the number-one cited difficulty with keeping Regal Angels is their diet, which is widely regarded as comprised mainly of sponges and tunicates, and a general difficulty in getting them to eat anything at all in captivity. As a result of these husbandry issues, it’s common practice to suggest seeking out fishes that aren’t too large (and too set in their ways) or those that are tiny juveniles (which lack the reserves that might be required to successfully transition onto a captive diet). Of course, as the decades have passed, aquarium fish food manufacturers have provided angelfish keepers with many commercially-prepared diets that include sponge material as a component of the offering in an effort to entice and properly maintain these challenging fishes in captivity. It is certainly possible to have success with a Regal Angelfish in captivity, but the conventional wisdom suggests they are difficult, or even expert-only fishes, which means “stay away” for the vast majority of aquarists.
Captive-Bred Fish Are Fundamentally Different
If there’s one thing we can typically say about captive breeding, it’s that offspring hatched and reared in captive conditions are nearly always superior to their wild-caught counterparts in terms of husbandry requirements. Now, being captive-bred won’t suddenly make, for example, a Mandarin Dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus) suddenly willing to snatch flake food floating in the water column—it’s still going to be a slow, methodical bottom picker. But being captive-bred will, perhaps suddenly, mean that small juvenile Regal Angelfish might be available with bold personalities and aggressive appetites and willing to consume easy-to-feed aquarium diets (like pellet foods).
It’s at this point that the reader needs to once again “do the math.” A “quality” wild-caught Regal Angelfish may easily retail for $300-500 depending on the source and size, while tiny juveniles from less reliable sources are sometimes offered for as little as $100 as wild-caught specimens. It’s entirely premature to speculate where retail prices could wind up for a captive-bred Regal Angelfish; they are in part going to be determined by whether the fish can be reared in quantity, and what it actually costs to make one. But how many wild-caught fish should an aquarist be willing to gamble on, and how many are acceptable to lose along the way if a more expensive “sure thing” is being offered via aquaculture?
It’s undeniable that historically, being “price competitive” with a wild-caught version is a very important aspect of predicting the commercial success of a captive-bred marine fish species. However, this reality must be based, in part, on a lack of information (and, frankly, shopping more on price than quality). It’s largely up to aquarists like yourself to understand that a captive-bred Regal Angelfish is likely going to be a completely different proposition than a wild one. I could say it’s “apples to oranges,” but in reality, it’s more like getting organic, grass-fed beef raised by artisanal ranchers vs. feed-lot-grown, discolored ground beef that’s “reduced for quick sale” with less than 24 hours left on the sell-by date!
Now We Wait
Aquarists are now forced to sit and wait to see if this initial success leads to a good supply of captive-bred Regal Angelfishes. Given the almost inevitable likelihood that captive-bred Regal Angelfish will be significantly easier to care for, this is one of those fish where responsible aquarists should, in our opinion, be willing to pay a reasonable premium for the captive-bred option, should it materialize.
found on Reef to Rain Forest Media
==========================
One less captive-breeding species first is out there to chase – Bali Aquarich lays claim to producing the world’s first captive-bred Regal Angelfish, Pygoplites diacanthus.
Wen-Ping Su of Bali Aquarich (Bali, Indonesia) saw fit to close out May 2019 by revealing yet another in a seemingly endless stream of groundbreaking marine fish aquaculture firsts. Shared as a bit of a guessing game for his friends and followers, Su’s clues included much of their history working with an iconic and often humbling marine angelfish.
Via translation and edited for clarity, Su asked, “Who am I? This is a very hard-to-do fish. It eats some pretty special food. Most people find it difficult to keep this fish; it’s often difficult just to get the fish to feed. We spawned this species before, years ago, but it was difficult to produce larvae….and the price of this fish, when harvested from the wild, is super-cheap. So we temporarily gave up attempting to breed this species. This time I tried it in our new system.”
Clearly, the “new system” at Bali Aquarich has borne fruit, in the form of the world’s first captive-bred Regal Angelfishes, Pygoplites diacanthus! Su privately noted that parents of these amazing babies represent the local Indonesian form of the species.
Why This Matters
Phrases like “game-changing” tend to lose their meaning over time, striking people as simple hyperbole. But truly, if you ever aspired to keep a Regal Angelfish in your home aquarium, this accomplishment could be a sea change for the species, and could make all the difference between your success or failure.
The more commonly seen gray-breasted form of the Regal Angelfish, Pygoplites diacanthus, typically imported from Indonesia, the Philippines, as well as short supply-chain origins such as Fiji. Image credit: Nick Hobgood, CC BY-SA 3.0
The Regal Angelfish, Pygoplites diacanthus, is highly prized but also widely regarded as a shy and very difficult angelfish to keep. Historically, specimens from the Red Sea, with their yellow breasts and more vibrant coloration, cost considerably more than their gray-breasted counterparts (which are most often available from Indonesian supply chain). This price disparity is, in part, due to simple logistics, but it’s also generally believed that Red Sea specimens are superior and offer a better chance at successful husbandry in captivity. Whether this “success factor” is somehow inherent to the fish themselves or due to disparities in capture and care methods depending on where they are sourced, it is certainly open for debate and should be investigated. That said, Kevin Kohen of LiveAquaria notes that in addition to Red Sea specimens, individuals collected from the “Maldives, Coral Sea, Fiji, and Tahiti are good shippers and are harvested and handled with care, and normally will adapt more easily than their Indo-Pacific counterparts.”
A subadult Red Sea Regal Angelfish, Pygoplites diacanthus, photographed at Marsa Alam, Egypt, by Flickr user zsispeo; CC BY-SA 2.0
But beyond their general rumored “sensitive” nature, the number-one cited difficulty with keeping Regal Angels is their diet, which is widely regarded as comprised mainly of sponges and tunicates, and a general difficulty in getting them to eat anything at all in captivity. As a result of these husbandry issues, it’s common practice to suggest seeking out fishes that aren’t too large (and too set in their ways) or those that are tiny juveniles (which lack the reserves that might be required to successfully transition onto a captive diet). Of course, as the decades have passed, aquarium fish food manufacturers have provided angelfish keepers with many commercially-prepared diets that include sponge material as a component of the offering in an effort to entice and properly maintain these challenging fishes in captivity. It is certainly possible to have success with a Regal Angelfish in captivity, but the conventional wisdom suggests they are difficult, or even expert-only fishes, which means “stay away” for the vast majority of aquarists.
Captive-Bred Fish Are Fundamentally Different
If there’s one thing we can typically say about captive breeding, it’s that offspring hatched and reared in captive conditions are nearly always superior to their wild-caught counterparts in terms of husbandry requirements. Now, being captive-bred won’t suddenly make, for example, a Mandarin Dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus) suddenly willing to snatch flake food floating in the water column—it’s still going to be a slow, methodical bottom picker. But being captive-bred will, perhaps suddenly, mean that small juvenile Regal Angelfish might be available with bold personalities and aggressive appetites and willing to consume easy-to-feed aquarium diets (like pellet foods).
It’s at this point that the reader needs to once again “do the math.” A “quality” wild-caught Regal Angelfish may easily retail for $300-500 depending on the source and size, while tiny juveniles from less reliable sources are sometimes offered for as little as $100 as wild-caught specimens. It’s entirely premature to speculate where retail prices could wind up for a captive-bred Regal Angelfish; they are in part going to be determined by whether the fish can be reared in quantity, and what it actually costs to make one. But how many wild-caught fish should an aquarist be willing to gamble on, and how many are acceptable to lose along the way if a more expensive “sure thing” is being offered via aquaculture?
It’s undeniable that historically, being “price competitive” with a wild-caught version is a very important aspect of predicting the commercial success of a captive-bred marine fish species. However, this reality must be based, in part, on a lack of information (and, frankly, shopping more on price than quality). It’s largely up to aquarists like yourself to understand that a captive-bred Regal Angelfish is likely going to be a completely different proposition than a wild one. I could say it’s “apples to oranges,” but in reality, it’s more like getting organic, grass-fed beef raised by artisanal ranchers vs. feed-lot-grown, discolored ground beef that’s “reduced for quick sale” with less than 24 hours left on the sell-by date!
Now We Wait
Aquarists are now forced to sit and wait to see if this initial success leads to a good supply of captive-bred Regal Angelfishes. Given the almost inevitable likelihood that captive-bred Regal Angelfish will be significantly easier to care for, this is one of those fish where responsible aquarists should, in our opinion, be willing to pay a reasonable premium for the captive-bred option, should it materialize.
found on Reef to Rain Forest Media
==========================
Allis Shad
It Took Seven years for fish enthusiast Jack Perks to complete filming every native species of fish in the UK
Jack Perks filmed all 53 species of freshwater fish in Britain.
Eccentric and obsessive as trainspotters and twitchers may be, at least they are likely to find themselves in the company of like-minded folk.
Jack Perks’s mission to see and film every freshwater fish in Britain meant weeks spent diving and snorkelling underwater in total solitude.
Mr Perks, 28, a wildlife photographer based in Nottingham, is the only person to have had an up-close encounter with all 53 species of freshwater fish.
His final shots were of the Allis Shad (Alosa alosa )which is now quite rare in Britain. In the 19th Century, Shad fish were as valuable as salmon and in the estuary of the River Severn, Shad fish made up about one-third of all catches.
==========================
A new species Creagrutus cacique from the upper rio Xingu basin, Brazil (Teleostei: Characiformes: Characidae).
Flausino, N., & Lima, F.C.T. (2019)
Creagrutus cacique Flausino & Lima, 2019
https://bioone.org/journals/Proceedings-of-the-Academy-of-Natural-Sciences-of-Philadelphia/volume-166/issue-1/053.166.0114/A-new-iCreagrutus-i-from-the-upper-rio-Xingu-basin/10.1635/053.166.0114.short
Fig. 1. Creagrutus cacique, new species: A. holotype, ZUEC 15770, 55.5 mm SL; B. paratype, ANSP 205849, 43.8 mm SL; C. paratype, ZUEC 15803, 38.5 mm SL. All from Brazil, Mato Grosso, Campinápolis, rio Culuene, fish ladder at Paranatinga II hydroelectric dam.
AbstractA new species of Creagrutus is described from the upper rio Xingu basin, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of characters that includes dorsal fin mostly black, a dark oblique blotch on middle and upper-inferior caudal-fin rays, and presence of only two rows of premaxillary teeth. Creagrutus mucipu, formerly known only from the upper rio Tocantins basin in Brazil, is recorded herein as occurring syntopically with the new species in the upper rio Xingu basin.
==========================
Flausino, N., & Lima, F.C.T. (2019)
Creagrutus cacique Flausino & Lima, 2019
https://bioone.org/journals/Proceedings-of-the-Academy-of-Natural-Sciences-of-Philadelphia/volume-166/issue-1/053.166.0114/A-new-iCreagrutus-i-from-the-upper-rio-Xingu-basin/10.1635/053.166.0114.short
Fig. 1. Creagrutus cacique, new species: A. holotype, ZUEC 15770, 55.5 mm SL; B. paratype, ANSP 205849, 43.8 mm SL; C. paratype, ZUEC 15803, 38.5 mm SL. All from Brazil, Mato Grosso, Campinápolis, rio Culuene, fish ladder at Paranatinga II hydroelectric dam.
AbstractA new species of Creagrutus is described from the upper rio Xingu basin, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of characters that includes dorsal fin mostly black, a dark oblique blotch on middle and upper-inferior caudal-fin rays, and presence of only two rows of premaxillary teeth. Creagrutus mucipu, formerly known only from the upper rio Tocantins basin in Brazil, is recorded herein as occurring syntopically with the new species in the upper rio Xingu basin.
==========================
A new species of Poptella (Characiformes: Characidae: Stethaprioninae) from the Rio Juma, Rio Madeira basin, Brazil.
Garcia-Ayala, J.R. & Benine, R.C. (2019)
Poptella actenolepis Garcia-Ayala & Benine, 2019
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-62252019000200202&lng=en&tlng=en
Fig. 1 a. Poptella actenolepis, holotype, MZUSP 124423, 71.9 mm SL, Brazil, Amazonas, Apuí, Rio Juma, Rio Madeira basin.
Fig. 4 Poptella actenolepis, MZUSP 122982, paratype, 55.1 mm SL, Brazil, Amazonas, Apuí, Rio Juma, Rio Madeira basin. Photo by W. Ohara.
ABSTRACT
A new species of Poptella is described from the Rio Juma, a tributary of the lower Rio Aripuanã, Rio Madeira basin, Amazonas, Brazil. The new species is distinguished from all congeners, except P. brevispina, by having a lower number of scale rows between the lateral line and dorsal-fin origin (7 vs. 8-10). The new species can be readily distinguished from P. brevispina by the lower number of branched dorsal-fin rays (9 vs. 10). This is the first description of a new species of Poptella since the revisionary study of the Stethaprioninae, published 30 years ag
==========================
Garcia-Ayala, J.R. & Benine, R.C. (2019)
Poptella actenolepis Garcia-Ayala & Benine, 2019
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-62252019000200202&lng=en&tlng=en
Fig. 1 a. Poptella actenolepis, holotype, MZUSP 124423, 71.9 mm SL, Brazil, Amazonas, Apuí, Rio Juma, Rio Madeira basin.
Fig. 4 Poptella actenolepis, MZUSP 122982, paratype, 55.1 mm SL, Brazil, Amazonas, Apuí, Rio Juma, Rio Madeira basin. Photo by W. Ohara.
ABSTRACT
A new species of Poptella is described from the Rio Juma, a tributary of the lower Rio Aripuanã, Rio Madeira basin, Amazonas, Brazil. The new species is distinguished from all congeners, except P. brevispina, by having a lower number of scale rows between the lateral line and dorsal-fin origin (7 vs. 8-10). The new species can be readily distinguished from P. brevispina by the lower number of branched dorsal-fin rays (9 vs. 10). This is the first description of a new species of Poptella since the revisionary study of the Stethaprioninae, published 30 years ag
==========================
Review of the Oxynoemacheilus tigris group with the description of two new species from the Euphrates drainage (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae)
JÖRG FREYHOF, CÜNEYT KAYA, DAVUT TURAN, MATTHIAS GEIGER
FIGURE LEFT. Oxynoemacheilus arsaniasus, from top: FFR 15530, holotype, 57 mm SL; FFR 15531, paratype, 54 mm SL; Turkey: stream Kaynarca; FSJF 4019, 90 mm SL; Turkey: stream Karasu.
FIGURE RIGHT. Oxynoemacheilus muefiti, from top: FFR 15532, paratype, 69 mm SL; IUSHM 2019-1411, 52 mm SL; Turkey: Murat at Balıbostan; IUSHM 2019-1410, 68 mm SL, dorsal fin malformed, Turkey: stream near Sarıköy; FSJF 2556, 47 mm SL; Turkey: stream Eğri.
Abstract
The Oxynoemacheilus tigris species group is reviewed, resulting in the recognition of six species, of which two are described herein as new. Oxynoemacheilus tigris is known from the endorheic Qweik River and the Merziman River, which is a tributary of the western Euphrates. Oxynoemacheilus ercisianus is endemic to the endorheic Lake Van basin and O. hazarensis is endemic to Lake Hazar basin in the upper Tigris drainage. Oxynoemacheilus kaynaki is widespread in the Euphrates drainage. The two undescribed species occur in the Euphrates drainage. Oxynoemacheilus arsaniasus, new species, from the Murat River and the upper Karasu (Muş) River drainage, is distinguished from other species of the O. tigris group by having a bold, black, irregularly-shaped bar at the caudal-fin base, an incomplete lateral line and a scaleless body. Oxynoemacheilus muefiti, new species, from the upper Murat River drainage and a tributary to the Atatürk reservoir, is most similar to O. ercisianus, from which it is distinguished by a more slender body and a shallower dorsal adipose crest. According to our molecular data, the Qweik population of O. tigris is suspected to be introgressed by O. namiri from the Orontes drainage. Oxynoemacheilus erdali is identified as a synonym of O. bergianus as we were unable to find differences between the two species.
dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4612.1.2
==========================
Rhyacoschistura larreci, a new genus and species of loach from Laos and redescription of R. suber (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae).
Kottelat, M. (2019)
Rhyacoschistura n. gen. Kottelat, 2019
Type species: Rhyacoschistura larreci Kottelat
the published link was incorrect
FIGURE UPPER. Rhyacoschistura larreci, CMK 28037, paratype, 57.8 mm SL; Laos: Xayaburi: Nam Houng watershed; immediately after fixation.
FIGURE LOWER. Rhyacoschistura larreci, MHNG 2727.011, holotype, 57.1 mm SL; Laos: Xayaburi: Nam Houng watershed.
==========================
Kottelat, M. (2019)
Rhyacoschistura n. gen. Kottelat, 2019
Type species: Rhyacoschistura larreci Kottelat
the published link was incorrect
FIGURE UPPER. Rhyacoschistura larreci, CMK 28037, paratype, 57.8 mm SL; Laos: Xayaburi: Nam Houng watershed; immediately after fixation.
FIGURE LOWER. Rhyacoschistura larreci, MHNG 2727.011, holotype, 57.1 mm SL; Laos: Xayaburi: Nam Houng watershed.
==========================
Luzonichthys kiomeamea • A New Species (Serranidae: Anthiadinae) from A Mesophotic Coral Ecosystem of Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
Luzonichthys kiomeamea
Shepherd, Pinheiro, Phelps, Perez-Matus & Rocha, 2019
OceanScienceFoundation.org
twitter.com/CoralReefFish
Abstract
A new species in the anthiadine genus Luzonichthys Herre, 1936 is described from a specimen collected at a depth of 83 m in a mesophotic coral ecosystem at Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Luzonichthys kiomeamea n. sp. can be distinguished from the 7 other valid Luzonichthys species by anal-fin and pectoral-fin counts, the number of lateral-line scales, the number and arrangement of gill rakers, and coloration pattern. Mitochondrial DNA sequencing shows that the new species is more than 11% divergent in the COI sequence (and about equally distant) from Luzonichthys waitei, L. seaver, L. earlei (Hawai’i), and L. aff. earlei (Coral Sea). Given the isolation of the island, and the uniqueness of its fish fauna, we suspect that the new species is endemic to the mesophotic reefs of Rapa Nui.
Key words: taxonomy, ichthyology, coral-reef fishes, endemism, South Pacific, Splitfin Anthias, Chile
Figure 1. Luzonichthys kiomeamea, sp. n., holotype, CAS 244640, 45.7 mm SL, shortly after death (L.A. Rocha).
Luzonichthys kiomeamea, n. sp.
Rapa Nui Splitfin
Diagnosis. Dorsal-fin elements X,16; anal-fin elements III,7; pectoral-fin rays 22; lateral-line scales 64; gill rakers 12+26; body moderately elongate, depth 4.8 in SL; head length 3.6 in SL; snout 4.1 in HL; caudal fin forked and without filaments, length 4.3 in SL; caudal-fin concavity 6.3 in SL; pectoral-fin length 4.0 in SL; pelvic-fin length 5.0 in SL; color in life: body orange-red dorsally, silver-magenta ventrally, with alternating magenta, red, and orange lines along sides of body; dorsal fin yellow-orange with red-orange spots (Fig. 1).
Etymology. The specific epithet is from the Rapa Nui name; the phrase kio-meamea means “red fish that takes refuge in a cave”. Treated as a noun in apposition.
Distribution and habitat. The new species is currently known only from Rapa Nui. The holotype was collected at a depth of 83 m in a rocky patch reef surrounded by a large sandy area (Fig. 4). It was caught by hand using hand nets and transported alive to the surface in a perforated-plastic collecting jar.
Bart Shepherd, Hudson T. Pinheiro, Tyler Phelps, Alejandro Perez-Matus and Luiz A. Rocha. 2019. Luzonichthys kiomeamea (Teleostei: Serranidae: Anthiadinae), A New Species from A Mesophotic Coral Ecosystem of Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 33; 17-27. OceanScienceFoundation.org/josf33c.html
twitter.com/CoralReefFish/status/1136015501723807744
==========================
Luzonichthys kiomeamea
Shepherd, Pinheiro, Phelps, Perez-Matus & Rocha, 2019
OceanScienceFoundation.org
twitter.com/CoralReefFish
Abstract
A new species in the anthiadine genus Luzonichthys Herre, 1936 is described from a specimen collected at a depth of 83 m in a mesophotic coral ecosystem at Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Luzonichthys kiomeamea n. sp. can be distinguished from the 7 other valid Luzonichthys species by anal-fin and pectoral-fin counts, the number of lateral-line scales, the number and arrangement of gill rakers, and coloration pattern. Mitochondrial DNA sequencing shows that the new species is more than 11% divergent in the COI sequence (and about equally distant) from Luzonichthys waitei, L. seaver, L. earlei (Hawai’i), and L. aff. earlei (Coral Sea). Given the isolation of the island, and the uniqueness of its fish fauna, we suspect that the new species is endemic to the mesophotic reefs of Rapa Nui.
Key words: taxonomy, ichthyology, coral-reef fishes, endemism, South Pacific, Splitfin Anthias, Chile
Figure 1. Luzonichthys kiomeamea, sp. n., holotype, CAS 244640, 45.7 mm SL, shortly after death (L.A. Rocha).
Luzonichthys kiomeamea, n. sp.
Rapa Nui Splitfin
Diagnosis. Dorsal-fin elements X,16; anal-fin elements III,7; pectoral-fin rays 22; lateral-line scales 64; gill rakers 12+26; body moderately elongate, depth 4.8 in SL; head length 3.6 in SL; snout 4.1 in HL; caudal fin forked and without filaments, length 4.3 in SL; caudal-fin concavity 6.3 in SL; pectoral-fin length 4.0 in SL; pelvic-fin length 5.0 in SL; color in life: body orange-red dorsally, silver-magenta ventrally, with alternating magenta, red, and orange lines along sides of body; dorsal fin yellow-orange with red-orange spots (Fig. 1).
Etymology. The specific epithet is from the Rapa Nui name; the phrase kio-meamea means “red fish that takes refuge in a cave”. Treated as a noun in apposition.
Distribution and habitat. The new species is currently known only from Rapa Nui. The holotype was collected at a depth of 83 m in a rocky patch reef surrounded by a large sandy area (Fig. 4). It was caught by hand using hand nets and transported alive to the surface in a perforated-plastic collecting jar.
Bart Shepherd, Hudson T. Pinheiro, Tyler Phelps, Alejandro Perez-Matus and Luiz A. Rocha. 2019. Luzonichthys kiomeamea (Teleostei: Serranidae: Anthiadinae), A New Species from A Mesophotic Coral Ecosystem of Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 33; 17-27. OceanScienceFoundation.org/josf33c.html
twitter.com/CoralReefFish/status/1136015501723807744
==========================
Siphamia arnazae, a new species of cardinalfish (Teleostei: Apogonidae) from Papua New Guinea.
Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. (2019)
Siphamia arnazae Allen & Erdmann, 2019
https://zenodo.org/record/3012186#.XPNcxIhKi00
Figure 1. Siphamia arnazae, freshly collected female holotype, 21.4 mm SL, Nuakata Island, Milne Bay Province, Papua
New Guinea (M.V. Erdmann).
Figure 3. Siphamia arnazae, preserved female holotype, 21.4 mm SL, Nuakata Island, Milne Bay Province, Papua New
Guinea (M.V. Erdmann).
A new species of cardinalfish, Siphamia arnazae, is described from 18 specimens, 15.6–21.4 mm SL, collected in 8–12 m depth at Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. The new species belongs to the Siphamia tubulata species group, characterized by light-organ pigmentation consisting of dark dots. It is most similar to S. cyanophthalma of the Philippines, eastern Indonesia, Palau, and offshore reefs of northwestern Australia, but differs from all congeners by having a distinctive “cat’s eye” black bar through the eye, covering more than the pupil at center, and flanked by white crescents covering the remaining iris. In life, the new species is translucent pale pink to reddish orange with a dense covering of variable-sized orange spots on the head and anterior body.
==========================
Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. (2019)
Siphamia arnazae Allen & Erdmann, 2019
https://zenodo.org/record/3012186#.XPNcxIhKi00
Figure 1. Siphamia arnazae, freshly collected female holotype, 21.4 mm SL, Nuakata Island, Milne Bay Province, Papua
New Guinea (M.V. Erdmann).
Figure 3. Siphamia arnazae, preserved female holotype, 21.4 mm SL, Nuakata Island, Milne Bay Province, Papua New
Guinea (M.V. Erdmann).
A new species of cardinalfish, Siphamia arnazae, is described from 18 specimens, 15.6–21.4 mm SL, collected in 8–12 m depth at Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. The new species belongs to the Siphamia tubulata species group, characterized by light-organ pigmentation consisting of dark dots. It is most similar to S. cyanophthalma of the Philippines, eastern Indonesia, Palau, and offshore reefs of northwestern Australia, but differs from all congeners by having a distinctive “cat’s eye” black bar through the eye, covering more than the pupil at center, and flanked by white crescents covering the remaining iris. In life, the new species is translucent pale pink to reddish orange with a dense covering of variable-sized orange spots on the head and anterior body.
==========================
Two new species of Hetereleotris (Perciformes: Gobiidae) from the Red Sea.
Kovačić, M., Bogorodsky, S.V. & Mal, A.O. (2019)
Hetereleotris aurantiaca Kovačić et al., 2019
Hetereleotris semisquamata Kovačić et al., 2019
https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4608.3.5
FIGURE: A). Hetereleotris aurantiaca sp. nov. SMF 35966, holotype, female, 14.51+3.40 mm, Red Sea, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, Obhur creek (Sharm Obhur). A: freshly collected specimen, Photos by S.V. Bogorodsky (A). B) Hetereleotris semisquamata sp. nov. PMR VP3053, holotype, female, 12.58 mm, caudal fin damaged, Red Sea, Southern Egypt, Shams Alam. B: freshly collected specimen; Photos by S.V. Bogorodsky (B).
Abstract
Two new species of the gobiid genus Hetereleotris, H. aurantiaca sp. nov.and H. semisquamata sp. nov., are described from the Red Sea, the former from Saudi Arabia at Jeddah from the cave at depth of 14–16 m, and the latter from the southern Egypt from reef flat. Hetereleotris aurantiaca sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners by having dorsal-fin rays VI + I,10; anal-fin rays I,9; pectoral-fin rays 14, all rays branched; pelvic-fin rays I,5, the fin separated and without frenum, 5th ray unbranched; anterior nostril with a long tube without process from the rim, posterior nostril a pore with erected rim; no tentacle above eye; posterior angle of jaws extending posteriorly to below posterior edge of pupil; no opercular spine; no mental frenum; pelvic fins longer than pectoral fins; squamation reduced to a few scales on caudal peduncle at caudal-fin base; no head canals; by presence, size and pattern of suborbital rows of sensory papillae; and orange head and yellowish orange body with five faint brown bars. Hetereleotrissemisquamata sp. nov. is distinctive among its congeners by unique scale pattern (scales cycloid, the squamation reduced, tapering from caudal-fin base along lateral midline towards pectoral fin where nearly reaching its base) and by coloration (head and body whitish, with brown line from eye to end of upper lip, dark brown band across interorbital area and continuing obliquely from eye to corner of opercle, broad dark brown band below first dorsal fin continuing into fin, and moderately broad dark brown bar on caudal-fin base). Furthermore, it is characterized in having dorsal-fin rays VI + I,11, anal-fin rays I,10, pectoral-fin rays 16, and absence of head canals. In addition to descriptions of two species, a key to all species of Hetereleotris is provided. Hetereleotris psammophila is reported outside the Gulf of Aqaba for the first time.
=======================
Catfish Study Group Convention March 13th 2020
- clock13 Mar 2020 at 12:00 – 15 Mar 2020 at 15:00
- pinMacdonald Kilhey Court
Chorley Road, WN1 2XN Standish, Wigan, United Kingdom
Parmaturus angelae• A New Species of Parmaturus (Carcharhiniformes: Scyliorhinidae) from Brazil, Southwestern Atlantic
Parmaturus angelae
Soares, Carvalho, Schwingel & Gadig, 2019
DOI: 10.1643/CI-18-152
twitter.com/ASIHCopeia
Abstract
A new Southwestern Atlantic species of Parmaturus, P. angelae, new species, is described from two specimens captured off Brazil. It is distinguished from congeners by the following characters: origin of the first dorsal fin anterior to pelvic-fin origin, presence of well-developed upper and lower caudal crests of denticles, dorsal fins subequal, lateral denticles teardrop-shaped and lacking lateral cusplets, denticles evenly spaced, proportional dimensions, and vertebral counts. Parmaturus angelae, new species, is the second species of the genus reported from the Atlantic Ocean and only the third species outside of the Indo-West Pacific region. Parmaturus remains rather poorly defined as only two species have been studied anatomically in any detail.
ins rather poorly defined as only two species have been studied anatomically in any detail.
Fig. . Parmaturus angelae, new species, holotype, MZUSP 124000, female, 398 mm TL. Dorsal and lateral view.
Parmaturus angelae, new species
Proposed common names: Brazilian Filetail Catshark,
Ângela’s Catshark (Portuguese)
Etymology.— The specific name angelae is dedicated to the last author’s granddaughter, Angela
Karla Diamantina De Araújo Soares, Marcelo Rodrigues De Carvalho, Paulo Ricardo Schwingel and Otto Bismarck Fazzano Gadig. 2019. A New Species of Parmaturus (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhiniformes: Scyliorhinidae) from Brazil, Southwestern Atlantic. Copeia. 107(2); 314-322. DOI: 10.1643/CI-18-152
twitter.com/ASIHCopeia/status/1134481991645237249
==========================
Parmaturus angelae
Soares, Carvalho, Schwingel & Gadig, 2019
DOI: 10.1643/CI-18-152
twitter.com/ASIHCopeia
Abstract
A new Southwestern Atlantic species of Parmaturus, P. angelae, new species, is described from two specimens captured off Brazil. It is distinguished from congeners by the following characters: origin of the first dorsal fin anterior to pelvic-fin origin, presence of well-developed upper and lower caudal crests of denticles, dorsal fins subequal, lateral denticles teardrop-shaped and lacking lateral cusplets, denticles evenly spaced, proportional dimensions, and vertebral counts. Parmaturus angelae, new species, is the second species of the genus reported from the Atlantic Ocean and only the third species outside of the Indo-West Pacific region. Parmaturus remains rather poorly defined as only two species have been studied anatomically in any detail.
ins rather poorly defined as only two species have been studied anatomically in any detail.
Fig. . Parmaturus angelae, new species, holotype, MZUSP 124000, female, 398 mm TL. Dorsal and lateral view.
Parmaturus angelae, new species
Proposed common names: Brazilian Filetail Catshark,
Ângela’s Catshark (Portuguese)
Etymology.— The specific name angelae is dedicated to the last author’s granddaughter, Angela
Karla Diamantina De Araújo Soares, Marcelo Rodrigues De Carvalho, Paulo Ricardo Schwingel and Otto Bismarck Fazzano Gadig. 2019. A New Species of Parmaturus (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhiniformes: Scyliorhinidae) from Brazil, Southwestern Atlantic. Copeia. 107(2); 314-322. DOI: 10.1643/CI-18-152
twitter.com/ASIHCopeia/status/1134481991645237249
==========================
Marcusenius wamuinii • A New Elephantfish (Teleostei: Mormyridae) from the Mangroves National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Marcusenius wamuinii Decru, Sullivan & Vreven, 2019
twitter.com/halooie1
Abstract
Marcusenius wamuinii, a new large-scaled Marcusenius species, is described from the Mangroves National Park (MNP), a protected area situated at the mouth of the Lower Congo basin and its surroundings in the DR Congo. It can be distinguished from all its congeners based on the following unique combination of characteristics: 8 circumpeduncular scales, 27-31 anal-fin rays, 22-25 dorsal-fin rays, 19-22 scales between dorsal and anal fin, 46-53 lateral line scales, and a slender caudal peduncle (depth 4.4-5.9 % SL). Its status as a distinct species is additionally confirmed by genetic data from the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. This is the first new fish species discovered in the MNP, highlighting the importance of freshwater conservation in this area in which the fish fauna is still poorly known.
Eva Decru, John P. Sullivan and Emmanuel Vreven. 2019. Marcusenius wamuinii (Teleostei: Mormyridae), A New Elephantfish from the Mangroves National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters. online first (1090); 1-15. DOI: 10.23788/IEF-1090
researchgate.net/publication/333293882_Marcusenius_wamuinii_a_new_elephantfish_from_the_Mangroves_National_Park_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo
twitter.com/halooie1/status/1131247592149540865
Marcusenius wamuinii, une nouvelle espèce de Marcusenius à grandes écailles est décrite du Parc Marin des Mangroves (PMM), une zone protégée située dans l'embouchure du Bas Congo et ses environs en RD Congo. Elle se distingue de tous ses congénères sur la base de la combinaison unique des caractères suivants : 8 écailles circumpédonculaires, 27-31 rayons à la nageoire anale, 22-25 rayons à la nageoire dorsale, 19-22 écailles entre les nageoires dorsale et anale, 46-53 écailles en ligne latérale et un pédoncule caudal mince (hauteur 4.4-5.9 % SL). Son statut d'espèce distincte est également confirmé à base de résultats génétiques sur le gène mitochondrial cytochrome b. Ceci est la première nouvelle espèce de poisson découverte dans le PMM, soulignant l'importance de la conservation des eaux douces dans cette Zone, dont la faune de poissons est encore largement méconnue.
==========================
Marcusenius wamuinii Decru, Sullivan & Vreven, 2019
twitter.com/halooie1
Abstract
Marcusenius wamuinii, a new large-scaled Marcusenius species, is described from the Mangroves National Park (MNP), a protected area situated at the mouth of the Lower Congo basin and its surroundings in the DR Congo. It can be distinguished from all its congeners based on the following unique combination of characteristics: 8 circumpeduncular scales, 27-31 anal-fin rays, 22-25 dorsal-fin rays, 19-22 scales between dorsal and anal fin, 46-53 lateral line scales, and a slender caudal peduncle (depth 4.4-5.9 % SL). Its status as a distinct species is additionally confirmed by genetic data from the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. This is the first new fish species discovered in the MNP, highlighting the importance of freshwater conservation in this area in which the fish fauna is still poorly known.
Eva Decru, John P. Sullivan and Emmanuel Vreven. 2019. Marcusenius wamuinii (Teleostei: Mormyridae), A New Elephantfish from the Mangroves National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters. online first (1090); 1-15. DOI: 10.23788/IEF-1090
researchgate.net/publication/333293882_Marcusenius_wamuinii_a_new_elephantfish_from_the_Mangroves_National_Park_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo
twitter.com/halooie1/status/1131247592149540865
Marcusenius wamuinii, une nouvelle espèce de Marcusenius à grandes écailles est décrite du Parc Marin des Mangroves (PMM), une zone protégée située dans l'embouchure du Bas Congo et ses environs en RD Congo. Elle se distingue de tous ses congénères sur la base de la combinaison unique des caractères suivants : 8 écailles circumpédonculaires, 27-31 rayons à la nageoire anale, 22-25 rayons à la nageoire dorsale, 19-22 écailles entre les nageoires dorsale et anale, 46-53 écailles en ligne latérale et un pédoncule caudal mince (hauteur 4.4-5.9 % SL). Son statut d'espèce distincte est également confirmé à base de résultats génétiques sur le gène mitochondrial cytochrome b. Ceci est la première nouvelle espèce de poisson découverte dans le PMM, soulignant l'importance de la conservation des eaux douces dans cette Zone, dont la faune de poissons est encore largement méconnue.
==========================
Rhyacoschistura larreci • A New Genus and Species of Loach (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae) from Laosand Redescription of R. suber
Rhyacoschistura larreci
Kottelat, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4612.2.1
phakhaolao.la
Abstract
Rhyacoschistura, new genus, belongs to a group of genera (Physoschistura, Mustura, Pteronemacheilus, Petruichthys) characterised by the modified branched pectoral-fin rays of males, with a very thick first ray, usually without membranes between some of the branches and/or rays, and anterior rays and/or membranes covered by small tubercles at maturity. Rhyacoschistura is distinguished from them by the combination of: presence of a suborbital flap; emarginate caudal fin; lower lip with a wide median interruption and connected to isthmus by a frenum; body depth about equal from behind head to caudal-fin base.Rhyacoschistura larreci, new species, is described from the Mekong drainage in Xayaburi Province, Laos. It is distinguished by details of the morphology of the pelvic fin, and its colour pattern (flank with numerous narrow slanted bars, very irregularly organised and shaped, more or less connected, or sometimes covering the whole flank). Schistura suber, from Nam Ngum watershed, is redescribed on the basis of adults and placed in Rhyacoschistura.
Keywords: Pisces, Schistura, Mustura, Physoschistura
Rhyacoschistura, new genus
Type species. Rhyacoschistura larreci, new species.
Etymology. Rhyacoschistura is derived from the Greek word ῥύαξ, -κος (rhyax, meaning a rushing stream, a torrent) and the genus name Schistura (itself based on σχιστός [schistos; divided] and οὐρά [oura; tail]). In reference to the torrent and hill stream habitat of the species placed in the genus. Gender feminine.
Included species. Rhyacoschistura larreci and Rhyacoschistura suber (Kottelat, 2000).
Rhyacoschistura larreci, new species
Etymology. Named for LARReC, Living Aquatic Resources Research Center, Vientiane, for its 20th anniversary, and appreciation to several of its staff for 20 years of collaboration in the field. Treated as a masculine noun in genitive, indeclinable.
Maurice Kottelat. 2019. Rhyacoschistura larreci, A New Genus and Species of Loach from Laos and Redescription of R. suber (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae). Zootaxa. 4612(2); 151–170. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4612.2.1
Rhyacoschistura larreci, a new genus and species of loach from Laos and redescription of R. suber (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae) phakhaolao.la/en/publications/rhyacoschistura-larreci-new-genus-and-species-loach-laos-and-redescription-r-suber
==========================
Rhyacoschistura larreci
Kottelat, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4612.2.1
phakhaolao.la
Abstract
Rhyacoschistura, new genus, belongs to a group of genera (Physoschistura, Mustura, Pteronemacheilus, Petruichthys) characterised by the modified branched pectoral-fin rays of males, with a very thick first ray, usually without membranes between some of the branches and/or rays, and anterior rays and/or membranes covered by small tubercles at maturity. Rhyacoschistura is distinguished from them by the combination of: presence of a suborbital flap; emarginate caudal fin; lower lip with a wide median interruption and connected to isthmus by a frenum; body depth about equal from behind head to caudal-fin base.Rhyacoschistura larreci, new species, is described from the Mekong drainage in Xayaburi Province, Laos. It is distinguished by details of the morphology of the pelvic fin, and its colour pattern (flank with numerous narrow slanted bars, very irregularly organised and shaped, more or less connected, or sometimes covering the whole flank). Schistura suber, from Nam Ngum watershed, is redescribed on the basis of adults and placed in Rhyacoschistura.
Keywords: Pisces, Schistura, Mustura, Physoschistura
Rhyacoschistura, new genus
Type species. Rhyacoschistura larreci, new species.
Etymology. Rhyacoschistura is derived from the Greek word ῥύαξ, -κος (rhyax, meaning a rushing stream, a torrent) and the genus name Schistura (itself based on σχιστός [schistos; divided] and οὐρά [oura; tail]). In reference to the torrent and hill stream habitat of the species placed in the genus. Gender feminine.
Included species. Rhyacoschistura larreci and Rhyacoschistura suber (Kottelat, 2000).
Rhyacoschistura larreci, new species
Etymology. Named for LARReC, Living Aquatic Resources Research Center, Vientiane, for its 20th anniversary, and appreciation to several of its staff for 20 years of collaboration in the field. Treated as a masculine noun in genitive, indeclinable.
Maurice Kottelat. 2019. Rhyacoschistura larreci, A New Genus and Species of Loach from Laos and Redescription of R. suber (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae). Zootaxa. 4612(2); 151–170. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4612.2.1
Rhyacoschistura larreci, a new genus and species of loach from Laos and redescription of R. suber (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae) phakhaolao.la/en/publications/rhyacoschistura-larreci-new-genus-and-species-loach-laos-and-redescription-r-suber
==========================
CT SCAN OF A FANGBLENNY HEAD. (COURTESY OF ANTHONY ROMILIO)
A Tiny Fish With Terrifying Fangs and Opioid Venom
The fangblenny doesn’t care about your pain.
ED YONG
Petroscirtes breviceps, one of the non-venomous fangblenny species.ALEX RIBEIROThink about a venomous fang, and you’ll probably conjure up an image of a snake or spider. But perhaps you should also spare a thought for group of unassuming reef fish that are appropriately called fangblennies. They are finger-sized, colorful, and rather cute—that is, until they open their mouths. Their lower jaws bear two upsettingly large canine teeth, capable of delivering a deep bite. And the evolution of those teeth, according to a new study by Nicholas Casewell at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, took the fangblennies down a path of subterfuge, double-crossing, and chemical warfare.
Of the 33,000 or so species of fish, some 2,500 are venomous—far more than the number of venomous snakes. A surprising number of deep-sea sharks (including many that glow-in-the dark) have venomous spines at the base on their fins. Stingrays deliver venom with their ostentatious tail spikes, stonefish inject toxins with spines on their backs, lionfish use their flamboyant fins, and tangs deploy scalpel-like spines at the base of their tails. (So, yes, Dory is venomous.) But among this toxic underwater menagerie, only two groups have venomous bites—an obscure group of deep-sea eels, and the fangblennies.
Unlike snakes, spiders, and scorpions, the venomous blennies don’t use their poisons to hunt. “They’re mostly plankton-feeders,” says Casewell. Instead, their toxins are defensive. George Losey from the University of Hawaii demonstrated this in the 1970s by offering captive fangblennies to groupers. If the large predators swallowed the tiny fish, they would soon re-open their mouths and allow the morsels to swim out unharmed. But if Losey defanged the blennies first, the groupers readily devoured them.
But there are many kinds of fangblenny and not all of them are venomous. Casewell and his colleagues, including Bryan Fry from the University of Queensland, confirmed this by dissecting their way through several species. They showed that all of them share the disarmingly large canines, but only one group--Meiacanthus—has venom glands.
Casewell’s team extracted those glands from one species, and worked out which genes were being switched on. They found that the gland produces at least three types of toxin, none of which have been seen before in fish. The first—phospholipases—are common in the venoms of snakes, bees, and scorpions; they cause inflammation, and can damage nerves. The second—neuropeptide Y—is used by the lethal cone snail, and causes blood pressure to tank.
The third group—enkephalins—are opioid hormones. They’re similar to the natural endorphins that give you feel-good effects during exercise or laughter, and they work by targeting the same molecules as synthetic opioid painkillers like fentanyl or oxycodone. “But these substances have to be released in the brain to have that type of activity,” says Irina Vetter from the University of Queensland, who was involved in analyzing the blenny venom and is an expert on pain. “It’s unlikely that they would relieve pain when we’re bitten by a fish because they can’t get into the brain that way.” So contrary to a press release that was issued about this study, it’s unlikely that the enkephalins “act like heroin or morphine, inhibiting pain rather than causing it.”
But even if blenny venom isn’t a painkiller, it’s also not a pain-causer. Luiz Rocha from the California Academy of Sciences was once tagged by a Meiacanthus in the Red Sea, and even though he says the bite was “surprisingly deep and drew blood immediately,” it wasn’t painful.
That’s really weird. Fish venoms are known for being extraordinarily painful, inflicting agony out of all proportion to the wounds that they seep through. (Fry says that the time he was stung by a stingray was the most painful experience of his life, second only to breaking his back.) And pain is such a powerful deterrent that it’s surprising the blennies don’t evoke it.
Instead, Casewell thinks that they, like neuropeptide Y, are responsible for crashing a victim’s blood pressure. That should be enough to make a predator feel faint or uncoordinated, which may is why Losey’s groupers became slack-jawed upon ingesting a blenny.
The non-venomous fangblennies like Aspidontus defend themselves by mimicking other reef fish. Some take the guise of cleaner wrasse, which are tolerated by predators because they remove parasites. The blennies, however, exploit this tolerance to feed on their “clients”—the close in, and use their fangs to nip off bits of skin and scale. These sneak attacks may be why they evolved fangs in the first place.
But wait, there’s more! The venomous fangblennies are themselves mimicked by a wide variety of reef fish, and their impersonators include other non-venomous fangblennies. These harmless species, like Plagiotremus, take the colors, patterns, and swimming behavior of their more well-armed cousins to deter predators with the false threat of venom. They also become bolder. “In some places, Plagiotremus is very cryptic, hiding in holes and waiting for its prey to swim by, at which point it darts and takes a bite,” says Rocha. “But when Plagiotremus mimics the venomous Meiacanthus, it doesn’t hide.” It simply swims up to other fish and takes a nibble. And this convoluted web of deception was probably triggered “by the evolution of venom,” Casewell says.
“This is a monumental amount of work and it’s remarkable that the team pulled it all together,” says Leo Smith from the University of Kansas. “My main hope with this exciting study is that it will encourage researchers to explore the other 2,500 venomous fishes,” which have been neglected in favour of more infamous groups like snakes and spiders.
That’s possible because of new technologies that allow researchers to study venomous animals by looking at the genes they switch on. “It allows us to go beyond the traditional snakes and scorpions and investigate species with hard-to-dissect venom ducts or small quantities of venom,” says Mandë Holford from Hunter College. “It’s really an exciting time to be a venom researcher.”
from "The Atlantic"
==========================
A Tiny Fish With Terrifying Fangs and Opioid Venom
The fangblenny doesn’t care about your pain.
ED YONG
Petroscirtes breviceps, one of the non-venomous fangblenny species.ALEX RIBEIROThink about a venomous fang, and you’ll probably conjure up an image of a snake or spider. But perhaps you should also spare a thought for group of unassuming reef fish that are appropriately called fangblennies. They are finger-sized, colorful, and rather cute—that is, until they open their mouths. Their lower jaws bear two upsettingly large canine teeth, capable of delivering a deep bite. And the evolution of those teeth, according to a new study by Nicholas Casewell at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, took the fangblennies down a path of subterfuge, double-crossing, and chemical warfare.
Of the 33,000 or so species of fish, some 2,500 are venomous—far more than the number of venomous snakes. A surprising number of deep-sea sharks (including many that glow-in-the dark) have venomous spines at the base on their fins. Stingrays deliver venom with their ostentatious tail spikes, stonefish inject toxins with spines on their backs, lionfish use their flamboyant fins, and tangs deploy scalpel-like spines at the base of their tails. (So, yes, Dory is venomous.) But among this toxic underwater menagerie, only two groups have venomous bites—an obscure group of deep-sea eels, and the fangblennies.
Unlike snakes, spiders, and scorpions, the venomous blennies don’t use their poisons to hunt. “They’re mostly plankton-feeders,” says Casewell. Instead, their toxins are defensive. George Losey from the University of Hawaii demonstrated this in the 1970s by offering captive fangblennies to groupers. If the large predators swallowed the tiny fish, they would soon re-open their mouths and allow the morsels to swim out unharmed. But if Losey defanged the blennies first, the groupers readily devoured them.
But there are many kinds of fangblenny and not all of them are venomous. Casewell and his colleagues, including Bryan Fry from the University of Queensland, confirmed this by dissecting their way through several species. They showed that all of them share the disarmingly large canines, but only one group--Meiacanthus—has venom glands.
Casewell’s team extracted those glands from one species, and worked out which genes were being switched on. They found that the gland produces at least three types of toxin, none of which have been seen before in fish. The first—phospholipases—are common in the venoms of snakes, bees, and scorpions; they cause inflammation, and can damage nerves. The second—neuropeptide Y—is used by the lethal cone snail, and causes blood pressure to tank.
The third group—enkephalins—are opioid hormones. They’re similar to the natural endorphins that give you feel-good effects during exercise or laughter, and they work by targeting the same molecules as synthetic opioid painkillers like fentanyl or oxycodone. “But these substances have to be released in the brain to have that type of activity,” says Irina Vetter from the University of Queensland, who was involved in analyzing the blenny venom and is an expert on pain. “It’s unlikely that they would relieve pain when we’re bitten by a fish because they can’t get into the brain that way.” So contrary to a press release that was issued about this study, it’s unlikely that the enkephalins “act like heroin or morphine, inhibiting pain rather than causing it.”
But even if blenny venom isn’t a painkiller, it’s also not a pain-causer. Luiz Rocha from the California Academy of Sciences was once tagged by a Meiacanthus in the Red Sea, and even though he says the bite was “surprisingly deep and drew blood immediately,” it wasn’t painful.
That’s really weird. Fish venoms are known for being extraordinarily painful, inflicting agony out of all proportion to the wounds that they seep through. (Fry says that the time he was stung by a stingray was the most painful experience of his life, second only to breaking his back.) And pain is such a powerful deterrent that it’s surprising the blennies don’t evoke it.
Instead, Casewell thinks that they, like neuropeptide Y, are responsible for crashing a victim’s blood pressure. That should be enough to make a predator feel faint or uncoordinated, which may is why Losey’s groupers became slack-jawed upon ingesting a blenny.
The non-venomous fangblennies like Aspidontus defend themselves by mimicking other reef fish. Some take the guise of cleaner wrasse, which are tolerated by predators because they remove parasites. The blennies, however, exploit this tolerance to feed on their “clients”—the close in, and use their fangs to nip off bits of skin and scale. These sneak attacks may be why they evolved fangs in the first place.
But wait, there’s more! The venomous fangblennies are themselves mimicked by a wide variety of reef fish, and their impersonators include other non-venomous fangblennies. These harmless species, like Plagiotremus, take the colors, patterns, and swimming behavior of their more well-armed cousins to deter predators with the false threat of venom. They also become bolder. “In some places, Plagiotremus is very cryptic, hiding in holes and waiting for its prey to swim by, at which point it darts and takes a bite,” says Rocha. “But when Plagiotremus mimics the venomous Meiacanthus, it doesn’t hide.” It simply swims up to other fish and takes a nibble. And this convoluted web of deception was probably triggered “by the evolution of venom,” Casewell says.
“This is a monumental amount of work and it’s remarkable that the team pulled it all together,” says Leo Smith from the University of Kansas. “My main hope with this exciting study is that it will encourage researchers to explore the other 2,500 venomous fishes,” which have been neglected in favour of more infamous groups like snakes and spiders.
That’s possible because of new technologies that allow researchers to study venomous animals by looking at the genes they switch on. “It allows us to go beyond the traditional snakes and scorpions and investigate species with hard-to-dissect venom ducts or small quantities of venom,” says Mandë Holford from Hunter College. “It’s really an exciting time to be a venom researcher.”
from "The Atlantic"
==========================
Barrier Reef Blenny
Cryptobenthic fish include the Roughhead blenny, Belize sponge goby, Matador triplefin, Warteye stargazer, and Saddled blenny. (Credit: Jordan Casey)
The Tiny Fish That Break a Fundamental Rule of Vertebrate Life
By living fast and getting eaten in extreme numbers, these overlooked critters fuel the food webs that allow vast communities to flourish in coral reefs.
ED YONG
MAY 23, 2019
Although coral reefs are home to bustling communities of gaudy marine life, half the fishes that live there are hardly ever seen. Aptly known as cryptobenthics—literally “hidden bottom-dwellers”—these species are mostly shorter than two inches and usually hidden in crevices. If you snorkel past, they’ll scurry away. But Simon Brandl of Simon Fraser University has made a career of studying them. And he and his team have now shown that cryptobenthics are a crucial component of healthy reefs because they, more so than other fish, are extremely good at dying.
Pretty much every predator on the reef eats cryptobenthics, and a full 70 percent of these tiny morsels are devoured every week. But since they also reproduce, hatch, and grow at equally phenomenal rates, new individuals are constantly replenishing the ones that are consumed. Entire generations can turn over in a matter of weeks. And this extreme life cycle, Brandl found, is the secret engine of the world’s coral reefs, fueling the food webs that allow their inhabitants to flourish in otherwise nutrient-poor waters.
Large, colorful fish such as groupers, wrasses, and parrotfish “are what people focus on because they’re the ones you see when you’re diving,” says Julia Baum, a coral researcher at the University of Victoria. “But I love it when a study like this comes out of the blue and says that maybe these tiny fish might be the ones that are fueling everything else on the reef. That’s very cool.”
Seventeen families of fish count as cryptobenthics, but aside from seahorses (and perhaps gobies), most are obscure. Blennies, dottybacks, clingfishes, and dragonets—they’d be household names if only they were a little bigger, Brandl thinks. “I suspect that if we were to blow them up to 20 times their size, we’d consider some of them to be the most beautiful fish on the reef,” he says.
Cryptobenthic fish include the Roughhead blenny, Belize sponge goby, Matador triplefin, Warteye stargazer, and Saddled blenny. (Credit: Jordan Casey)The small size of these fish also limits how many eggs they can produce, “which means they have to be extremely religious about making sure those actually hatch,” Brandl says. Some incubate their eggs in their mouths, forgoing meals until the larvae break out. Seahorse males lug around their eggs in breeding pouches. Sandgazers carry around a ball of eggs under their pectoral fins—a behavior called “armpit breeding.” These tactics mean that cryptobenthics are far better than other fish at converting eggs into larvae. When researchers count the baby fish in the waters near a reef, about 70 percent will be cryptobenthics.
For most of these larvae, life will be brief—even if they escape the jaws of predators. The pygmy goby, for example, crams its entire existence into just two months—the shortest life span of any backboned animal. Much of that time is spent as a larva, which quickly quintuples in size into an inch-long adult that lasts for just a few weeks. Living fast and dying young: That’s the cryptobenthic way. “They’ve broken with the fundamental rule of being a vertebrate, which is that you spend most of your time as an adult,” says Brandl. “They’re almost getting into mayfly territory.”
Read: A tiny fish with terrifying fangs and opioid venom
All of this explains why standard surveys fail to capture how important these fish are. Ecologists typically study reef animals by measuring their “standing biomass”—that is, they grab all the adults in an area and weigh them. By this measure, cryptobenthics seem unimportant: Though there are plenty of them, they barely shift the scales, even together. But that metric is profoundly misleading, because it ignores just how many cryptobenthics are eaten, and how often they’re eaten.
By simulating the lives of these fishes, Brandl found that their generations tick by so quickly, and they’re so frequently preyed upon, that every individual is replaced seven times a year. That’s a huge mass of fish that we rarely ever notice, because it’s eaten almost as quickly as it is generated. Weigh the survivors at any one moment, and you’ll be unimpressed. But estimate the total mass of the dead, as Brandl and his team did, and you’ll find that cryptobenthics account for 60 percent of the fish flesh that is eaten on a reef. Abundant, calorific, and rapidly produced, “they’re the fast food of coral reefs,” says Gabby Ahmadia, who has studied cryptobenthics and is now a director of marine-conservation science at the WWF.
The hidden influence of cryptobenthics might explain a long-standing puzzle called Darwin’s paradox. Simply put, “corals need clear, tropical waters to survive, but those waters are usually poor in nutrients,” explains Luiz Rocha of the California Academy of Sciences. So how can such watery deserts support such heaving communities?
One possibility: Seabirds could import nutrients by feeding in faraway waters and then dropping guano on the reefs. (A recent study supported this idea by showing that when invasive rats kill island seabirds, the surrounding reefs also suffer.) Cryptobenthics could fulfill a similar role. As larvae, they feed in richer offshore waters before moving back to the reefs once they mature. All the energy locked in their bodies “gets transferred to the reef when they die as adults or are eaten,” says Rocha. They’re like a massive, invisible conveyor belt, channeling nutrients into the shallows.
For this conveyor belt to work, cryptobenthics have had to break yet another rule of marine life. The larvae of most reef fish spread over long distances by riding ocean currents, but those of cryptobenthics “don’t really go anywhere,” Brandl says. They stay within a few hundred meters of the reefs where they were born, and eventually swim home to fill the empty spots that the former generation has vacated.
This lack of wanderlust has shaped their evolution. Populations can become easily isolated from one another, so existing species are quick to split into new ones. But since those species are typically confined to a narrow geographical range, they’re also prone to extinction. What will happen to them in the future, as coral reefs are pummeled by heat waves, acidifying water, and increasing tropical storms? Ahmadia says that based on previous studies, they’re actually pretty resilient. “Cryptobenthic fish are more likely to withstand reef degradation and may play a role in the recovery of coral-reef systems,” she says.
Read: Since 2016, half of all coral in the Great Barrier Reef has died
Repeatedly, we see that the limits of our senses limit our understanding of nature. We neglect what we cannot see, whether cryptobenthic fish or the microbes that grow on corals. “I work on cryptic invertebrates, which have been ignored for the same reasons,” says Nancy Knowlton of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. “If you go to a reef and break off a head of dead coral, it’ll be full of little hiding crabs, shrimps, and snails. But unless you really make an effort to find these things, they’re hard to study.”
from "The Atlantic"
==========================
By living fast and getting eaten in extreme numbers, these overlooked critters fuel the food webs that allow vast communities to flourish in coral reefs.
ED YONG
MAY 23, 2019
Although coral reefs are home to bustling communities of gaudy marine life, half the fishes that live there are hardly ever seen. Aptly known as cryptobenthics—literally “hidden bottom-dwellers”—these species are mostly shorter than two inches and usually hidden in crevices. If you snorkel past, they’ll scurry away. But Simon Brandl of Simon Fraser University has made a career of studying them. And he and his team have now shown that cryptobenthics are a crucial component of healthy reefs because they, more so than other fish, are extremely good at dying.
Pretty much every predator on the reef eats cryptobenthics, and a full 70 percent of these tiny morsels are devoured every week. But since they also reproduce, hatch, and grow at equally phenomenal rates, new individuals are constantly replenishing the ones that are consumed. Entire generations can turn over in a matter of weeks. And this extreme life cycle, Brandl found, is the secret engine of the world’s coral reefs, fueling the food webs that allow their inhabitants to flourish in otherwise nutrient-poor waters.
Large, colorful fish such as groupers, wrasses, and parrotfish “are what people focus on because they’re the ones you see when you’re diving,” says Julia Baum, a coral researcher at the University of Victoria. “But I love it when a study like this comes out of the blue and says that maybe these tiny fish might be the ones that are fueling everything else on the reef. That’s very cool.”
Seventeen families of fish count as cryptobenthics, but aside from seahorses (and perhaps gobies), most are obscure. Blennies, dottybacks, clingfishes, and dragonets—they’d be household names if only they were a little bigger, Brandl thinks. “I suspect that if we were to blow them up to 20 times their size, we’d consider some of them to be the most beautiful fish on the reef,” he says.
Cryptobenthic fish include the Roughhead blenny, Belize sponge goby, Matador triplefin, Warteye stargazer, and Saddled blenny. (Credit: Jordan Casey)The small size of these fish also limits how many eggs they can produce, “which means they have to be extremely religious about making sure those actually hatch,” Brandl says. Some incubate their eggs in their mouths, forgoing meals until the larvae break out. Seahorse males lug around their eggs in breeding pouches. Sandgazers carry around a ball of eggs under their pectoral fins—a behavior called “armpit breeding.” These tactics mean that cryptobenthics are far better than other fish at converting eggs into larvae. When researchers count the baby fish in the waters near a reef, about 70 percent will be cryptobenthics.
For most of these larvae, life will be brief—even if they escape the jaws of predators. The pygmy goby, for example, crams its entire existence into just two months—the shortest life span of any backboned animal. Much of that time is spent as a larva, which quickly quintuples in size into an inch-long adult that lasts for just a few weeks. Living fast and dying young: That’s the cryptobenthic way. “They’ve broken with the fundamental rule of being a vertebrate, which is that you spend most of your time as an adult,” says Brandl. “They’re almost getting into mayfly territory.”
Read: A tiny fish with terrifying fangs and opioid venom
All of this explains why standard surveys fail to capture how important these fish are. Ecologists typically study reef animals by measuring their “standing biomass”—that is, they grab all the adults in an area and weigh them. By this measure, cryptobenthics seem unimportant: Though there are plenty of them, they barely shift the scales, even together. But that metric is profoundly misleading, because it ignores just how many cryptobenthics are eaten, and how often they’re eaten.
By simulating the lives of these fishes, Brandl found that their generations tick by so quickly, and they’re so frequently preyed upon, that every individual is replaced seven times a year. That’s a huge mass of fish that we rarely ever notice, because it’s eaten almost as quickly as it is generated. Weigh the survivors at any one moment, and you’ll be unimpressed. But estimate the total mass of the dead, as Brandl and his team did, and you’ll find that cryptobenthics account for 60 percent of the fish flesh that is eaten on a reef. Abundant, calorific, and rapidly produced, “they’re the fast food of coral reefs,” says Gabby Ahmadia, who has studied cryptobenthics and is now a director of marine-conservation science at the WWF.
The hidden influence of cryptobenthics might explain a long-standing puzzle called Darwin’s paradox. Simply put, “corals need clear, tropical waters to survive, but those waters are usually poor in nutrients,” explains Luiz Rocha of the California Academy of Sciences. So how can such watery deserts support such heaving communities?
One possibility: Seabirds could import nutrients by feeding in faraway waters and then dropping guano on the reefs. (A recent study supported this idea by showing that when invasive rats kill island seabirds, the surrounding reefs also suffer.) Cryptobenthics could fulfill a similar role. As larvae, they feed in richer offshore waters before moving back to the reefs once they mature. All the energy locked in their bodies “gets transferred to the reef when they die as adults or are eaten,” says Rocha. They’re like a massive, invisible conveyor belt, channeling nutrients into the shallows.
For this conveyor belt to work, cryptobenthics have had to break yet another rule of marine life. The larvae of most reef fish spread over long distances by riding ocean currents, but those of cryptobenthics “don’t really go anywhere,” Brandl says. They stay within a few hundred meters of the reefs where they were born, and eventually swim home to fill the empty spots that the former generation has vacated.
This lack of wanderlust has shaped their evolution. Populations can become easily isolated from one another, so existing species are quick to split into new ones. But since those species are typically confined to a narrow geographical range, they’re also prone to extinction. What will happen to them in the future, as coral reefs are pummeled by heat waves, acidifying water, and increasing tropical storms? Ahmadia says that based on previous studies, they’re actually pretty resilient. “Cryptobenthic fish are more likely to withstand reef degradation and may play a role in the recovery of coral-reef systems,” she says.
Read: Since 2016, half of all coral in the Great Barrier Reef has died
Repeatedly, we see that the limits of our senses limit our understanding of nature. We neglect what we cannot see, whether cryptobenthic fish or the microbes that grow on corals. “I work on cryptic invertebrates, which have been ignored for the same reasons,” says Nancy Knowlton of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. “If you go to a reef and break off a head of dead coral, it’ll be full of little hiding crabs, shrimps, and snails. But unless you really make an effort to find these things, they’re hard to study.”
from "The Atlantic"
==========================
Hemiancistrus subviridis, the Green Phantom Pleco.
Hemiancistrus to be Further Studied
May, 2019
Hemiancistrus subviridis, the Green Phantom Pleco. Image Credit: 5snake5, CC0 1.0.
The Catfish Study Group (CSG) Research Study Fund has been helping further the study of catfishes and they are at it again! Funding has been provided to Vanessa Meza-Vargas for her dissertation revising and classifying of Hemiancistrus catfish. This genus of armored catfish requires diligent work towards furthering the understanding of the genus and the relationships between species.
A bit about Vanessa: she worked on the taxonomy of Chaetostoma genera and species, has worked at the Royal Ontario Museum, and is currently working with Roberto Reis at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil in studying loricariid systematics. Thank you, Vanessa, for taking on this project and we hope to read your results soon!
How to Help
Interested in furthering research on catfish? The research outlined above is funded by the Catfish Study Group. Any size contribution is accepted through their website at https://www.catfishstudygroup.org/.
from Reef to Rainforest media
==========================
May, 2019
Hemiancistrus subviridis, the Green Phantom Pleco. Image Credit: 5snake5, CC0 1.0.
The Catfish Study Group (CSG) Research Study Fund has been helping further the study of catfishes and they are at it again! Funding has been provided to Vanessa Meza-Vargas for her dissertation revising and classifying of Hemiancistrus catfish. This genus of armored catfish requires diligent work towards furthering the understanding of the genus and the relationships between species.
A bit about Vanessa: she worked on the taxonomy of Chaetostoma genera and species, has worked at the Royal Ontario Museum, and is currently working with Roberto Reis at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil in studying loricariid systematics. Thank you, Vanessa, for taking on this project and we hope to read your results soon!
How to Help
Interested in furthering research on catfish? The research outlined above is funded by the Catfish Study Group. Any size contribution is accepted through their website at https://www.catfishstudygroup.org/.
from Reef to Rainforest media
==========================
New Populations of the Rare Subterranean Blind Cave Eel Ophisternon candidum (Synbranchidae)reveal Recent Historical Connections throughout north-western Australia
Ophisternon candidum (Mees, 1962)
in Moore, Humphreys & Foster, 2018.
DOI: 10.1071/MF18006
twitter.com/DrKMAbrams FishesofAustralia.net.au
Abstract
The enigmatic blind cave eel Ophisternon candidum is one of Australia’s least known fishes and is one of only three vertebrates in Australia with an entirely subterranean existence. For more than half a century, O. candidum was thought to be restricted to some 100 km of coastal cave systems in north-western Australia. Herein we report on two new populations, each separated by hundreds of kilometres, and provide the first complete list of all known records of subterranean Ophisternon in Western Australia. Using morphological and molecular data, we show that these populations are conspecific, with one population showing evidence of genetic differentiation. Geological and biogeographic explanations are explored, along with conservation considerations. All populations face actual and potential threats, especially from mining activities, and there is a need for management and conservation strategies specific to each population.
Keywords: anchialine, Barrow Island, biogeography, Cape Range, conservation, genetics, Pilbara.
Glenn I. Moore, William F. Humphreys and Ralph Foster. 2018. New Populations of the Rare Subterranean Blind Cave Eel Ophisternon candidum (Synbranchidae) reveal Recent Historical Connections throughout north-western Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research. DOI: 10.1071/MF18006
researchgate.net/publication/326173234_New_populations_of_Ophisternon_candidum
twitter.com/BiolSci_UWA/status/1015541639241084929
twitter.com/DrKMAbrams/status/1019469227948851200
FishesofAustralia.net.au/home/species/3203
Abstract: The rare blind cave eel Ophisternon candidum is restricted to a few populations and was originally described on the basis of only two specimens. The holotype and paratype were re-examined to provide revised and additional morphometrics. Nine more recently collected specimens, across a range of sizes, were also examined to provide an updated and expanded description of morphometrics for the species. Sensory head pores were identified and described for the first time in this species and a series of fresh colour photographs of both juvenile and adult specimens are provided suggesting ontogenetic ocular degeneration and vascularisation that may have evolved in response to a life in darkness.
Keywords: Anchialine, Pilbara, X-ray, Head pores, Anommatophasma
Glenn I. Moore. 2018. New morphological data and live photographs of the rare subterranean blind cave eel Ophisternon candidum (Synbranchidae) from north-western Australia. Ichthyological Research. DOI: 10.1007/s10228-018-0647-2
==========================
Ophisternon candidum (Mees, 1962)
in Moore, Humphreys & Foster, 2018.
DOI: 10.1071/MF18006
twitter.com/DrKMAbrams FishesofAustralia.net.au
Abstract
The enigmatic blind cave eel Ophisternon candidum is one of Australia’s least known fishes and is one of only three vertebrates in Australia with an entirely subterranean existence. For more than half a century, O. candidum was thought to be restricted to some 100 km of coastal cave systems in north-western Australia. Herein we report on two new populations, each separated by hundreds of kilometres, and provide the first complete list of all known records of subterranean Ophisternon in Western Australia. Using morphological and molecular data, we show that these populations are conspecific, with one population showing evidence of genetic differentiation. Geological and biogeographic explanations are explored, along with conservation considerations. All populations face actual and potential threats, especially from mining activities, and there is a need for management and conservation strategies specific to each population.
Keywords: anchialine, Barrow Island, biogeography, Cape Range, conservation, genetics, Pilbara.
Glenn I. Moore, William F. Humphreys and Ralph Foster. 2018. New Populations of the Rare Subterranean Blind Cave Eel Ophisternon candidum (Synbranchidae) reveal Recent Historical Connections throughout north-western Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research. DOI: 10.1071/MF18006
researchgate.net/publication/326173234_New_populations_of_Ophisternon_candidum
twitter.com/BiolSci_UWA/status/1015541639241084929
twitter.com/DrKMAbrams/status/1019469227948851200
FishesofAustralia.net.au/home/species/3203
Abstract: The rare blind cave eel Ophisternon candidum is restricted to a few populations and was originally described on the basis of only two specimens. The holotype and paratype were re-examined to provide revised and additional morphometrics. Nine more recently collected specimens, across a range of sizes, were also examined to provide an updated and expanded description of morphometrics for the species. Sensory head pores were identified and described for the first time in this species and a series of fresh colour photographs of both juvenile and adult specimens are provided suggesting ontogenetic ocular degeneration and vascularisation that may have evolved in response to a life in darkness.
Keywords: Anchialine, Pilbara, X-ray, Head pores, Anommatophasma
Glenn I. Moore. 2018. New morphological data and live photographs of the rare subterranean blind cave eel Ophisternon candidum (Synbranchidae) from north-western Australia. Ichthyological Research. DOI: 10.1007/s10228-018-0647-2
==========================
Aenigmachanna gollum • A New Genus and Species of Subterranean Snakehead (Teleostei: Channidae) from Kerala, South India
Aenigmachanna gollum
Britz, Anoop, Dahanukar & Raghavan, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4603.2.10
facebook.com/RajeevRaghavan98
Abstract
Aenigmachanna gollum, new genus and species, is described from Kerala, South India. It is the first subterranean species of the family Channidae. It has numerous derived and unique characters, separating it from both the Asian Channa Scopoli and the African Parachanna Teugels & Daget. Uniquely among channids, A. gollum has a very slender (maximum body depth only 11.1–11.3% SL), eel-like body (head length 20.8–21.6% SL), large mouth (jaw length 60.4–61.1 % HL), 43–44 anal-fin rays, 83–85 scales in a lateral series, an unusual colour pattern and it lacks pored lateral-line scales on the body and body buoyancy. In addition, it is distinguished by its DNA barcode sequence, which is 15.8–24.2% divergent from other species of the family Channidae. Morphological modifications usually associated with a subterranean life, such as reduction of eyes and enhancement of non-visual senses (taste, smell, mechanosensory systems) are absent in A. gollum. However, it shares with subterranean fishes a slight reduction of its pigmentation in comparison to epigean channids.
Keywords: Western Ghats-Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot, relict lineages, laterite, aquifer, Pisces
Ralf Britz, V.K. Anoop, Neelesh Dahanukar and Rajeev Raghavan. 2019. The Subterranean Aenigmachanna gollum, A New Genus and Species of Snakehead (Teleostei: Channidae) from Kerala, South India. Zootaxa. 4603(2); 377–388. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4603.2.10
facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155844075950938
=========================
Aenigmachanna gollum
Britz, Anoop, Dahanukar & Raghavan, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4603.2.10
facebook.com/RajeevRaghavan98
Abstract
Aenigmachanna gollum, new genus and species, is described from Kerala, South India. It is the first subterranean species of the family Channidae. It has numerous derived and unique characters, separating it from both the Asian Channa Scopoli and the African Parachanna Teugels & Daget. Uniquely among channids, A. gollum has a very slender (maximum body depth only 11.1–11.3% SL), eel-like body (head length 20.8–21.6% SL), large mouth (jaw length 60.4–61.1 % HL), 43–44 anal-fin rays, 83–85 scales in a lateral series, an unusual colour pattern and it lacks pored lateral-line scales on the body and body buoyancy. In addition, it is distinguished by its DNA barcode sequence, which is 15.8–24.2% divergent from other species of the family Channidae. Morphological modifications usually associated with a subterranean life, such as reduction of eyes and enhancement of non-visual senses (taste, smell, mechanosensory systems) are absent in A. gollum. However, it shares with subterranean fishes a slight reduction of its pigmentation in comparison to epigean channids.
Keywords: Western Ghats-Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot, relict lineages, laterite, aquifer, Pisces
Ralf Britz, V.K. Anoop, Neelesh Dahanukar and Rajeev Raghavan. 2019. The Subterranean Aenigmachanna gollum, A New Genus and Species of Snakehead (Teleostei: Channidae) from Kerala, South India. Zootaxa. 4603(2); 377–388. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4603.2.10
facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155844075950938
=========================
Enteromius pinnimaculatus
Enteromius pinnimaculatus sp. nov. (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) from southern Gabon
H. K. Mipounga J. Cutler J. H. Mve Beh
B. Adam B. L. Sidlauskas
First published: 01 May 2019
https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.13995
This article has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Fish Biology and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.1111/jfb.13995.
PDF
TOOLS
ABSTRACT
We present and describe a new species of Enteromius, adding to the 16 species of Enteromius currently recorded from Gabon, West Africa. This new species is distinguished from all other Gabonese Enteromius by the presence of several distinct spots on the dorsal fin in combination with three or four round spots on the flanks. In Africa, it is superficially similar to Enteromius walkeri and with which it shares an unusual allometry in that the proportional length of the barbels decreases as the fish grows. Nevertheless, one can distinguish these species by vertebral number, maximum standard length, the length of the anterior barbels, the length of the caudal peduncle and in most specimens, the number of lateral‐line and circumpeduncular scales. These two species also inhabit widely separated drainages, with E. walkeri occurring in coastal drainages of Ghana including the Pra and Ankobra Rivers and the new species occurring in tributaries of the Louetsi and Bibaka Rivers of Gabon, which are part of the Ogowe and Nyanga drainages, respectively. Despite extensive collections in those drainages the new species is known from only two localities, suggesting the importance of conservation of its known habitat.
==========================
H. K. Mipounga J. Cutler J. H. Mve Beh
B. Adam B. L. Sidlauskas
First published: 01 May 2019
https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.13995
This article has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Fish Biology and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.1111/jfb.13995.
TOOLS
ABSTRACT
We present and describe a new species of Enteromius, adding to the 16 species of Enteromius currently recorded from Gabon, West Africa. This new species is distinguished from all other Gabonese Enteromius by the presence of several distinct spots on the dorsal fin in combination with three or four round spots on the flanks. In Africa, it is superficially similar to Enteromius walkeri and with which it shares an unusual allometry in that the proportional length of the barbels decreases as the fish grows. Nevertheless, one can distinguish these species by vertebral number, maximum standard length, the length of the anterior barbels, the length of the caudal peduncle and in most specimens, the number of lateral‐line and circumpeduncular scales. These two species also inhabit widely separated drainages, with E. walkeri occurring in coastal drainages of Ghana including the Pra and Ankobra Rivers and the new species occurring in tributaries of the Louetsi and Bibaka Rivers of Gabon, which are part of the Ogowe and Nyanga drainages, respectively. Despite extensive collections in those drainages the new species is known from only two localities, suggesting the importance of conservation of its known habitat.
==========================
Description of a New Species of Killifish of the Genus Profundulus parentiae(Atherinomorpha: Profundulidae) from the Mexican State of Oaxaca
Wilfredo A. Matamoros, Sara E. Domínguez-Cisneros, Ernesto Velázquez-Velázquez, Caleb D. McMahan
Author Affiliations +
Copeia, 106(2):239-246 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1643/CI-17-677
AbstractThe Middle American killifish genus Profundulus occurs in most Pacific and Atlantic drainages from the Mexican state of Guerrero to the Chamelecón River in Honduras, with highest species diversity in southern Mexico. In this study, we describe a new member of the genus, Profundulus parentiae, new species, from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is distinguished from P. guatemalensis and P. kreiseri by having rows of dots on the sides of the body. Profundulus parentiae, new species, can be distinguished from P. oaxacae by having 33 lateral scales, versus 29–31 in P. oaxacae. Profundulus parentiae, new species, can be distinguished from P. balsanus, P. oaxacae, and P. mixtlanensis by the presence of long epiotic processes that extend beyond the epipleural ribs of the first vertebra, versus short epiotic processes not reaching the epipleural ribs of the first vertebra. Profundulus parentiae, new species, can be differentiated from P. punctatus by the presence of a dorso-ventrally compressed Meckel's cartilage with a relatively straight medial process and a narrow and strongly concave sesamoid articular, versus a dorso-ventrally expanded Meckel's cartilage with concave medial process and a wide and moderately concave sesamoid articular. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of molecular sequence data, the new species is recovered as the sister taxon to P. balsanus. The discovery and description of this new species in southeastern Mexico, raises the number of species from this region to five and suggests that this area has been an important center for diversification within this lineage of killifishes.
==========================
Wilfredo A. Matamoros, Sara E. Domínguez-Cisneros, Ernesto Velázquez-Velázquez, Caleb D. McMahan
Author Affiliations +
Copeia, 106(2):239-246 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1643/CI-17-677
AbstractThe Middle American killifish genus Profundulus occurs in most Pacific and Atlantic drainages from the Mexican state of Guerrero to the Chamelecón River in Honduras, with highest species diversity in southern Mexico. In this study, we describe a new member of the genus, Profundulus parentiae, new species, from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is distinguished from P. guatemalensis and P. kreiseri by having rows of dots on the sides of the body. Profundulus parentiae, new species, can be distinguished from P. oaxacae by having 33 lateral scales, versus 29–31 in P. oaxacae. Profundulus parentiae, new species, can be distinguished from P. balsanus, P. oaxacae, and P. mixtlanensis by the presence of long epiotic processes that extend beyond the epipleural ribs of the first vertebra, versus short epiotic processes not reaching the epipleural ribs of the first vertebra. Profundulus parentiae, new species, can be differentiated from P. punctatus by the presence of a dorso-ventrally compressed Meckel's cartilage with a relatively straight medial process and a narrow and strongly concave sesamoid articular, versus a dorso-ventrally expanded Meckel's cartilage with concave medial process and a wide and moderately concave sesamoid articular. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of molecular sequence data, the new species is recovered as the sister taxon to P. balsanus. The discovery and description of this new species in southeastern Mexico, raises the number of species from this region to five and suggests that this area has been an important center for diversification within this lineage of killifishes.
==========================
Redescription and Recognition of Etheostoma cyanorum from Blue River, Oklahoma
William J. Matthews1 and Thomas F. Turner
Etheostoma cyanorum, endemic to the Blue River drainage of southern Oklahoma, is redescribed and recognized as a
distinct species within the Etheostoma whipplei–Etheostoma radiosum complex, separating it from E. radiosum. Originally
described as Poecilichthys radiosus cyanorum, it was one of three putative subspecies of E. radiosum (with E. r. radiosum and
E. r. paludosum) considered valid until now, defined in part by drainage-specific allopatry. Two separate mtDNA gene
trees show that E. cyanorum forms a distinct and strongly supported lineage. Ten meristic and 16 morphometric traits
are reexamined and new information included, confirming traits separating E. cyanorum from E. radiosum, and clarifying
ambiguities about ‘‘bluntness of the snout’’ as diagnostic for P. r. cyanorum. Etheostoma cyanorum differs from E.
radiosum by lower counts of unpored lateral line scales, higher counts of pored lateral line scales, and greater
interorbital width. Large adult E. cyanorum have a deep body and blunt snout per earlier studies, but those traits are not
diagnostic due to allometry. Head depth and head width can separate E. cyanorum from most populations of E. radiosum,
but they overlap with some populations of E. radiosum in southwest Arkansas. All evidence supports recognition of E.
cyanorum as a valid species. A broad geographic, molecular assessment to supplement existing morphological
information is needed to assess validity of the two remaining subspecies of E. radiosum.
WE redescribe and recognize Etheostoma cyanorum
as a valid species, separate from Etheostoma
radiosum (Orangebelly Darter; Moore and Rigney,
1952; Collette, 1965; Matthews and Gelwick, 1988), within
the larger Etheostoma whipplei (Redfin Darter) species complex,
or clade (Retzer et al., 1986; Lang and Mayden, 2006;
Near et al., 2011).We review its taxonomic history and recent
treatments, supplement and reevaluate previous morphological
data, and add molecular genetic data supporting specific
recognition. Etheostoma cyanorum is known only from the
Blue River drainage in southcentral Oklahoma, USA, a
tributary of Red River. The range of E. radiosum, minus E.
cyanorum, includes tributaries of the Washita River west of
Blue River, and all south-flowing drainages in Oklahoma or
Arkansas east of Blue River from the Clear-Muddy Boggy
drainage to the upper Ouachita River basin in Arkansas (Fig.
1). In the Saline River of the Ouachita River basin (note there
are two ‘‘Saline’’ rivers in Arkansas) Etheostoma artesiae
(Redspot Darter) represents the clade. Etheostoma whipplei
occurs north of E. cyanorum and E. radiosum, limited in the
region to the Arkansas River basin (Retzer et al., 1986; Piller et
al., 2001; Robison and Buchanan, 1988, in press). Thus, the
four species (including E. cyanorum) of the E. whipplei clade
exhibit near complete allopatry, with a narrow zone of
sympatry between E. radiosum and E. artesiae above the Fall
Line in the Red and Ouachita river drainages (Piller et al.,
2001). But in hundreds of samples from southwest Arkansas
or southeast Oklahoma by WJM since 1976, no two of the
species have been found together.
The Redfin Darter complex, and Etheostoma radiosum
cyanorum (Moore and Rigney, 1952) in particular, have a
complicated taxonomic history (details in Supplemental Text
A; see Data Accessibility). The first species described in the
group was Boleichthys whipplii (now ¼ E. whipplei) from Coal
Creek, Indian Territory (now Pittsburg County, Oklahoma;
Girard, 1859). Jordan and Gilbert (1886) collected specimens
within the range of the future E. radiosum in the upper
Ouachita River basin in Arkansas, reporting them as
Etheostoma whipplei (amended spelling) but noting a ‘‘lack
of red spots’’ (unlike E. whipplei). The first collections of E. r.
paludosum, as ‘‘E. whipplei,’’ later described as Poecilichthys
radiosus paludosus (Moore and Rigney, 1952), were in the
Kiamichi River drainage by Seth E. Meek in 1894 (Meek,
1896), and by H. A. Pilsbry in 1903 in the Muddy Boggy
drainage (Fowler, 1904). Thus by 1904, Etheostoma whipplei
(or whipplii) was viewed as one species in Oklahoma (then
Indian Territory), Arkansas, and extreme north Texas, but
with considerable variation noted. Ortenburger and Hubbs
(1926) reported Poecilichthys whipplii (spelled with two ‘‘ii’’s)
from a collection on 19 June 1925 in Yanubbe Creek,
McCurtain County, Oklahoma, comprising the first collection
of E. radiosum from the Little River basin. The Blue River
drainage was not sampled by ichthyologists until the 1940s,
thus P. r. cyanorum (Moore and Rigney, 1952), now E.
cyanorum, remained undetected.
Hubbs and Black (1941) recognized Poecilichthys whipplei
radiosus, from the Caddo River, Arkansas, as a new subspecies.
However, Hubbs and Black (their map, p. 3) included
specimens from the (eastern) Saline River in Arkansas and
rivers in Texas, now known to have Etheostoma artesiae (Piller
et al., 2001) instead of E. radiosum. Moore and Rigney (1952)
elevated Poecilichthys radiosus to species and provided
diagnoses for three new subspecies: P. r. cyanorum from Blue
River, P. r. paludosus from the Clear Boggy and Kiamichi
systems, and P. r. radiosus throughout the rest of the range to
the east. Moore and Rigney (1952) and Scalet (1971)
diagnosed the Blue River subspecies as having a blunter
and more ‘‘decurved’’ snout, deeper head, a ‘‘larger, heavier
body’’ (but see Results about validity of these traits), fewer
unpored scales, and more pored scales than other subspecies.
Bailey et al. (1954) placed all darters in three genera, moving
Poecilichthys into the genus Etheostoma.
Echelle et al. (1975) assessed lactate dehydrogenase LDH-1
and esterase ES-3 enzymes at multiple sites within each
drainage in the range of E. radiosum as then known. For both
LDH-1 and ES-1 Blue River fish differed substantially from
1 Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, Oklahoma 73019; Email: wmatthews@ou.edu. Send reprint
requests to this address.
2 Department of Biology and Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131; Email: turnert@
unm.edu.
Submitted: 25 April 2018. Accepted: 30 January 2019. Associate Editor: M. T. Craig.
2019 by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists DOI: 10.1643/CI-18-054 Published online: 11 April 2019
==========================
William J. Matthews1 and Thomas F. Turner
Etheostoma cyanorum, endemic to the Blue River drainage of southern Oklahoma, is redescribed and recognized as a
distinct species within the Etheostoma whipplei–Etheostoma radiosum complex, separating it from E. radiosum. Originally
described as Poecilichthys radiosus cyanorum, it was one of three putative subspecies of E. radiosum (with E. r. radiosum and
E. r. paludosum) considered valid until now, defined in part by drainage-specific allopatry. Two separate mtDNA gene
trees show that E. cyanorum forms a distinct and strongly supported lineage. Ten meristic and 16 morphometric traits
are reexamined and new information included, confirming traits separating E. cyanorum from E. radiosum, and clarifying
ambiguities about ‘‘bluntness of the snout’’ as diagnostic for P. r. cyanorum. Etheostoma cyanorum differs from E.
radiosum by lower counts of unpored lateral line scales, higher counts of pored lateral line scales, and greater
interorbital width. Large adult E. cyanorum have a deep body and blunt snout per earlier studies, but those traits are not
diagnostic due to allometry. Head depth and head width can separate E. cyanorum from most populations of E. radiosum,
but they overlap with some populations of E. radiosum in southwest Arkansas. All evidence supports recognition of E.
cyanorum as a valid species. A broad geographic, molecular assessment to supplement existing morphological
information is needed to assess validity of the two remaining subspecies of E. radiosum.
WE redescribe and recognize Etheostoma cyanorum
as a valid species, separate from Etheostoma
radiosum (Orangebelly Darter; Moore and Rigney,
1952; Collette, 1965; Matthews and Gelwick, 1988), within
the larger Etheostoma whipplei (Redfin Darter) species complex,
or clade (Retzer et al., 1986; Lang and Mayden, 2006;
Near et al., 2011).We review its taxonomic history and recent
treatments, supplement and reevaluate previous morphological
data, and add molecular genetic data supporting specific
recognition. Etheostoma cyanorum is known only from the
Blue River drainage in southcentral Oklahoma, USA, a
tributary of Red River. The range of E. radiosum, minus E.
cyanorum, includes tributaries of the Washita River west of
Blue River, and all south-flowing drainages in Oklahoma or
Arkansas east of Blue River from the Clear-Muddy Boggy
drainage to the upper Ouachita River basin in Arkansas (Fig.
1). In the Saline River of the Ouachita River basin (note there
are two ‘‘Saline’’ rivers in Arkansas) Etheostoma artesiae
(Redspot Darter) represents the clade. Etheostoma whipplei
occurs north of E. cyanorum and E. radiosum, limited in the
region to the Arkansas River basin (Retzer et al., 1986; Piller et
al., 2001; Robison and Buchanan, 1988, in press). Thus, the
four species (including E. cyanorum) of the E. whipplei clade
exhibit near complete allopatry, with a narrow zone of
sympatry between E. radiosum and E. artesiae above the Fall
Line in the Red and Ouachita river drainages (Piller et al.,
2001). But in hundreds of samples from southwest Arkansas
or southeast Oklahoma by WJM since 1976, no two of the
species have been found together.
The Redfin Darter complex, and Etheostoma radiosum
cyanorum (Moore and Rigney, 1952) in particular, have a
complicated taxonomic history (details in Supplemental Text
A; see Data Accessibility). The first species described in the
group was Boleichthys whipplii (now ¼ E. whipplei) from Coal
Creek, Indian Territory (now Pittsburg County, Oklahoma;
Girard, 1859). Jordan and Gilbert (1886) collected specimens
within the range of the future E. radiosum in the upper
Ouachita River basin in Arkansas, reporting them as
Etheostoma whipplei (amended spelling) but noting a ‘‘lack
of red spots’’ (unlike E. whipplei). The first collections of E. r.
paludosum, as ‘‘E. whipplei,’’ later described as Poecilichthys
radiosus paludosus (Moore and Rigney, 1952), were in the
Kiamichi River drainage by Seth E. Meek in 1894 (Meek,
1896), and by H. A. Pilsbry in 1903 in the Muddy Boggy
drainage (Fowler, 1904). Thus by 1904, Etheostoma whipplei
(or whipplii) was viewed as one species in Oklahoma (then
Indian Territory), Arkansas, and extreme north Texas, but
with considerable variation noted. Ortenburger and Hubbs
(1926) reported Poecilichthys whipplii (spelled with two ‘‘ii’’s)
from a collection on 19 June 1925 in Yanubbe Creek,
McCurtain County, Oklahoma, comprising the first collection
of E. radiosum from the Little River basin. The Blue River
drainage was not sampled by ichthyologists until the 1940s,
thus P. r. cyanorum (Moore and Rigney, 1952), now E.
cyanorum, remained undetected.
Hubbs and Black (1941) recognized Poecilichthys whipplei
radiosus, from the Caddo River, Arkansas, as a new subspecies.
However, Hubbs and Black (their map, p. 3) included
specimens from the (eastern) Saline River in Arkansas and
rivers in Texas, now known to have Etheostoma artesiae (Piller
et al., 2001) instead of E. radiosum. Moore and Rigney (1952)
elevated Poecilichthys radiosus to species and provided
diagnoses for three new subspecies: P. r. cyanorum from Blue
River, P. r. paludosus from the Clear Boggy and Kiamichi
systems, and P. r. radiosus throughout the rest of the range to
the east. Moore and Rigney (1952) and Scalet (1971)
diagnosed the Blue River subspecies as having a blunter
and more ‘‘decurved’’ snout, deeper head, a ‘‘larger, heavier
body’’ (but see Results about validity of these traits), fewer
unpored scales, and more pored scales than other subspecies.
Bailey et al. (1954) placed all darters in three genera, moving
Poecilichthys into the genus Etheostoma.
Echelle et al. (1975) assessed lactate dehydrogenase LDH-1
and esterase ES-3 enzymes at multiple sites within each
drainage in the range of E. radiosum as then known. For both
LDH-1 and ES-1 Blue River fish differed substantially from
1 Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, Oklahoma 73019; Email: wmatthews@ou.edu. Send reprint
requests to this address.
2 Department of Biology and Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131; Email: turnert@
unm.edu.
Submitted: 25 April 2018. Accepted: 30 January 2019. Associate Editor: M. T. Craig.
2019 by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists DOI: 10.1643/CI-18-054 Published online: 11 April 2019
==========================
Moenkhausia bellasomniosa • A New Species of Moenkhausia Eigenmann, 1903 (Characiformes, Characidae) from the Upper Rio Negro Basin, Brazil
Moenkhausia bellasomniosa
Soares, Lima, Bastos & Rapp Py-Daniel, 2019
DOI: 10.1643/CI-18-149
twitter.com/ASIHCopeia
Abstract
A new species of Moenkhausia is described from Rio Curicuriari and Rio Tiquié, both right-bank tributaries of the upper Rio Negro basin, Amazonas State, Brazil. The new taxon differs from all congeners, except M. agnesae and M. beninei, by the combination of a sinuous humeral blotch, similar to a compressed letter Z, and distinct dark longitudinal stripes along the body sides. The new species can be distinguished from M. agnesae and M. beninei by the presence of a single humeral blotch and of longitudinal stripes running through the center of the scales, more conspicuous dorsally.
Fig. . Moenkhausia bellasomniosa.
(A) INPA 49753, holotype, male, 54.1 mm SL, Brazil, Amazonas, tributary of Rio Curicuriari;
(B) MZUSP 92566, paratype, female, 41.5 mm SL, Brazil, Amazonas, tributary of Rio Tiquie;
(C) INPA 49722, paratype, female, 57.2 mm SL, Brazil, Amazonas, tributary of Rio Curicuriari; color in life.
Moenkhausia bellasomniosa. (C) INPA 49722, paratype, female, 57.2 mm SL, Brazil, Amazonas, tributary of Rio Curicuriari; color in life.
Moenkhausia bellasomniosa, new species
Distribution.— Moenkhausia bellasomniosa is known from tributaries of the Rio Curicuriari and Rio Tiquié, both right-bank tributaries of the upper Rio Negro basin, Amazonas state, Brazil (Fig. 3).
Ecological notes.— Moenkhausia bellasomniosa was collected in the Rio Tiquié in small ‘‘terra firme’’ forest streams (i.e., non-floodable) with dark water. Specimens were collected in small pools. At the Rio Curicuriari, specimens of the new species were collected in a small, fast-water tea-like colored forest stream, with rocky bottom.
Common name.— Moenkhausia bellasomniosa is called ‘‘batiawu’’ by the Tukano Indians, a name employed for the species in the middle Rio Tiquié basin. However, in the upper Rio Tiquié the same name is employed for a congener, M. comma (Lima et al., 2005).
Etymology.— The specific epithet bellasomniosa comes from the Latin, meaning sleeping beauty (bella, pretty; somniosa, sleepy). It is an allusion to the Serra do Curicuriari, a granitic massif situated immediately to the south of the eponymous Rio Curicuriari, composed by three peaks, ranging from 800– 1000 meters a.s.l. The Serra do Curicuriari provides majestic scenery when viewed from the city of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, situated upstream in the Rio Negro, where it is dubbed ‘‘Bela adormecida’’ (sleeping beauty) due to its perceived rough resemblance to a lying young woman. An adjective
Isabel M. Soares, Flávio C. T. Lima, Douglas A. Bastos and Lucia H. Rapp Py-Daniel. 2019. A New Species of Moenkhausia Eigenmann, 1903 (Characiformes, Characidae) from the Upper Rio Negro Basin, Brazil. Copeia. 107(2); 232-238. DOI: 10.1643/CI-18-149
twitter.com/ASIHCopeia/status/1123619528603242496
==========================
Moenkhausia bellasomniosa
Soares, Lima, Bastos & Rapp Py-Daniel, 2019
DOI: 10.1643/CI-18-149
twitter.com/ASIHCopeia
Abstract
A new species of Moenkhausia is described from Rio Curicuriari and Rio Tiquié, both right-bank tributaries of the upper Rio Negro basin, Amazonas State, Brazil. The new taxon differs from all congeners, except M. agnesae and M. beninei, by the combination of a sinuous humeral blotch, similar to a compressed letter Z, and distinct dark longitudinal stripes along the body sides. The new species can be distinguished from M. agnesae and M. beninei by the presence of a single humeral blotch and of longitudinal stripes running through the center of the scales, more conspicuous dorsally.
Fig. . Moenkhausia bellasomniosa.
(A) INPA 49753, holotype, male, 54.1 mm SL, Brazil, Amazonas, tributary of Rio Curicuriari;
(B) MZUSP 92566, paratype, female, 41.5 mm SL, Brazil, Amazonas, tributary of Rio Tiquie;
(C) INPA 49722, paratype, female, 57.2 mm SL, Brazil, Amazonas, tributary of Rio Curicuriari; color in life.
Moenkhausia bellasomniosa. (C) INPA 49722, paratype, female, 57.2 mm SL, Brazil, Amazonas, tributary of Rio Curicuriari; color in life.
Moenkhausia bellasomniosa, new species
Distribution.— Moenkhausia bellasomniosa is known from tributaries of the Rio Curicuriari and Rio Tiquié, both right-bank tributaries of the upper Rio Negro basin, Amazonas state, Brazil (Fig. 3).
Ecological notes.— Moenkhausia bellasomniosa was collected in the Rio Tiquié in small ‘‘terra firme’’ forest streams (i.e., non-floodable) with dark water. Specimens were collected in small pools. At the Rio Curicuriari, specimens of the new species were collected in a small, fast-water tea-like colored forest stream, with rocky bottom.
Common name.— Moenkhausia bellasomniosa is called ‘‘batiawu’’ by the Tukano Indians, a name employed for the species in the middle Rio Tiquié basin. However, in the upper Rio Tiquié the same name is employed for a congener, M. comma (Lima et al., 2005).
Etymology.— The specific epithet bellasomniosa comes from the Latin, meaning sleeping beauty (bella, pretty; somniosa, sleepy). It is an allusion to the Serra do Curicuriari, a granitic massif situated immediately to the south of the eponymous Rio Curicuriari, composed by three peaks, ranging from 800– 1000 meters a.s.l. The Serra do Curicuriari provides majestic scenery when viewed from the city of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, situated upstream in the Rio Negro, where it is dubbed ‘‘Bela adormecida’’ (sleeping beauty) due to its perceived rough resemblance to a lying young woman. An adjective
Isabel M. Soares, Flávio C. T. Lima, Douglas A. Bastos and Lucia H. Rapp Py-Daniel. 2019. A New Species of Moenkhausia Eigenmann, 1903 (Characiformes, Characidae) from the Upper Rio Negro Basin, Brazil. Copeia. 107(2); 232-238. DOI: 10.1643/CI-18-149
twitter.com/ASIHCopeia/status/1123619528603242496
==========================
Cypselurus (Zonocypselurus) hexazona
Revision of the Subgenus Zonocypselurus Parin and Bogorodsky, 2011 [A Review of the Flying Fish Genus Cypselurus (Beloniformes: Exocoetidae). Part 1]
in Shakhovskoy & Parin, 2019.
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4589.1.1
Abstract
The first part of the review of the four-winged flying fishes of the genus Cypselurus is presented, and shows that seven species belonging to two genera were mixed under the name Cypselurus (Zonocypselurus) hexazona, none of which is identical to Exocoetus hexazona Bleeker. A new subgenus of flying fish (Amustotrogon subgen. nov.) and four new species (Cheilopogon marisrubri, Cheilopogon katherinae, Cypselurus bosha, Cypselurus olpar) are described. The validity of Cypselurus formosus Kotthaus, 1969 is reinstated (as Cheilopogon (Amustotrogon) formosus). Three subspecies of Cheilopogon formosus are recognized: Ch. formosus formosus, Ch. f. pseudospilopterus subsp. nov. and Ch. f. andamanicus subsp. nov. Morphology of species and subspecies at different stages of ontogeny is described. Maps of their geographical distribution are presented. A key for identification of flying fish taxa described in the work is included.
Keywords: Pisces, Systematics, morphology, distribution, Cypselurus hexazona, C. bosha sp. nov., C. olpar sp. nov., Amustotrogon subgen. nov., Cheilopogon formosus new combination, Ch. f. pseudospilopterus subsp. nov., Ch. f. andamanicus subsp. nov., Ch. marisrubri sp. nov., Ch. katherinae sp. nov., Red Sea endemics
Ilia B. Shakhovskoy and Nikolay V. Parin. 2019. A Review of the Flying Fish Genus Cypselurus (Beloniformes: Exocoetidae). Part 1. Revision of the Subgenus Zonocypselurus Parin and Bogorodsky, 2011 with Descriptions of One New Subgenus, Four New Species and Two New Subspecies and Reinstatement of One Species as Valid. Zootaxa. 4589(1); 1–71. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4589.1.1
Parin, N.V. and Bogorodsky, S.V. 2011. Distribution and morphology of flying fish Cypselurus hexazona placed into a separate subgenus Zonocypselurus subgen. nov. Voprosy Ikhtiologii, Vol. 51 (5), 683–686. [In Russian, English translation in Journal of Ichthyology, 51 (8), 658–661 (second author misspelled as Bogorodskiy)]
researchgate.net/publication/257843717_Distribution_and_morphology_of_flying_fish_Cypselurus_hexazona_placed_into_a_separate_subgenus_Zonocypselurus_subgen_nov
==========================
in Shakhovskoy & Parin, 2019.
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4589.1.1
Abstract
The first part of the review of the four-winged flying fishes of the genus Cypselurus is presented, and shows that seven species belonging to two genera were mixed under the name Cypselurus (Zonocypselurus) hexazona, none of which is identical to Exocoetus hexazona Bleeker. A new subgenus of flying fish (Amustotrogon subgen. nov.) and four new species (Cheilopogon marisrubri, Cheilopogon katherinae, Cypselurus bosha, Cypselurus olpar) are described. The validity of Cypselurus formosus Kotthaus, 1969 is reinstated (as Cheilopogon (Amustotrogon) formosus). Three subspecies of Cheilopogon formosus are recognized: Ch. formosus formosus, Ch. f. pseudospilopterus subsp. nov. and Ch. f. andamanicus subsp. nov. Morphology of species and subspecies at different stages of ontogeny is described. Maps of their geographical distribution are presented. A key for identification of flying fish taxa described in the work is included.
Keywords: Pisces, Systematics, morphology, distribution, Cypselurus hexazona, C. bosha sp. nov., C. olpar sp. nov., Amustotrogon subgen. nov., Cheilopogon formosus new combination, Ch. f. pseudospilopterus subsp. nov., Ch. f. andamanicus subsp. nov., Ch. marisrubri sp. nov., Ch. katherinae sp. nov., Red Sea endemics
Ilia B. Shakhovskoy and Nikolay V. Parin. 2019. A Review of the Flying Fish Genus Cypselurus (Beloniformes: Exocoetidae). Part 1. Revision of the Subgenus Zonocypselurus Parin and Bogorodsky, 2011 with Descriptions of One New Subgenus, Four New Species and Two New Subspecies and Reinstatement of One Species as Valid. Zootaxa. 4589(1); 1–71. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4589.1.1
Parin, N.V. and Bogorodsky, S.V. 2011. Distribution and morphology of flying fish Cypselurus hexazona placed into a separate subgenus Zonocypselurus subgen. nov. Voprosy Ikhtiologii, Vol. 51 (5), 683–686. [In Russian, English translation in Journal of Ichthyology, 51 (8), 658–661 (second author misspelled as Bogorodskiy)]
researchgate.net/publication/257843717_Distribution_and_morphology_of_flying_fish_Cypselurus_hexazona_placed_into_a_separate_subgenus_Zonocypselurus_subgen_nov
==========================
Propherallodus longipterus, an Adorable New Clingfish from the PhilippinesJAKE ADAMS
00Clingfish are a very unique group of marine fish who are so absent from the reef aquarium hobby that we can’t even name one by heart. That’s too bad because new species like Propherallodus longipterus are being discovered and described on a regular basis.
The new clingfish is closely related to Propherallodus briggsi from Japan pictured above, and was found on a shallow reef in the Philippines in less than 15 feet of water. While the new ‘longfin’ clingfish is found in very accessible water, you’ll have to have a keen eye to spot this tiny fish that grows less to an inch long, and likes to curl up even smaller.
With their sucker shaped mouths and rasping teeth, you wouldn’t be far off in describing clingfish as the plecostomus or suckermouth catfish of the ocean. The new longfin clingfish is described by Fujiwara & Motomura in the latest issue of Ichthyological Research.
From ReefBuilders
==========================
00Clingfish are a very unique group of marine fish who are so absent from the reef aquarium hobby that we can’t even name one by heart. That’s too bad because new species like Propherallodus longipterus are being discovered and described on a regular basis.
The new clingfish is closely related to Propherallodus briggsi from Japan pictured above, and was found on a shallow reef in the Philippines in less than 15 feet of water. While the new ‘longfin’ clingfish is found in very accessible water, you’ll have to have a keen eye to spot this tiny fish that grows less to an inch long, and likes to curl up even smaller.
With their sucker shaped mouths and rasping teeth, you wouldn’t be far off in describing clingfish as the plecostomus or suckermouth catfish of the ocean. The new longfin clingfish is described by Fujiwara & Motomura in the latest issue of Ichthyological Research.
From ReefBuilders
==========================
Rising Tide Success – Breeding the Banded Butterflyfish!
25 Apr, 2019
Photo credit: Twilight Zone Expedition Team 2007, NOAA-OER
via Rising Tide Conservation
The UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center, with Rising Tide Conservation, is pleased to announce the successful aquaculture of the Banded Butterflyfish, Chaetodon striatus!
This success was achieved by the hard work of Dr. Cortney Ohs, Benjamin Lovewell, Paul Schlict, and Fred Shopnitz.
Biological and Ecological Information
Banded Butterflyfish, Chaetodon striatus, are also known as Banded Mariposa, Portuguese Butterfly, and School Mistress. They are native to the tropical and subtropical western Atlantic Ocean, and their range extends from Florida in the United States to Santa Catarina in Brazil, and includes the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and Bermuda. (Seasonally, juveniles are sometimes carried north to New England by the Gulf Stream, but they are unable to survive the winters there.)
Banded Butterflyfish coloring is silvery with a slender black bar passing through its eye, two wide black bars in mid-body, and a third wide bar that starts on the rear of the dorsal fin and continues to the caudal peduncle. The pelvic fins and the caudal fin are black.
The Banded Butterflyfish is usually seen on reefs either singly or in pairs, but is occasionally observed in groups up to twenty individuals. The diet is mainly small invertebrates, crustaceans, coral polyps, polychaete worms, and various eggs. Banded Butterflyfish can act as a cleaning fish and remove the external parasites from larger fish.
Banded Butterflyfish do not reproduce in groups but form monogamous pairs before this spawning behavior. They are multi-batch spawners: they broadcast eggs and sperm into the water column.
Photo credit: NOAA
Aquaculture History
The Banded Butterflyfish has never been successfully aquacultured before, and there are no reports of spawning in captivity.
Successful Aquaculture
In 2015, a pair of Banded Butterflyfish were collected by Dynasty Marine in the Florida Keys and were transported to the University of Florida Indian River Research and Education Center in Fort Pierce, FL. The pair was stocked into a 1500-L circular tank with a recirculating aquaculture system with an external egg collector. The fish were provided large PVC pieces for habitat. Lighting was controlled to 13:11 light-dark cycle with an additional hour of building light simulating a sunrise and sunset. After three years, only a few spawns with no fertilization had occurred, so the Banded Butterflyfish were stocked into a 2700-L circular tank with a recirculating aquaculture system and external egg collector. They were combined with a pair of Spotfish Butterflyfish (Chaetodon ocellatus) and several Rock Beauty Angelfish (Holacanthus tricolor). After several months, spawning was observed, with 63 spawns (1000-28000 eggs/spawn) occurring. Of these, 54 spawns were unfertilized eggs, while nine had partially fertilized eggs (0.1-86.4% fertilization). It was unknown which species of butterflyfish was spawning, but all of the eggs appeared to be of the same species.
Broodstock tank at the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center
On February 4, 2019, about 20,000 eggs were collected with 86.4% fertilization with a water temperature of 26°C. Fertilized eggs were stocked into a 104-L fiberglass tank with black walls and bottoms, equipped with a screen to retain eggs and larvae and allow uneaten copepods and rotifers to flush out of the tank. This tank was part of a larger recirculating aquaculture system used for the entire larval culture room. The recirculating aquaculture system was equipped with an 80-watt UV sterilizer, two bag filters with 50 and 10 μm felt bags, a protein skimmer, and a trickle filter. Water exchange within the larval tank was turned off during the day and increased to approximately five tank turnovers per night. This was done to maintain live food densities during the day and flush out uneaten food at night. Lighting was provided by fluorescent lights with a 16:8 light:dark cycle.
Hatching occurred within 24 hours with water temperatures of 26-27°C. Mouthparts were present by 3 dph. Swim bladder inflation occurred on 12-16 dph, and flexion occurred from 17-18 dph. Faint coloration to the bands was visible 50 dph, and there were dark, obvious tail spots present 57 dph. They were settled and more benthically oriented by 52 dph, so PVC structure was added to the tank at that time.
Video Player
00:00
00:46Aquaculture Process and Larval Development
The feeding protocols used to successfully culture the Banded Butterflyfish included greening water with live Tisochrysis lutea algae, feeding enriched rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis), copepod (Parvocalanus crassirostris) nauplii, enriched Artemia nauplii, and Otohime dry diets. Rotifers and Artemia nauplii were enriched with N-Rich High Pro (Reed Mariculture).
Daily Feeding Protocol
Live T-iso algae was used to green the water to approximately 200,000 cells/mL from 1-40 dph.
First feeding was 3 dph and larvae received 19 rotifers/mL once daily and 8 parvo/mL twice daily.
Feeding from 4-13 dph larvae received 10 rotifers/mL once daily and 8 parvo/mL twice daily.
Feeding from 14-29 dph larvae received 15 rotifers/mL once daily and 8 parvo/mL in the AM and 12 parvo/mL in the PM.
Feeding from 30-35 dph larvae received 13-25 rotifers/mL once daily and 1-3 parvo/mL twice daily.
Unenriched newly hatched Artemia nauplii were provided at 0.02/mL once daily from 23-28 dph to introduce larvae to Artemia. From 29 dph onwards, enriched Artemia was fed ad libitum 3x/day.
Otohime dry diet was fed ad libitum from 25 dph onwards, starting with A1 and increasing to C1 in particle size.
###
Editor’s Note: This latest accomplishment brings the total number of Chaetodontids that have been successfully aquacultured to six. It is the second butterflyfish accomplishment for the team of researchers at the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center.
found on "Reef to Rain Forest Media"
video at:- https://www.risingtideconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/GOPR4943-1.mp4?_=1
==========================
25 Apr, 2019
Photo credit: Twilight Zone Expedition Team 2007, NOAA-OER
via Rising Tide Conservation
The UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center, with Rising Tide Conservation, is pleased to announce the successful aquaculture of the Banded Butterflyfish, Chaetodon striatus!
This success was achieved by the hard work of Dr. Cortney Ohs, Benjamin Lovewell, Paul Schlict, and Fred Shopnitz.
Biological and Ecological Information
Banded Butterflyfish, Chaetodon striatus, are also known as Banded Mariposa, Portuguese Butterfly, and School Mistress. They are native to the tropical and subtropical western Atlantic Ocean, and their range extends from Florida in the United States to Santa Catarina in Brazil, and includes the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and Bermuda. (Seasonally, juveniles are sometimes carried north to New England by the Gulf Stream, but they are unable to survive the winters there.)
Banded Butterflyfish coloring is silvery with a slender black bar passing through its eye, two wide black bars in mid-body, and a third wide bar that starts on the rear of the dorsal fin and continues to the caudal peduncle. The pelvic fins and the caudal fin are black.
The Banded Butterflyfish is usually seen on reefs either singly or in pairs, but is occasionally observed in groups up to twenty individuals. The diet is mainly small invertebrates, crustaceans, coral polyps, polychaete worms, and various eggs. Banded Butterflyfish can act as a cleaning fish and remove the external parasites from larger fish.
Banded Butterflyfish do not reproduce in groups but form monogamous pairs before this spawning behavior. They are multi-batch spawners: they broadcast eggs and sperm into the water column.
Photo credit: NOAA
Aquaculture History
The Banded Butterflyfish has never been successfully aquacultured before, and there are no reports of spawning in captivity.
Successful Aquaculture
In 2015, a pair of Banded Butterflyfish were collected by Dynasty Marine in the Florida Keys and were transported to the University of Florida Indian River Research and Education Center in Fort Pierce, FL. The pair was stocked into a 1500-L circular tank with a recirculating aquaculture system with an external egg collector. The fish were provided large PVC pieces for habitat. Lighting was controlled to 13:11 light-dark cycle with an additional hour of building light simulating a sunrise and sunset. After three years, only a few spawns with no fertilization had occurred, so the Banded Butterflyfish were stocked into a 2700-L circular tank with a recirculating aquaculture system and external egg collector. They were combined with a pair of Spotfish Butterflyfish (Chaetodon ocellatus) and several Rock Beauty Angelfish (Holacanthus tricolor). After several months, spawning was observed, with 63 spawns (1000-28000 eggs/spawn) occurring. Of these, 54 spawns were unfertilized eggs, while nine had partially fertilized eggs (0.1-86.4% fertilization). It was unknown which species of butterflyfish was spawning, but all of the eggs appeared to be of the same species.
Broodstock tank at the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center
On February 4, 2019, about 20,000 eggs were collected with 86.4% fertilization with a water temperature of 26°C. Fertilized eggs were stocked into a 104-L fiberglass tank with black walls and bottoms, equipped with a screen to retain eggs and larvae and allow uneaten copepods and rotifers to flush out of the tank. This tank was part of a larger recirculating aquaculture system used for the entire larval culture room. The recirculating aquaculture system was equipped with an 80-watt UV sterilizer, two bag filters with 50 and 10 μm felt bags, a protein skimmer, and a trickle filter. Water exchange within the larval tank was turned off during the day and increased to approximately five tank turnovers per night. This was done to maintain live food densities during the day and flush out uneaten food at night. Lighting was provided by fluorescent lights with a 16:8 light:dark cycle.
Hatching occurred within 24 hours with water temperatures of 26-27°C. Mouthparts were present by 3 dph. Swim bladder inflation occurred on 12-16 dph, and flexion occurred from 17-18 dph. Faint coloration to the bands was visible 50 dph, and there were dark, obvious tail spots present 57 dph. They were settled and more benthically oriented by 52 dph, so PVC structure was added to the tank at that time.
Video Player
00:00
00:46Aquaculture Process and Larval Development
The feeding protocols used to successfully culture the Banded Butterflyfish included greening water with live Tisochrysis lutea algae, feeding enriched rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis), copepod (Parvocalanus crassirostris) nauplii, enriched Artemia nauplii, and Otohime dry diets. Rotifers and Artemia nauplii were enriched with N-Rich High Pro (Reed Mariculture).
Daily Feeding Protocol
Live T-iso algae was used to green the water to approximately 200,000 cells/mL from 1-40 dph.
First feeding was 3 dph and larvae received 19 rotifers/mL once daily and 8 parvo/mL twice daily.
Feeding from 4-13 dph larvae received 10 rotifers/mL once daily and 8 parvo/mL twice daily.
Feeding from 14-29 dph larvae received 15 rotifers/mL once daily and 8 parvo/mL in the AM and 12 parvo/mL in the PM.
Feeding from 30-35 dph larvae received 13-25 rotifers/mL once daily and 1-3 parvo/mL twice daily.
Unenriched newly hatched Artemia nauplii were provided at 0.02/mL once daily from 23-28 dph to introduce larvae to Artemia. From 29 dph onwards, enriched Artemia was fed ad libitum 3x/day.
Otohime dry diet was fed ad libitum from 25 dph onwards, starting with A1 and increasing to C1 in particle size.
###
Editor’s Note: This latest accomplishment brings the total number of Chaetodontids that have been successfully aquacultured to six. It is the second butterflyfish accomplishment for the team of researchers at the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center.
found on "Reef to Rain Forest Media"
video at:- https://www.risingtideconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/GOPR4943-1.mp4?_=1
==========================
==========================
Two foot Barrel Jelly fish invade Torquay and Chesil Beech.
==========================
Aquarist & Pondkeeper Volume XIII No 6 September 1948 is now online for a FREE download at:- http://aqua-worlduk.weebly.com
many other issues of A&P are dating back to 1938 available together the very last issue in June/July 2005 also included are archive issues of Ten years of PetFish Monthly
==========================
many other issues of A&P are dating back to 1938 available together the very last issue in June/July 2005 also included are archive issues of Ten years of PetFish Monthly
==========================
Purple Tang Captive Bred by Bali AquarichJAKE ADAMS
00The Purple tang has been captive bred and it comes to fruition from a familiar player in the world of reef fish aquaculture, Bali Aquarich. It’s only been a couple years since the breakthroughs in breeding the closely related yellow tang by the Oceanic Institute and the purple tang is only the third species of surgeonfish to be fully captive bred.
The purple tang, Zebrasoma xanthurum is an endemic of the Red Sea characterized by a nearly solid purple color with a bright yellow tail, and a variable pattern of dark spots on the head and stripes along the body. The purple tang is highly conservative in its appearance, almost always with normal coloration, with very rare instances of solid purple specimens like ACI’s Purple-Purple Tang, and even more rare is the piebald variation so far only documented once.
For several years a Sri Lankan company has been collecting post larval purple tangs and rearing them to sellable size in captivity but Bali Aquarich’s recent milestone is the first complete closure of the larval cycle of Zebrasom xanthurum. This is very exciting for a number of reasons, especially since Bali Aquarich has a long track record of breeding and raising angelfish hybrids, so it would be a remarkable achievement if we ever saw hybrids of the purple tang with any number of Zebrasoma congeners.
READ ACI's Purple-Tail Purple Tang was the Star of Reefapalooza Orlando!The yield for this first successful clutch of captive bred purple tangs doesn’t appear to be very high but hopefully Bali Aquarich has success in refining the protocols and we see many more of these fish available to the reef aquarium hobby in the future.
from ReefBuilders
==========================
00The Purple tang has been captive bred and it comes to fruition from a familiar player in the world of reef fish aquaculture, Bali Aquarich. It’s only been a couple years since the breakthroughs in breeding the closely related yellow tang by the Oceanic Institute and the purple tang is only the third species of surgeonfish to be fully captive bred.
The purple tang, Zebrasoma xanthurum is an endemic of the Red Sea characterized by a nearly solid purple color with a bright yellow tail, and a variable pattern of dark spots on the head and stripes along the body. The purple tang is highly conservative in its appearance, almost always with normal coloration, with very rare instances of solid purple specimens like ACI’s Purple-Purple Tang, and even more rare is the piebald variation so far only documented once.
For several years a Sri Lankan company has been collecting post larval purple tangs and rearing them to sellable size in captivity but Bali Aquarich’s recent milestone is the first complete closure of the larval cycle of Zebrasom xanthurum. This is very exciting for a number of reasons, especially since Bali Aquarich has a long track record of breeding and raising angelfish hybrids, so it would be a remarkable achievement if we ever saw hybrids of the purple tang with any number of Zebrasoma congeners.
READ ACI's Purple-Tail Purple Tang was the Star of Reefapalooza Orlando!The yield for this first successful clutch of captive bred purple tangs doesn’t appear to be very high but hopefully Bali Aquarich has success in refining the protocols and we see many more of these fish available to the reef aquarium hobby in the future.
from ReefBuilders
==========================
Devil rays may have unknown birthing zone Discovery is good news for conservation, but action is needed to limit fishing during birthing.
April 23, 2019
Source:
Duke University
Summary:
The discovery of dozens of pregnant giant devil rays tangled in fishing nets in a village along Mexico's Gulf of California could mean the endangered species has a previously unknown birthing zone in nearby waters, a study suggests. If more research confirms the possibility, the zone should be protected and placed off limits to fishing during times each spring when pregnant rays migrate there.
Share:
FULL STORY
The discovery of dozens of pregnant giant devil rays tangled in fishing nets in Mexico's Gulf of California could mean the endangered species has an unknown birthing zone there, a Duke study suggests.
Credit: Leo Chan Gaskins, Duke UniversityThe discovery of dozens of pregnant giant devil rays accidentally caught in fishing nets in a village along Mexico's northern Gulf of California could mean the endangered species has a previously unknown birthing zone in nearby waters, a new Duke University study suggests.
If further research confirms the possibility, authorities and local fishers should work together to devise a plan that minimizes the risk of negative interactions when pregnant rays migrate there each year in and around April, said study author Leo Chan Gaskins, a doctoral student in marine science and conservation at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment.
"These animals reach sexual maturity very slowly and they have only one pup per litter, so losing even a small number of pregnant females to by-catch can have dire effects on a local population's birth potential and long-term survival," Gaskins said.
The largest of the ray species, giant devil rays (Mobula mobular) can grow to 17 feet long and are known for their acrobatic leaps and deep dives. Large numbers of them are caught and killed as accidental by-catch each year when they become entangled in fishing nets while foraging for krill and other prey in shallow tropical and subtropical waters.
"We still know very little about their global population size, annual movement patterns and reproductive zones, so the discovery and protection of a previously unknown pupping ground would be good news for conservation," Gaskins said.
He published his peer-reviewed paper April 23 in the journal Ecology.
While taking a field course on community-based marine conservation in the Gulf of California as a Duke undergraduate in April 2014, Gaskins observed dozens of dead giant devil rays tangled in gillnets on the beach of a small-scale fishing community in northern Sonora. Because of the animals' immense size and weight, the fishers were unable to return them to the sea and had been forced to land them.
"Every female ray being cut open was pregnant with one pup. I determined the pups were full-term since I was able to revive one that had just been born into a net. We set it free and it swam away over the breaking waves," Gaskins recalled.
Measurements of the wing spans of two of the dead adult females and one of the dead pups confirmed his belief that the pups were full-term. Scientists estimate the average wing-to-wing width of female giant devil rays when they reach sexual maturity is 2.18 meters; the two Gaskins measured were 1.97 meters and 2.17 meters. The average measurement of a newborn pup is 1 meter; the one he measured was .91 meters.
"These measurements, along with the fact that each boat landed multiple pregnant rays, suggested that the fishers had unknowingly set their nets in a pupping zone," he said.
Past studies have shown that giant devil rays use the Gulf of California as a mating and feeding zone in spring and early summer, but the presence of a birthing zone there was unknown.
"It makes sense that a pupping zone would be in an area where food is plentiful," Gaskins said. "The highest density of these rays' preferred prey, the krill Nyctiphanes simplex, occurs in the northern and central gulf in April, which coincides with my observation."
Knowing the locations and timing of the rays' movements in the gulf as they head to and from the pupping grounds would help local fishers, fishery managers and conservation groups reduce the risk of by-catch, he said.
"This would benefit the fishers and well as the fish," Gaskins stressed. "Aside from the obvious humane reasons the fishers have for not wanting to harm endangered animals, entangled rays can damage their nets, drive away the desired catch and greatly decrease their earnings. Ray meat is not valuable in the Gulf of California and only brings in about three pesos per kilo."
In other parts of the world, especially East Asia, giant devil rays are increasingly being targeted and harvested for their gill plates, which are used to brew a pseudo-medicinal tonic called Peng Yu Sai. No market for gill plates exists yet in the Gulf of California fisheries, Gaskins noted, but the prices they can command are extremely high, so putting protection in place now is vital.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Duke University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Duke University. "Devil rays may have unknown birthing zone: Discovery is good news for conservation, but action is needed to limit fishing during birthing months." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 April 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190423133439.htm>.
==========================
April 23, 2019
Source:
Duke University
Summary:
The discovery of dozens of pregnant giant devil rays tangled in fishing nets in a village along Mexico's Gulf of California could mean the endangered species has a previously unknown birthing zone in nearby waters, a study suggests. If more research confirms the possibility, the zone should be protected and placed off limits to fishing during times each spring when pregnant rays migrate there.
Share:
FULL STORY
The discovery of dozens of pregnant giant devil rays tangled in fishing nets in Mexico's Gulf of California could mean the endangered species has an unknown birthing zone there, a Duke study suggests.
Credit: Leo Chan Gaskins, Duke UniversityThe discovery of dozens of pregnant giant devil rays accidentally caught in fishing nets in a village along Mexico's northern Gulf of California could mean the endangered species has a previously unknown birthing zone in nearby waters, a new Duke University study suggests.
If further research confirms the possibility, authorities and local fishers should work together to devise a plan that minimizes the risk of negative interactions when pregnant rays migrate there each year in and around April, said study author Leo Chan Gaskins, a doctoral student in marine science and conservation at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment.
"These animals reach sexual maturity very slowly and they have only one pup per litter, so losing even a small number of pregnant females to by-catch can have dire effects on a local population's birth potential and long-term survival," Gaskins said.
The largest of the ray species, giant devil rays (Mobula mobular) can grow to 17 feet long and are known for their acrobatic leaps and deep dives. Large numbers of them are caught and killed as accidental by-catch each year when they become entangled in fishing nets while foraging for krill and other prey in shallow tropical and subtropical waters.
"We still know very little about their global population size, annual movement patterns and reproductive zones, so the discovery and protection of a previously unknown pupping ground would be good news for conservation," Gaskins said.
He published his peer-reviewed paper April 23 in the journal Ecology.
While taking a field course on community-based marine conservation in the Gulf of California as a Duke undergraduate in April 2014, Gaskins observed dozens of dead giant devil rays tangled in gillnets on the beach of a small-scale fishing community in northern Sonora. Because of the animals' immense size and weight, the fishers were unable to return them to the sea and had been forced to land them.
"Every female ray being cut open was pregnant with one pup. I determined the pups were full-term since I was able to revive one that had just been born into a net. We set it free and it swam away over the breaking waves," Gaskins recalled.
Measurements of the wing spans of two of the dead adult females and one of the dead pups confirmed his belief that the pups were full-term. Scientists estimate the average wing-to-wing width of female giant devil rays when they reach sexual maturity is 2.18 meters; the two Gaskins measured were 1.97 meters and 2.17 meters. The average measurement of a newborn pup is 1 meter; the one he measured was .91 meters.
"These measurements, along with the fact that each boat landed multiple pregnant rays, suggested that the fishers had unknowingly set their nets in a pupping zone," he said.
Past studies have shown that giant devil rays use the Gulf of California as a mating and feeding zone in spring and early summer, but the presence of a birthing zone there was unknown.
"It makes sense that a pupping zone would be in an area where food is plentiful," Gaskins said. "The highest density of these rays' preferred prey, the krill Nyctiphanes simplex, occurs in the northern and central gulf in April, which coincides with my observation."
Knowing the locations and timing of the rays' movements in the gulf as they head to and from the pupping grounds would help local fishers, fishery managers and conservation groups reduce the risk of by-catch, he said.
"This would benefit the fishers and well as the fish," Gaskins stressed. "Aside from the obvious humane reasons the fishers have for not wanting to harm endangered animals, entangled rays can damage their nets, drive away the desired catch and greatly decrease their earnings. Ray meat is not valuable in the Gulf of California and only brings in about three pesos per kilo."
In other parts of the world, especially East Asia, giant devil rays are increasingly being targeted and harvested for their gill plates, which are used to brew a pseudo-medicinal tonic called Peng Yu Sai. No market for gill plates exists yet in the Gulf of California fisheries, Gaskins noted, but the prices they can command are extremely high, so putting protection in place now is vital.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Duke University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
- Leo C. Gaskins. Pregnant giant devil ray ( Mobula mobular ) bycatch reveals potential Northern Gulf of California pupping ground. Ecology, 2019; e02689 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2689
Duke University. "Devil rays may have unknown birthing zone: Discovery is good news for conservation, but action is needed to limit fishing during birthing months." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 April 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190423133439.htm>.
==========================
Pimephales promelas
Fathead Minnow
Fish warn each other about danger by releasing chemicals into the water as a signal, research by the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has found.
The USask researchers discovered that wild fish release chemicals called 'disturbance cues' to signal to other fish about nearby dangers, such as predators.
The findings may have implications for fish conservation efforts across the globe.
"Disturbance cues may help to explain why some fish populations crash after they decline past a certain point," said Kevin Bairos-Novak, a graduate student member of the research team.
While researchers have been aware that fish release chemicals into the water for 30 years, this is the first time their use has been studied.
The findings, involving researchers from the USask biology department and the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, are published in the Journal of Animal Ecology.
Fish signaled most when in the presence of familiar fish, but signaled far less or not at all when in the presence of strangers, or when on their own.
The signals provoked a 'fright response' in fish they knew, including freezing, dashing about and then shoaling tightly together. Fish use this behavior to defend themselves against predators.
"When minnows were present alongside familiar minnows, they were much more likely to produce signals that initiated close grouping of nearby fish, a strategy used to avoid being eaten by predators," said Bairos-Novak, who is now at James Cook University, Australia.
Disturbance cues are voluntarily released by prey after being chased, startled or stressed by predators.
One of the main constituents of the signal is urea, found in fish urine.
Fathead minnows, caught at a lake, were placed in groups with familiar fish, unfamiliar fish or as isolated individuals. The research team then simulated a predator chase. The fish responded by shoaling, freezing and dashing when they received a signal from a group they knew. But they did not take significant defensive action when receiving cues from unfamiliar fish or isolated minnows.
Disturbance cues are voluntarily released by prey after being chased, startled or stressed by predators.
"It is exciting to discover a new signaling pathway in animals," said Maud Ferrari, Bairos-Novak's supervisor and a behavioural ecologist in the veterinary college's Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences. "We found that fish are able to manipulate the behaviour of other individuals nearby by issuing a signal."
The research was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Saskatchewan. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
University of Saskatchewan. "Fish under threat release chemicals to warn others of danger." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 18 April 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190418141739.htm>.
==========================
The USask researchers discovered that wild fish release chemicals called 'disturbance cues' to signal to other fish about nearby dangers, such as predators.
The findings may have implications for fish conservation efforts across the globe.
"Disturbance cues may help to explain why some fish populations crash after they decline past a certain point," said Kevin Bairos-Novak, a graduate student member of the research team.
While researchers have been aware that fish release chemicals into the water for 30 years, this is the first time their use has been studied.
The findings, involving researchers from the USask biology department and the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, are published in the Journal of Animal Ecology.
Fish signaled most when in the presence of familiar fish, but signaled far less or not at all when in the presence of strangers, or when on their own.
The signals provoked a 'fright response' in fish they knew, including freezing, dashing about and then shoaling tightly together. Fish use this behavior to defend themselves against predators.
"When minnows were present alongside familiar minnows, they were much more likely to produce signals that initiated close grouping of nearby fish, a strategy used to avoid being eaten by predators," said Bairos-Novak, who is now at James Cook University, Australia.
Disturbance cues are voluntarily released by prey after being chased, startled or stressed by predators.
One of the main constituents of the signal is urea, found in fish urine.
Fathead minnows, caught at a lake, were placed in groups with familiar fish, unfamiliar fish or as isolated individuals. The research team then simulated a predator chase. The fish responded by shoaling, freezing and dashing when they received a signal from a group they knew. But they did not take significant defensive action when receiving cues from unfamiliar fish or isolated minnows.
Disturbance cues are voluntarily released by prey after being chased, startled or stressed by predators.
"It is exciting to discover a new signaling pathway in animals," said Maud Ferrari, Bairos-Novak's supervisor and a behavioural ecologist in the veterinary college's Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences. "We found that fish are able to manipulate the behaviour of other individuals nearby by issuing a signal."
The research was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Saskatchewan. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
- Kevin R. Bairos‐Novak, Maud C. O. Ferrari, Douglas P. Chivers. A novel alarm signal in aquatic prey: Familiar minnows coordinate group defences against predators through chemical disturbance cues. Journal of Animal Ecology, 2019; DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12986
University of Saskatchewan. "Fish under threat release chemicals to warn others of danger." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 18 April 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190418141739.htm>.
==========================
Chromis tingting • A New Species of Damselfish (Teleostei: Pomacentridae) from Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems of southern Japan
Chromis tingting
Tea, Gill & Senou, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4586.2.2
facebook.com/LemonTYK
Abstract
Chromis tingting sp. nov., is described on the basis of the holotype and three paratypes from Sagami Bay, Japan. The new species likely belongs to a complex consisting of C. mirationis, C. okamurai and C. struhsakeri, with which it shares the following character combination: dorsal rays XIV,13–14; anal rays II,12; pectoral rays 19–20; tubed lateral-line scales 15–17; two spinous procurrent rays dorsally and ventrally in the caudal fin; and a generally silvery white adult coloration. The new species differs from the other members of its complex in coloration details (particularly in juvenile coloration), and in having fewer gill rakers (5–6 + 17–20 = 22–26), and a larger eye -(13.7–19.4 % SL). The new species has previously been confused with Chromis mirationis, and the contention is herewith briefly discussed.
Keywords: Pisces, taxonomy, ichthyology, Ryukyu Archipelago, Sagami Bay, deep-water
Chromis tingting sp. nov.
New standard Japanese name: Gekko-suzumedai
English common name: Moonstone Chromis
Chromis mirationis [non Tanaka 1917]; Song et al. 2014: 2, figs 1a–c and 2, table 1 (larval description and identification).
Holotype. KPM-NI 30479, 53.6 mm SL, Japan, Shizuoka Prefecture, west side of Sagami Bay, ....
Diagnosis. The following combination of characters distinguishes C. tingting from all congeners: dorsal rays XIV,13–14; anal rays II,12; pectoral rays 19–20; tubed lateral-line scales 15–17; gill rakers 5–6 + 17–20 = 22–26; caudal fin with two spinous procurrent rays dorsally and ventrally. Chromis tingting can be further distinguished from congeners based on color patterns, and in having a large black spot on the pectoral fin base that reaches the lower limits of the axil.
....
Etymology. Named in honor of the first author’s mother, in recognition of her unconditional love, support and encouragement. To be treated as a noun in apposition.
The common name Moonstone Chromis refers to the pearlescent, silvery-blue coloration of the juveniles and adults of this species. “Gekko”, of the new standard Japanese name, means moonlight in Japanese.
A1: Chromis tingting sp. nov., juvenile, Hachijo-Jima, Japan (Photo by Kiss2Sea); A2: Chromis tingting sp. nov., adult, Izu Oceanic Park, Japan (Photo by W. Takase);
Yi-Kai Tea, Anthony C. Gill amd Hiroshi Senou. 2019. Chromis tingting, A New Species of Damselfish from Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems of southern Japan, with Notes on C. mirationis Tanaka (Teleostei: Pomacentridae). Zootaxa. 4586(2); 249–260. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4586.2.2
researchgate.net/publication/332448979_Chromis_tingting_a_new_species_of_damselfish_from_mesophotic_coral_ecosystems_of_southern_Japan
facebook.com/LemonTYK/posts/10155838512242434
==========================
Chromis tingting
Tea, Gill & Senou, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4586.2.2
facebook.com/LemonTYK
Abstract
Chromis tingting sp. nov., is described on the basis of the holotype and three paratypes from Sagami Bay, Japan. The new species likely belongs to a complex consisting of C. mirationis, C. okamurai and C. struhsakeri, with which it shares the following character combination: dorsal rays XIV,13–14; anal rays II,12; pectoral rays 19–20; tubed lateral-line scales 15–17; two spinous procurrent rays dorsally and ventrally in the caudal fin; and a generally silvery white adult coloration. The new species differs from the other members of its complex in coloration details (particularly in juvenile coloration), and in having fewer gill rakers (5–6 + 17–20 = 22–26), and a larger eye -(13.7–19.4 % SL). The new species has previously been confused with Chromis mirationis, and the contention is herewith briefly discussed.
Keywords: Pisces, taxonomy, ichthyology, Ryukyu Archipelago, Sagami Bay, deep-water
Chromis tingting sp. nov.
New standard Japanese name: Gekko-suzumedai
English common name: Moonstone Chromis
Chromis mirationis [non Tanaka 1917]; Song et al. 2014: 2, figs 1a–c and 2, table 1 (larval description and identification).
Holotype. KPM-NI 30479, 53.6 mm SL, Japan, Shizuoka Prefecture, west side of Sagami Bay, ....
Diagnosis. The following combination of characters distinguishes C. tingting from all congeners: dorsal rays XIV,13–14; anal rays II,12; pectoral rays 19–20; tubed lateral-line scales 15–17; gill rakers 5–6 + 17–20 = 22–26; caudal fin with two spinous procurrent rays dorsally and ventrally. Chromis tingting can be further distinguished from congeners based on color patterns, and in having a large black spot on the pectoral fin base that reaches the lower limits of the axil.
....
Etymology. Named in honor of the first author’s mother, in recognition of her unconditional love, support and encouragement. To be treated as a noun in apposition.
The common name Moonstone Chromis refers to the pearlescent, silvery-blue coloration of the juveniles and adults of this species. “Gekko”, of the new standard Japanese name, means moonlight in Japanese.
A1: Chromis tingting sp. nov., juvenile, Hachijo-Jima, Japan (Photo by Kiss2Sea); A2: Chromis tingting sp. nov., adult, Izu Oceanic Park, Japan (Photo by W. Takase);
Yi-Kai Tea, Anthony C. Gill amd Hiroshi Senou. 2019. Chromis tingting, A New Species of Damselfish from Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems of southern Japan, with Notes on C. mirationis Tanaka (Teleostei: Pomacentridae). Zootaxa. 4586(2); 249–260. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4586.2.2
researchgate.net/publication/332448979_Chromis_tingting_a_new_species_of_damselfish_from_mesophotic_coral_ecosystems_of_southern_Japan
facebook.com/LemonTYK/posts/10155838512242434
==========================
Ecsenius springeri, a New Blenny Species from West Papua
jAKE ADAMS
SHARE
Ecsenius springeri, the new blenny species from Fak Fak in West PapuaWhat’s interesting about the new Springer’s blenny is that it comes from such a small range that it is described as being a micro-endemic reef fish. Ecsenius springeri was found living at Fak Fak Peninsula just below the Bird’s Head Seascape in Raja Ampat where there is a huge diversity of both reef fish and corals.
Springer’s blenny above compared to the similar looking striped form of the bicolor blenny below.The common and widespread bicolor blenny has a varied appearance which ranges from half purple & orange but there’s also a striped form with a bright white belly. Springer’s blenny is an ‘interpretation’ of this striped form with a very reduced thin white stripe that stretches from the eye to the base of the tail.
There’s actually a remarkable handful of microendemic reef fish from Fak Fak, perhaps due to the unique environment which has lots of freshwater input and very large tidal influence. Ecsenius is one of the most attractive and bold groups of colorful reef fish, both in the wild and in the aquarium so it’s really exciting to see the genus admit one new member. [JOSF]
from ReefBuilders
==========================
Ecsenius springeri, a New Blenny Species from West Papua
jAKE ADAMS
SHARE
Ecsenius springeri, the new blenny species from Fak Fak in West PapuaWhat’s interesting about the new Springer’s blenny is that it comes from such a small range that it is described as being a micro-endemic reef fish. Ecsenius springeri was found living at Fak Fak Peninsula just below the Bird’s Head Seascape in Raja Ampat where there is a huge diversity of both reef fish and corals.
Springer’s blenny above compared to the similar looking striped form of the bicolor blenny below.The common and widespread bicolor blenny has a varied appearance which ranges from half purple & orange but there’s also a striped form with a bright white belly. Springer’s blenny is an ‘interpretation’ of this striped form with a very reduced thin white stripe that stretches from the eye to the base of the tail.
There’s actually a remarkable handful of microendemic reef fish from Fak Fak, perhaps due to the unique environment which has lots of freshwater input and very large tidal influence. Ecsenius is one of the most attractive and bold groups of colorful reef fish, both in the wild and in the aquarium so it’s really exciting to see the genus admit one new member. [JOSF]
from ReefBuilders
==========================
A new species of Bryconops Kner (Characiformes: Iguanodectidae) from the Rio Maicuru, lower Amazon basin, Brazil
CÁRLISON SILVA-OLIVEIRA, FLÁVIO C. T. LIMA, JUAN D. BOGOTÁ-GREGORY
Abstract
A new species of Bryconops is described from the rio Maicuru, a tributary of the left margin of the lower Amazon River, Pará, Brazil. Bryconops chernoffi new species, differs from all its congeners by the presence of an elongated dark patch of pigmentation immediately after the posterodorsal margin of the opercle, running vertically from the supracleithrum to the distal margin of the cleithrum (vs. absence of a similar blotch), and by a dark dorsal fin with a narrow hyaline band at middle portion of dorsal-fin rays (vs. dorsal fin hyaline or with few scattered chromatophores). It differs further from all its congeners, except B. colanegra, by the presence of a blurred black stripe at the anal fin base. It differs from B. colanegra by possessing fewer predorsal scales (8–9 vs. 10–11) and in that the third infraorbital contacts the preopercle ventrally (vs. third infraorbital not contacting preopercle ventrally). The new species is assigned to the subgenus Creatochanes by the number of maxillary teeth, and ossification and denticulation of the gill rakers.
==========================
Farewell to Fish Bags
Shipment preparation at Eye Catching Corals. Flat coral frag discs are a near perfect match for the bottom of the specimen containers, reducing movement during transit.
Fighting to Replace Single-Use Plastics
By Matt Pedersen with images by Klynt Maston
Excerpt from CORAL, March/April 2019
Our planet’s addiction to single-use plastic products that spawn seemingly immortal pollution is now becoming a trending socialmedia meme and gaining in widespread public awareness. By some estimates, oceanic plastic is projected to outweigh all the fish in the seas by the year 2050. Eliminating plastic shopping bags, ending our reliance on throwaway water bottles, and giving up plastic straws are all steps people and communities are taking in an effort to eliminate this scourge. What about the aquarium trade?
In our own backyard, single-use plastic bags are generally utilized at every stage of the marine aquarium livestock trade supply chain. Fish and coral are often individually double- or tripled-bagged, utilizing bags generally made from clear, low-density polyethylene (LDPE, recycling #4). While these bags are considered a “safe” and recyclable form of plastic, most often they are destined for the trash. Each fish or coral arriving to the end consumer could possibly represent the use of 10 or more bags as it changes hands from collector to exporter to distributor to fish shop to your tank. Is there a better way?
Mitch Schumm getting frags ready to ship to ECC Frag Subscription (wholesale) members.
Eye Catching Coral (ECC), an importer, wholesaler, and coral farm based in Vienna, Ohio, believes plastic bags aren’t always the best solution. Founded in 2007, the company grew to occupy a 4,000-square-foot aquaculture facility by 2016. One of the company’s mainstay offerings is a subscription-based shipment of coral frags which is prepared monthly for aquarium retailers around the U.S. Thousands of aquacultured corals, some of which are first-generation cuttings of wild imports and others that are from multi-generational parent stock grown in landlocked Ohio, all need to be packed safely and efficiently for their journeys.
ECC’s CEO, Jim Gintner, explained how they’ve saved money and dramatically reduced their plastic waste by shipping their aquacultured products in reusable screw-top plastic containers. “We have been using specimen containers and bags on and off throughout our company’s 12 years in business. Two years ago we made the commitment to only ship frags in these containers, and we have not looked back since. I have seen others do this, but not on a large commercial level. We were not the first to ship a frag in a specimen container, but I feel we are the first to do it at this volume.”
Ryan Marlin closes up coral frag containers for an outgoing shipment.
ECC suggests there are sufficient cost savings and other benefits with their use of these polypropylene containers (PP, recycling #5). “Shipping our coral frags in specimen containers instead of bags has saved us a substantial amount of time and money,” says Gintner.
For the layperson reviewing publicly available pricing online, bulk purchases of traditional fish bags may make them appear cheaper initially; retail price points suggest that double-bagging a coral frag might cost $0.10 for bags and rubber bands, whereas the specimen containers might cost closer to $0.15 each. However, Gintner reports that, by purchasing at scale, their cost in specimen containers is approximately 8 cents. “Conversely,” he says, “bag costs, including labor to double-bag them or add liners, ranges from $0.08 to $0.35 per ship-ready bag.” An even larger savings comes from vastly improved pack-out times: Eye Catching Coral’s round, flat-bottom frag disks are a near-perfect size match for the bottom of the cup; team members can simply place the frag into the cup and screw the lid on tightly.
The uniform dimensions of specimen containers fit well into standard packing boxes and making forecasts of dimensions and shipping weights extremely easy.
Packing shipping boxes is a breeze, given the uniform size of each coral frag disk and its container, which results in easily calculated, uniform shipments. “The consistent size allows us to forecast space and weight for each shipment,” notes Gintner. ECC also knows that their corals move around less during transit and they aren’t able to puncture their shipping container, eliminating transit losses that could otherwise occur with traditional fish bags. “Our custom frag bases fit almost perfectly into the bottom of the cups, so there is very little (if any) movement. The frag disk base keeps the coral secure and keeps it from moving around to hit the sides; we see very little coral breakage. When putting corals in bags, it is rarely a perfect fit; there is much more movement and potential for damage.
Jose Filomeno Rivera preparing hundreds of corals for shipment to ECC Frag Subscription members.
“More importantly, using specimen cups helps to cut down on waste,” concludes Gintner. “Our retailers are also able to reuse the containers when selling these frags to the hobbyist. We also have seen hobbyists reuse the containers for many useful things, such as coral transportation to frag swaps or club meetings, thawing food for fish or corals, acclimating, dipping, storage, and more.”
ECC still utilizes traditional fish bags for larger corals and fish shipments, but they’re always on the lookout for a better solution. “When we do use bags, we employ a local, community-based facility that gives jobs to people with disabilities or special needs. We give them the raw bags and they charge us a small fee to double- and triple-bag them and add liners. It is another rare win-win as we help the local community.”
“Daily improvements are very important to us as a company,” Gintner says. “If we don’t look back and laugh at how much better things are today than they were a year ago, then I do not think we are improving fast enough.”
Read more:
Eye Catching Coral (wholesale only):
https://eyecatchingcoral.com/
Online: Nat Geo/Ocean Plastic
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/education/ocean-plastic/
If you enjoyed this story, be sure to subscribe to CORAL Magazine to never miss an issue!
==========================
Shipment preparation at Eye Catching Corals. Flat coral frag discs are a near perfect match for the bottom of the specimen containers, reducing movement during transit.
Fighting to Replace Single-Use Plastics
By Matt Pedersen with images by Klynt Maston
Excerpt from CORAL, March/April 2019
Our planet’s addiction to single-use plastic products that spawn seemingly immortal pollution is now becoming a trending socialmedia meme and gaining in widespread public awareness. By some estimates, oceanic plastic is projected to outweigh all the fish in the seas by the year 2050. Eliminating plastic shopping bags, ending our reliance on throwaway water bottles, and giving up plastic straws are all steps people and communities are taking in an effort to eliminate this scourge. What about the aquarium trade?
In our own backyard, single-use plastic bags are generally utilized at every stage of the marine aquarium livestock trade supply chain. Fish and coral are often individually double- or tripled-bagged, utilizing bags generally made from clear, low-density polyethylene (LDPE, recycling #4). While these bags are considered a “safe” and recyclable form of plastic, most often they are destined for the trash. Each fish or coral arriving to the end consumer could possibly represent the use of 10 or more bags as it changes hands from collector to exporter to distributor to fish shop to your tank. Is there a better way?
Mitch Schumm getting frags ready to ship to ECC Frag Subscription (wholesale) members.
Eye Catching Coral (ECC), an importer, wholesaler, and coral farm based in Vienna, Ohio, believes plastic bags aren’t always the best solution. Founded in 2007, the company grew to occupy a 4,000-square-foot aquaculture facility by 2016. One of the company’s mainstay offerings is a subscription-based shipment of coral frags which is prepared monthly for aquarium retailers around the U.S. Thousands of aquacultured corals, some of which are first-generation cuttings of wild imports and others that are from multi-generational parent stock grown in landlocked Ohio, all need to be packed safely and efficiently for their journeys.
ECC’s CEO, Jim Gintner, explained how they’ve saved money and dramatically reduced their plastic waste by shipping their aquacultured products in reusable screw-top plastic containers. “We have been using specimen containers and bags on and off throughout our company’s 12 years in business. Two years ago we made the commitment to only ship frags in these containers, and we have not looked back since. I have seen others do this, but not on a large commercial level. We were not the first to ship a frag in a specimen container, but I feel we are the first to do it at this volume.”
Ryan Marlin closes up coral frag containers for an outgoing shipment.
ECC suggests there are sufficient cost savings and other benefits with their use of these polypropylene containers (PP, recycling #5). “Shipping our coral frags in specimen containers instead of bags has saved us a substantial amount of time and money,” says Gintner.
For the layperson reviewing publicly available pricing online, bulk purchases of traditional fish bags may make them appear cheaper initially; retail price points suggest that double-bagging a coral frag might cost $0.10 for bags and rubber bands, whereas the specimen containers might cost closer to $0.15 each. However, Gintner reports that, by purchasing at scale, their cost in specimen containers is approximately 8 cents. “Conversely,” he says, “bag costs, including labor to double-bag them or add liners, ranges from $0.08 to $0.35 per ship-ready bag.” An even larger savings comes from vastly improved pack-out times: Eye Catching Coral’s round, flat-bottom frag disks are a near-perfect size match for the bottom of the cup; team members can simply place the frag into the cup and screw the lid on tightly.
The uniform dimensions of specimen containers fit well into standard packing boxes and making forecasts of dimensions and shipping weights extremely easy.
Packing shipping boxes is a breeze, given the uniform size of each coral frag disk and its container, which results in easily calculated, uniform shipments. “The consistent size allows us to forecast space and weight for each shipment,” notes Gintner. ECC also knows that their corals move around less during transit and they aren’t able to puncture their shipping container, eliminating transit losses that could otherwise occur with traditional fish bags. “Our custom frag bases fit almost perfectly into the bottom of the cups, so there is very little (if any) movement. The frag disk base keeps the coral secure and keeps it from moving around to hit the sides; we see very little coral breakage. When putting corals in bags, it is rarely a perfect fit; there is much more movement and potential for damage.
Jose Filomeno Rivera preparing hundreds of corals for shipment to ECC Frag Subscription members.
“More importantly, using specimen cups helps to cut down on waste,” concludes Gintner. “Our retailers are also able to reuse the containers when selling these frags to the hobbyist. We also have seen hobbyists reuse the containers for many useful things, such as coral transportation to frag swaps or club meetings, thawing food for fish or corals, acclimating, dipping, storage, and more.”
ECC still utilizes traditional fish bags for larger corals and fish shipments, but they’re always on the lookout for a better solution. “When we do use bags, we employ a local, community-based facility that gives jobs to people with disabilities or special needs. We give them the raw bags and they charge us a small fee to double- and triple-bag them and add liners. It is another rare win-win as we help the local community.”
“Daily improvements are very important to us as a company,” Gintner says. “If we don’t look back and laugh at how much better things are today than they were a year ago, then I do not think we are improving fast enough.”
Read more:
Eye Catching Coral (wholesale only):
https://eyecatchingcoral.com/
Online: Nat Geo/Ocean Plastic
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/education/ocean-plastic/
If you enjoyed this story, be sure to subscribe to CORAL Magazine to never miss an issue!
==========================
Florida Looking at Ban on Reef-Harming Sunscreens01 Mar, 2019
An estimated 14,000 tons of sunscreen products enter the ocean each year, most with ingredients now known to kill corals. Image: NadyaEugene/Shutterstock.
Florida considers a call for a state-wide ban on reef-harming chemicals in sunscreens
Following the example that Hawaii, Palau, and parts of Mexico made last year, the state of Florida is considering proposed legislation to outlaw two chemicals found in many sunscreens that are known to kill corals. The chemicals, oxybenzone and octinoxate, wash off our bodies when we swim, snorkel, or dive in the ocean. But even those of us who don’t swim can spread the chemicals into the ocean by lying on the sand with sunscreen on (the sand can wash into the ocean). Oxybenzone and octinoxate also get into the ocean when we rinse off in the shower after a day at the beach. The effect can be disastrous: corals bleach and are unable to reproduce when they are exposed to high levels of these chemicals and coral larvae can be killed. Every year worldwide, approximately 14,000 tons of sunscreen end up in the ocean.
Protecting the Florida Reef Tract
Florida is home to the largest reef system in the United States and the third largest in the world; it is the only living barrier reef in the continental U.S. The Florida Reef runs from about Port St. Lucie at the northern end south to Key West, hooking west to the Dry Tortugas. It measures up to four miles wide, is 170 miles 92765 km) long and includes Biscayne National Park and the renowned John Pennecamp Coral Reef State Park off Key Largo. It is comprised of around 6,000 individual reefs, which range in age from 5,000 to 7,000 years old. It is home to 40 species of stony corals and around 500 species of fish; this diversity is comparable to diversity found on coral reefs in the Caribbean.
Like other reefs around the world, the Florida Reef has experienced dramatic deterioration in recent decades, with some areas experiencing near-total die-off of Elkhorn, Staghorn and other important reefbuilding corals. Bleaching was first recorded on the Florida Reef in 1973, and incidents have increased in recent years with the rise in sea temperatures and rise in sea level (which increases turbidity and decreases salinity on the reef). Scientists continue to look for causes of ongoing coral disease outbreaks, looking at a range of suspects, including traces of drugs, endocrine disruptors, and other chemicals from human populations along the coast. Tourism contributes its share of the troubles, but it is one of Florida’s vital flock of golden geece.
Billions of Tourism Dollars at Stake
A Hawaiian company is promoting its new Kōkua Sun Care Hawaiian Natural Zinc Sunscreen SPF 50.
In light of all this, some lawmakers are moving to protect the reef in a tangible way. A bill to ban harmful sunscreens, introduced in the Florida senate by Sen. Linda Stewart, a Democrat from Orlando, would ban all sunscreen containing oxybenzone and/or octinoxate from the state unless the user has a prescription. The law would take effect in 2021. The first infraction would be penalized with a fine; the second with something harsher that is yet to be determined. Key West has already passed a law banning the offending sunscreens, effective in 2021. The mayor of Key West, Teri Johnson, called the decision an “obligation” that the city council has to protect the coral reef. “It’s the right thing to do,” she said.
The Florida Reef is a huge boon to the tourism industry of Florida, with reef-related activities netting the state many billions of dollars every year. The state has a vested interest in protecting the reef from further bleaching and die-off, and state lawmakers believe that banning sunscreen with reef-damaging chemicals is the easiest way to make an impact here. They hope that when sunbathers, swimmers, snorkelers, and divers make the switch to zinc-based sunscreens, the reefs will be protected into the future. Reef-safe sunscreens are relatively easy to find now, and they will become even more abundant as more reefside vacation spots ban their harmful counterparts. The economy is shifting towards safer sunscreens, and consumers should have no problem finding and using these effective and environmentally-friendly sunscreens.
New Brands Appearing Now
With a tideswell of legislation looming, manufacturers are not waiting until 2021 to get reef-safe products on the shelves.Look for sunscreens made with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Many brands are already available, including Alba Botanica, Badger, Well at Walgreens, Sun Bum, White Pelican, ThinkSport, and many others. They are readily available online or at your local pharmacy or dive shop.
-Bayley Freeman
==========================
An estimated 14,000 tons of sunscreen products enter the ocean each year, most with ingredients now known to kill corals. Image: NadyaEugene/Shutterstock.
Florida considers a call for a state-wide ban on reef-harming chemicals in sunscreens
Following the example that Hawaii, Palau, and parts of Mexico made last year, the state of Florida is considering proposed legislation to outlaw two chemicals found in many sunscreens that are known to kill corals. The chemicals, oxybenzone and octinoxate, wash off our bodies when we swim, snorkel, or dive in the ocean. But even those of us who don’t swim can spread the chemicals into the ocean by lying on the sand with sunscreen on (the sand can wash into the ocean). Oxybenzone and octinoxate also get into the ocean when we rinse off in the shower after a day at the beach. The effect can be disastrous: corals bleach and are unable to reproduce when they are exposed to high levels of these chemicals and coral larvae can be killed. Every year worldwide, approximately 14,000 tons of sunscreen end up in the ocean.
Protecting the Florida Reef Tract
Florida is home to the largest reef system in the United States and the third largest in the world; it is the only living barrier reef in the continental U.S. The Florida Reef runs from about Port St. Lucie at the northern end south to Key West, hooking west to the Dry Tortugas. It measures up to four miles wide, is 170 miles 92765 km) long and includes Biscayne National Park and the renowned John Pennecamp Coral Reef State Park off Key Largo. It is comprised of around 6,000 individual reefs, which range in age from 5,000 to 7,000 years old. It is home to 40 species of stony corals and around 500 species of fish; this diversity is comparable to diversity found on coral reefs in the Caribbean.
Like other reefs around the world, the Florida Reef has experienced dramatic deterioration in recent decades, with some areas experiencing near-total die-off of Elkhorn, Staghorn and other important reefbuilding corals. Bleaching was first recorded on the Florida Reef in 1973, and incidents have increased in recent years with the rise in sea temperatures and rise in sea level (which increases turbidity and decreases salinity on the reef). Scientists continue to look for causes of ongoing coral disease outbreaks, looking at a range of suspects, including traces of drugs, endocrine disruptors, and other chemicals from human populations along the coast. Tourism contributes its share of the troubles, but it is one of Florida’s vital flock of golden geece.
Billions of Tourism Dollars at Stake
A Hawaiian company is promoting its new Kōkua Sun Care Hawaiian Natural Zinc Sunscreen SPF 50.
In light of all this, some lawmakers are moving to protect the reef in a tangible way. A bill to ban harmful sunscreens, introduced in the Florida senate by Sen. Linda Stewart, a Democrat from Orlando, would ban all sunscreen containing oxybenzone and/or octinoxate from the state unless the user has a prescription. The law would take effect in 2021. The first infraction would be penalized with a fine; the second with something harsher that is yet to be determined. Key West has already passed a law banning the offending sunscreens, effective in 2021. The mayor of Key West, Teri Johnson, called the decision an “obligation” that the city council has to protect the coral reef. “It’s the right thing to do,” she said.
The Florida Reef is a huge boon to the tourism industry of Florida, with reef-related activities netting the state many billions of dollars every year. The state has a vested interest in protecting the reef from further bleaching and die-off, and state lawmakers believe that banning sunscreen with reef-damaging chemicals is the easiest way to make an impact here. They hope that when sunbathers, swimmers, snorkelers, and divers make the switch to zinc-based sunscreens, the reefs will be protected into the future. Reef-safe sunscreens are relatively easy to find now, and they will become even more abundant as more reefside vacation spots ban their harmful counterparts. The economy is shifting towards safer sunscreens, and consumers should have no problem finding and using these effective and environmentally-friendly sunscreens.
New Brands Appearing Now
With a tideswell of legislation looming, manufacturers are not waiting until 2021 to get reef-safe products on the shelves.Look for sunscreens made with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Many brands are already available, including Alba Botanica, Badger, Well at Walgreens, Sun Bum, White Pelican, ThinkSport, and many others. They are readily available online or at your local pharmacy or dive shop.
-Bayley Freeman
==========================
OFI Issues Indonesian Coral Export Update29 Mar, 2019
A coral export facility sits idle in Bali, Indonesia. Image via OFI.
via Ornamental Fish International (OFI)
Indonesian Coral Export Suspension Update
The coral export suspension continues in Indonesia despite ongoing lobbying by industry. The industry has been devastated by this ongoing suspension with over 10,000 jobs lost in the Indonesian industry, as well as revenue losses of more than USD$12 million. More importantly, all the coral reef restoration work that the farmers carried out has now stopped—10% of their production is used to directly restore coral reef but without an income this work has now stopped.
There is hope that a case before the ombudsman could put an end to the suspension and there was a meeting scheduled this week for the ombudsmen case, however, key participants (namely the relevant Ministers) were not available resulting in the decision being delayed again. While the industry is confident the export suspension will finish, it is increasingly looking like this will not happen until after the elections to be held in April this year.
We hope that the suspension ends soon so collectors, farmers, and exporters can get back to work—it is so sad to see empty facilities like this one in Bali!
###
Editor’s Note: The stoppage of coral exportation from Indonesia came as a surprise on May 4th, 2018, and has continued for 330 days as of March 29th, 2019.
==========================
A coral export facility sits idle in Bali, Indonesia. Image via OFI.
via Ornamental Fish International (OFI)
Indonesian Coral Export Suspension Update
The coral export suspension continues in Indonesia despite ongoing lobbying by industry. The industry has been devastated by this ongoing suspension with over 10,000 jobs lost in the Indonesian industry, as well as revenue losses of more than USD$12 million. More importantly, all the coral reef restoration work that the farmers carried out has now stopped—10% of their production is used to directly restore coral reef but without an income this work has now stopped.
There is hope that a case before the ombudsman could put an end to the suspension and there was a meeting scheduled this week for the ombudsmen case, however, key participants (namely the relevant Ministers) were not available resulting in the decision being delayed again. While the industry is confident the export suspension will finish, it is increasingly looking like this will not happen until after the elections to be held in April this year.
We hope that the suspension ends soon so collectors, farmers, and exporters can get back to work—it is so sad to see empty facilities like this one in Bali!
###
Editor’s Note: The stoppage of coral exportation from Indonesia came as a surprise on May 4th, 2018, and has continued for 330 days as of March 29th, 2019.
==========================
Tanichthys kuehnei
Tanichthys kuehnei • A New Species (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) from Central Vietnam
Tanichthys kuehnei
Bohlen, Dvorák, Thang & Šlechtová, 2019
DOI: 10.23788/IEF-1081
Tanichthys kuehnei, new species, is described from a stream in the Bach Ma Mountains in Hue Province in Central Vietnam. The new species differs from its congeners by having more branched rays in anal fin (9 1/2 vs. 7-8 1/2 in T. micagemmae and 8 1/2 in T. albonubes and T. thacbaensis). Morphological and genetic characters suggest it to be closer related to T. micagemmae, the only other species of Tanichthys known from Central Vietnam. Tanichthys kuehnei differs from T. micagemmae by having a white anal-fin margin (vs. red).
Jörg Bohlen, Tomáš Dvorák, Ha Nam Thang and Vendula Šlechtová. 2019. Tanichthys kuehnei, New Species, from Central Vietnam (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae). Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters. DOI: 10.23788/IEF-1081
facebook.com/IchthyologyoftheWorld/photos/2342677662419684
==========================
Tanichthys kuehnei
Bohlen, Dvorák, Thang & Šlechtová, 2019
DOI: 10.23788/IEF-1081
Tanichthys kuehnei, new species, is described from a stream in the Bach Ma Mountains in Hue Province in Central Vietnam. The new species differs from its congeners by having more branched rays in anal fin (9 1/2 vs. 7-8 1/2 in T. micagemmae and 8 1/2 in T. albonubes and T. thacbaensis). Morphological and genetic characters suggest it to be closer related to T. micagemmae, the only other species of Tanichthys known from Central Vietnam. Tanichthys kuehnei differs from T. micagemmae by having a white anal-fin margin (vs. red).
Jörg Bohlen, Tomáš Dvorák, Ha Nam Thang and Vendula Šlechtová. 2019. Tanichthys kuehnei, New Species, from Central Vietnam (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae). Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters. DOI: 10.23788/IEF-1081
facebook.com/IchthyologyoftheWorld/photos/2342677662419684
==========================
Unraveling the mechanism for seasonal adaptation in animalsDate:
April 8, 2019
Source:
National Institutes of Natural Sciences
Summary:
Biologists have discovered that long non-coding RNA regulates seasonal changes in stress response in medaka fish.
Share:
FULL STORY
Medaka, a small fish inhabiting rice fields and streams.
Credit: Tomoya Nakayama & Takashi YoshimuraBiologists at the National Institute for Basic Biology and the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM) at Nagoya University have discovered that long non-coding RNA regulates seasonal changes in stress response in medaka fish. The results of this study were reported in Nature Ecology & Evolution.
In temperate zones, the environment fluctuates greatly depending on the season, and animals living in these areas adapt to these changing environments. A research group from the National Institute for Basic Biology and Nagoya University in Japan uncovered the underlying mechanism of seasonal changes in stress response.
Although the Greek philosopher Aristotle described seasonal changes in animal behavior in his 'Historia Animalium (History of Animals)', their underlying mechanisms remain unclear. During breeding seasons, animals show stress responses, such as self-protective and escape behaviors when confronted with potentially dangerous situations such as predation, interspecific competition, and harsh weather. These behaviors are critical for animals to survive in changing environments. In order to investigate seasonal changes in stress responses, the research group examined medaka, a small fish inhabiting rice fields and streams. Tomoya Nakayama, a Ph.D. student said, "we examined genome-wide gene expression analysis during the transition from short day to long day conditions, and identified photoperiodically regulated genes."
Among the photoperiodically regulated genes, researchers focused on a novel, long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), LDAIR (long day-induced antisense intronic RNA), whose robust rhythmic expression was induced only under long day conditions. lncRNA are defined as transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides that are not translated into protein. Although recent studies found that there are as many lncRNA as protein-coding genes in our genome, the functional significance of most lncRNA remains unknown.
Using genome-editing technique, the research group generated LDAIR knockout medaka to understand its function. As a result, it became clear that LDAIR regulates a gene neighborhood including corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 2 (CRHR2). Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and its receptors, CRHR1 and CRHR2 are known to be involved in stress responses. Furthermore, upon conducting behavioral analysis, it was confirmed that LDAIR affects stress-associated self-protective behaviors.
Professor Yoshimura, the leader of this research group, said, "to cope with seasonal changes in the environment, animals often adapt their behavior. We found the involvement of lncRNA LDAIR in this adaptive behavior." Recent studies concerning plants have also reported that photoperiodically-regulated lncRNAs regulate photomorphogenesis, cotyledon greening, and flowering. Although the sequences of lncRNAs are not conserved, lncRNA appear to play an important role across species in the adaptation mechanism to seasonal changes in the environment.
Story Source:
Materials provided by National Institutes of Natural Sciences. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
==========================
April 8, 2019
Source:
National Institutes of Natural Sciences
Summary:
Biologists have discovered that long non-coding RNA regulates seasonal changes in stress response in medaka fish.
Share:
FULL STORY
Medaka, a small fish inhabiting rice fields and streams.
Credit: Tomoya Nakayama & Takashi YoshimuraBiologists at the National Institute for Basic Biology and the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM) at Nagoya University have discovered that long non-coding RNA regulates seasonal changes in stress response in medaka fish. The results of this study were reported in Nature Ecology & Evolution.
In temperate zones, the environment fluctuates greatly depending on the season, and animals living in these areas adapt to these changing environments. A research group from the National Institute for Basic Biology and Nagoya University in Japan uncovered the underlying mechanism of seasonal changes in stress response.
Although the Greek philosopher Aristotle described seasonal changes in animal behavior in his 'Historia Animalium (History of Animals)', their underlying mechanisms remain unclear. During breeding seasons, animals show stress responses, such as self-protective and escape behaviors when confronted with potentially dangerous situations such as predation, interspecific competition, and harsh weather. These behaviors are critical for animals to survive in changing environments. In order to investigate seasonal changes in stress responses, the research group examined medaka, a small fish inhabiting rice fields and streams. Tomoya Nakayama, a Ph.D. student said, "we examined genome-wide gene expression analysis during the transition from short day to long day conditions, and identified photoperiodically regulated genes."
Among the photoperiodically regulated genes, researchers focused on a novel, long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), LDAIR (long day-induced antisense intronic RNA), whose robust rhythmic expression was induced only under long day conditions. lncRNA are defined as transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides that are not translated into protein. Although recent studies found that there are as many lncRNA as protein-coding genes in our genome, the functional significance of most lncRNA remains unknown.
Using genome-editing technique, the research group generated LDAIR knockout medaka to understand its function. As a result, it became clear that LDAIR regulates a gene neighborhood including corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 2 (CRHR2). Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and its receptors, CRHR1 and CRHR2 are known to be involved in stress responses. Furthermore, upon conducting behavioral analysis, it was confirmed that LDAIR affects stress-associated self-protective behaviors.
Professor Yoshimura, the leader of this research group, said, "to cope with seasonal changes in the environment, animals often adapt their behavior. We found the involvement of lncRNA LDAIR in this adaptive behavior." Recent studies concerning plants have also reported that photoperiodically-regulated lncRNAs regulate photomorphogenesis, cotyledon greening, and flowering. Although the sequences of lncRNAs are not conserved, lncRNA appear to play an important role across species in the adaptation mechanism to seasonal changes in the environment.
Story Source:
Materials provided by National Institutes of Natural Sciences. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
- Tomoya Nakayama, Tsuyoshi Shimmura, Ai Shinomiya, Kousuke Okimura, Yusuke Takehana, Yuko Furukawa, Takayuki Shimo, Takumi Senga, Mana Nakatsukasa, Toshiya Nishimura, Minoru Tanaka, Kataaki Okubo, Yasuhiro Kamei, Kiyoshi Naruse, Takashi Yoshimura. Seasonal regulation of the lncRNA LDAIR modulates self-protective behaviors during the breeding season. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2019 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-019-0866-6
==========================
RWU Researchers Take Important First Step Towards Developing a Test to Detect Cyanide Fishing in the Marine Aquarium Trade
New research establishes a timeline over which cyanide testing in marine fish would be viable, helping to combat cyanide fishing before fish enter the aquarium trade
via Roger Williams University
April 2, 2019 – By Jill Rodrigues
BRISTOL, R.I. – As a critical step in developing the first test to help reduce the destructive and illegal trade of cyanide-caught marine fish, Roger Williams University professors and undergraduate student researchers have measured the residence time of an important metabolite in the blood of marine fish after cyanide exposure.
Cyanide fishing is a widespread problem in the Indo-Pacific region, where fishermen spray cyanide solutions onto coral reefs to stun reef fish and make them easier to capture for the marine aquarium and live fish food trades. In the process, all the organisms that live on the reef, even the reef itself, may be compromised, contributing to the decimation of some of the world’s most productive reefs.
For decades, the scientific community has been seeking a solution to identify fish caught by cyanide. The most recent focus had been on trying to detect a metabolite in the water of the captured fish. But two years ago, RWU researchers Andrew Rhyne and Nancy Breen proved that method to be erroneous. That’s when Rhyne and Breen realized that they needed to go to the source, and look within the fish.
“We went back the beginning and thought, if you expose fish to cyanide, where would an indicator of that exposure be? And it would clearly be in the blood plasma, just like most drug metabolites,” said Rhyne, an Associate Professor of Marine Biology at RWU. “So we developed a method that’s like a blood test you would give an athlete. It uses some of the same technology used for looking for performance-enhancing drugs or other banned substances in humans.”
On April 2, PeerJ published the RWU researchers’ report, “On the half-life of thiocyanate in the plasma of Amphiprion ocellaris: implications for cyanide detection,” co-authored by Rhyne, RWU Associate Professor of Chemistry Nancy Breen, John Alex Bonnano ’17, senior biology and chemistry double major Sara Hunt, sophomore marine biology major Julia Grossman, Jordan Brown ’18, and Hannah Nolte ’18.
Their study gives a timeline over which post-exposure testing of marine fish exposed to cyanide could be viable. This research provides a first step in developing a comprehensive test and is only for a single species, but they are continuing to use their method on other species of marine fish under lab conditions and eventually hope to use the method out in the field.
Clownfish feed inside a tank in the RWU Wet Lab.
Inside the RWU Wet Lab, carrot-orange, black-striped clownfish swirl among each other in tanks of saltwater drawn straight from the bay. RWU researchers have aquacultured clownfish for many years, making it the obvious species with which to start their research.
The clownfish in their experiments were exposed to cyanide in baths for different lengths of time. Not enough to kill the fish, but to stun them as if drugged by a fisherman using cyanide in the wild. Once exposed, cyanide is quickly metabolized into thiocyanate, which, like other detoxification byproducts, can be found in the bloodstream.
The rapid metabolism of cyanide prevents researchers from looking for it directly. Instead, they search for its metabolite, thiocyanate – the same chemical that is found in the blood and saliva of smokers who are exposed to cyanide from smoking cigarettes, Rhyne said.
In the RWU Chemistry Lab, Breen led the student researchers in analyzing the blood of the exposed fish. Using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), they measured the concentration of thiocyanate to model how long it remains in the bloodstream after cyanide exposure.
“This gave us the timeline for how long after exposure that thiocyanate can be tested for and its concentration range – information that’s critical to detect cyanide fishing. Despite decades of concern about cyanide fishing, this timeline has never been developed,” Rhyne said.
It was the necessary first step in developing a field-deployable test to detect fish caught by cyanide – something that environmental organizations, law enforcement, and aquarium trade importers and retailers have been advocating for years.
Drawing plasma from a blood sample, Sara Hunt prepares a slide to examine the specimen under a microscope.
From sample preparation to analyzing the data, an army of undergraduate student researchers were involved at every step of the project. It was a collaborative intersection of marine biology and chemistry, enabling a robust team of students to work as both biologists and chemists on cutting-edge research. Over several years, nearly a dozen students have contributed to and are continuing the research, some as early as their freshman year.
Sara Hunt, a senior biology and chemistry double major and an honors student, will incorporate this work into her thesis and Honors Program capstone project. As one of the lead authors on the report, she already has a prestigious research publication under her belt as an undergraduate, making her application stand out among her peers when she applies to physician assistant programs at medical schools this spring.
“Working on the cyanide project has taught me a great deal about the importance of careful planning, attention to detail, problem solving, and collaboration in a marine biology and chemistry setting. So far, these skills have helped me tremendously in job interviews and in off-campus clinical positions, and will continue to benefit me in clinical- or laboratory-based roles and in physician assistant school in the future,” said Hunt, who also works part-time as a medical scribe at a hospital.
John Alex Bonanno ’17 draws a blood sample from a sedated clownfish, while undergraduate student researchers observe and learn the process.
John Alex Bonanno, an author of the report who graduated from RWU with a bachelor’s degree in marine biology in 2017, had worked with Rhyne on research in the Wet Lab during his time at RWU and decided to return to work with the RWU team for his master’s thesis. Now a graduate student at UMass-Boston, Bonanno said that his research experiences at Roger Williams have prepared him for graduate school and beyond.
“This project has exposed me to many aspects of chemical analysis, broadening my skill set. I can put that on my résumé, which will make me very marketable for any job in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries around Boston,” said Bonnano, who hopes to complete his master’s degree in marine science and technology in December.
Back in the RWU Wet Lab and Chemistry Lab, the work hasn’t stopped a day. The research team exposes, dissects, and analyzes.
As they continue to refine their method and work on other marine fish species, they are moving closer to a solution. Their ultimate goal is to develop a simple test that governments and importers can use to check whether fish have been exposed to cyanide. Once a test is available, combating and even eradicating this destructive fishing method could finally became a realistic possibility.
###
Read the open access article, “On the half-life of thiocyanate in the plasma of Amphiprion ocellaris: implications for cyanide detection,” available online now via PeerJ.
Reference:
Breen NE, Bonanno JA, Hunt S, Grossman J, Brown J, Nolte H, Rhyne AL. 2019. On the half-life of thiocyanate in the plasma of the marine fish Amphiprion ocellaris: implications for cyanide detection. PeerJ 7:e6644 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6644
==========================
New research establishes a timeline over which cyanide testing in marine fish would be viable, helping to combat cyanide fishing before fish enter the aquarium trade
via Roger Williams University
April 2, 2019 – By Jill Rodrigues
BRISTOL, R.I. – As a critical step in developing the first test to help reduce the destructive and illegal trade of cyanide-caught marine fish, Roger Williams University professors and undergraduate student researchers have measured the residence time of an important metabolite in the blood of marine fish after cyanide exposure.
Cyanide fishing is a widespread problem in the Indo-Pacific region, where fishermen spray cyanide solutions onto coral reefs to stun reef fish and make them easier to capture for the marine aquarium and live fish food trades. In the process, all the organisms that live on the reef, even the reef itself, may be compromised, contributing to the decimation of some of the world’s most productive reefs.
For decades, the scientific community has been seeking a solution to identify fish caught by cyanide. The most recent focus had been on trying to detect a metabolite in the water of the captured fish. But two years ago, RWU researchers Andrew Rhyne and Nancy Breen proved that method to be erroneous. That’s when Rhyne and Breen realized that they needed to go to the source, and look within the fish.
“We went back the beginning and thought, if you expose fish to cyanide, where would an indicator of that exposure be? And it would clearly be in the blood plasma, just like most drug metabolites,” said Rhyne, an Associate Professor of Marine Biology at RWU. “So we developed a method that’s like a blood test you would give an athlete. It uses some of the same technology used for looking for performance-enhancing drugs or other banned substances in humans.”
On April 2, PeerJ published the RWU researchers’ report, “On the half-life of thiocyanate in the plasma of Amphiprion ocellaris: implications for cyanide detection,” co-authored by Rhyne, RWU Associate Professor of Chemistry Nancy Breen, John Alex Bonnano ’17, senior biology and chemistry double major Sara Hunt, sophomore marine biology major Julia Grossman, Jordan Brown ’18, and Hannah Nolte ’18.
Their study gives a timeline over which post-exposure testing of marine fish exposed to cyanide could be viable. This research provides a first step in developing a comprehensive test and is only for a single species, but they are continuing to use their method on other species of marine fish under lab conditions and eventually hope to use the method out in the field.
Clownfish feed inside a tank in the RWU Wet Lab.
Inside the RWU Wet Lab, carrot-orange, black-striped clownfish swirl among each other in tanks of saltwater drawn straight from the bay. RWU researchers have aquacultured clownfish for many years, making it the obvious species with which to start their research.
The clownfish in their experiments were exposed to cyanide in baths for different lengths of time. Not enough to kill the fish, but to stun them as if drugged by a fisherman using cyanide in the wild. Once exposed, cyanide is quickly metabolized into thiocyanate, which, like other detoxification byproducts, can be found in the bloodstream.
The rapid metabolism of cyanide prevents researchers from looking for it directly. Instead, they search for its metabolite, thiocyanate – the same chemical that is found in the blood and saliva of smokers who are exposed to cyanide from smoking cigarettes, Rhyne said.
In the RWU Chemistry Lab, Breen led the student researchers in analyzing the blood of the exposed fish. Using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), they measured the concentration of thiocyanate to model how long it remains in the bloodstream after cyanide exposure.
“This gave us the timeline for how long after exposure that thiocyanate can be tested for and its concentration range – information that’s critical to detect cyanide fishing. Despite decades of concern about cyanide fishing, this timeline has never been developed,” Rhyne said.
It was the necessary first step in developing a field-deployable test to detect fish caught by cyanide – something that environmental organizations, law enforcement, and aquarium trade importers and retailers have been advocating for years.
Drawing plasma from a blood sample, Sara Hunt prepares a slide to examine the specimen under a microscope.
From sample preparation to analyzing the data, an army of undergraduate student researchers were involved at every step of the project. It was a collaborative intersection of marine biology and chemistry, enabling a robust team of students to work as both biologists and chemists on cutting-edge research. Over several years, nearly a dozen students have contributed to and are continuing the research, some as early as their freshman year.
Sara Hunt, a senior biology and chemistry double major and an honors student, will incorporate this work into her thesis and Honors Program capstone project. As one of the lead authors on the report, she already has a prestigious research publication under her belt as an undergraduate, making her application stand out among her peers when she applies to physician assistant programs at medical schools this spring.
“Working on the cyanide project has taught me a great deal about the importance of careful planning, attention to detail, problem solving, and collaboration in a marine biology and chemistry setting. So far, these skills have helped me tremendously in job interviews and in off-campus clinical positions, and will continue to benefit me in clinical- or laboratory-based roles and in physician assistant school in the future,” said Hunt, who also works part-time as a medical scribe at a hospital.
John Alex Bonanno ’17 draws a blood sample from a sedated clownfish, while undergraduate student researchers observe and learn the process.
John Alex Bonanno, an author of the report who graduated from RWU with a bachelor’s degree in marine biology in 2017, had worked with Rhyne on research in the Wet Lab during his time at RWU and decided to return to work with the RWU team for his master’s thesis. Now a graduate student at UMass-Boston, Bonanno said that his research experiences at Roger Williams have prepared him for graduate school and beyond.
“This project has exposed me to many aspects of chemical analysis, broadening my skill set. I can put that on my résumé, which will make me very marketable for any job in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries around Boston,” said Bonnano, who hopes to complete his master’s degree in marine science and technology in December.
Back in the RWU Wet Lab and Chemistry Lab, the work hasn’t stopped a day. The research team exposes, dissects, and analyzes.
As they continue to refine their method and work on other marine fish species, they are moving closer to a solution. Their ultimate goal is to develop a simple test that governments and importers can use to check whether fish have been exposed to cyanide. Once a test is available, combating and even eradicating this destructive fishing method could finally became a realistic possibility.
###
Read the open access article, “On the half-life of thiocyanate in the plasma of Amphiprion ocellaris: implications for cyanide detection,” available online now via PeerJ.
Reference:
Breen NE, Bonanno JA, Hunt S, Grossman J, Brown J, Nolte H, Rhyne AL. 2019. On the half-life of thiocyanate in the plasma of the marine fish Amphiprion ocellaris: implications for cyanide detection. PeerJ 7:e6644 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6644
==========================
Cryptocentrus altipinna, a New Species of Highfin ShrimpgobyJAKE ADAMSJAN 24, 20190
0SHARES
00Cryptocentrus altipinna is a fresh new species of small watchman goby from the eastern Indian Ocean around Thailand and Sri Lanka. This smaller species of watchman has a beautiful rosy pink spotted face very similar to the pink spotted watchman, Cryptocentrus leptocephalus, but C. altipinna is actually quite different from the fish we’re used to.
Besides a completely different natural distribution, Cryptocentrus altipinna has more even distribution of pink coloration which is quite spotted in the dorsal fins, but becomes irregular in the body and striped in the tail and anal fin. There is a varying degree of small metallic blue spots along the body not unlike the closely related speckled shrimpgoby, Cryptocentrus caeruleomaculatus.
Also, as the latin name implies this species was given the common name of ‘highfin shrimpgoby’ goby due to a significantly tall first dorsal fin in mature specimens of both males and females. This is a rather small, but not quite nano, species of Cryptocentrus goby which grows to only 60mm long, or just a touch over two inches in total length. [JOSF]
==========================
0SHARES
00Cryptocentrus altipinna is a fresh new species of small watchman goby from the eastern Indian Ocean around Thailand and Sri Lanka. This smaller species of watchman has a beautiful rosy pink spotted face very similar to the pink spotted watchman, Cryptocentrus leptocephalus, but C. altipinna is actually quite different from the fish we’re used to.
Besides a completely different natural distribution, Cryptocentrus altipinna has more even distribution of pink coloration which is quite spotted in the dorsal fins, but becomes irregular in the body and striped in the tail and anal fin. There is a varying degree of small metallic blue spots along the body not unlike the closely related speckled shrimpgoby, Cryptocentrus caeruleomaculatus.
Also, as the latin name implies this species was given the common name of ‘highfin shrimpgoby’ goby due to a significantly tall first dorsal fin in mature specimens of both males and females. This is a rather small, but not quite nano, species of Cryptocentrus goby which grows to only 60mm long, or just a touch over two inches in total length. [JOSF]
==========================
Prognathodes geminus, a new species of butterflyfish (Teleostei, Chaetodontidae) from Palau
Joshua M. Copus, Richard L. Pyle, Brian D. Greene, John E. RandallAbstractA new species of the butterflyfish genus Prognathodes (Chaetodontidae) is described from two specimens collected at a depth of 116 m off Ngemelis Island, Palau. Prognathodes geminus sp. n. is similar to P.basabei Pyle & Kosaki, 2016 from the Hawaiian archipelago, and P. guezei(Maugé & Bauchot, 1976) from the western Indian Ocean, but differs from these species in the number of soft dorsal-fin rays, size of head, body width, and body depth. There are also subtle differences in life color, and substantial differences in the mtDNA cytochrome oxidase I sequence (d ≈ 0.08). Although genetic comparisons with P. guezei are unavailable, it is expected that the genetic divergence between P. guezei and P. geminuswill be even greater than that between P. geminus and P. basabei. It is named for the strikingly similar color pattern it shares with P. basabei.
KeywordsClosed-circuit rebreather, Mesophotic Coral Ecosystem, Micronesia, systematic ichthyology
IntroductionThe butterflyfish genus Prognathodes Gill, 1862 (type species Chelmopelta Günther, 1860 = Chaetodon aculeatus Poey, 1860) currently includes twelve valid species: seven from the Atlantic [P. aculeatus (Poey, 1860), P.aya (Jordan, 1886), P. brasiliensis Burgess, 2001, P. dichrous (Günther, 1869), P. guyanensis (Durand, 1960), P. marcellae (Poll, 1950), and P.obliquus (Lubbock & Edwards, 1980)], two from the tropical eastern Pacific [P. falcifer (Hubbs & Rechnitzer, 1958), P. carlhubbsi Nalbant, 1995], one from the Hawaiian Islands [P. basabei Pyle & Kosaki, 2016], one from the central Indian Ocean and western Pacific [P. guyotensis (Yamamoto & Tameka, 1982)], and one from the western Indian Ocean [P. guezei (Maugé & Bauchot, 1976)], most of which are associated with deep coral-reef environments known as Mesophotic Coral Reef ecosystems (MCEs; 30–150 m; Hinderstein et al. 2010).
Several individuals of a butterflyfish with dark bars resembling both P.guezei from the Western Indian Ocean and a species from the Hawaiian Islands that was later described as P. basabei were recorded on video at depths in excess of 110 m during a series of submersible dives in Palau conducted by Patrick L Colin and Lori Bell Colin in 2001. In April 2007, while conducting a series of deep exploratory dives off Ngemelis Island, Palau (Republic of Belau) in the Caroline Islands, authors Pyle and Greene collected two specimens of this unidentified Prognathodes at a depth of 116 m. The fish were encountered among a patch of limestone rubble at the base of a prominent limestone outcropping.
Based on an examination of a combination of morphological and genetic characters of the Palauan specimens, in comparison to six specimens of P.basabei and two specimens of P. guezei (the two species that most closely resemble the Palauan specimens), we herein describe the new species as Prognathodes geminus.
Materials and methodsTwo unknown fish of the genus Prognathodes were collected with hand nets during deep dives using mixed-gas, closed-circuit rebreathers off of Ngemelis Island (7.13791N, 134.22181E), at a depth of 116 m. In order to capture the live coloration, the specimens were brought to the surface alive, euthanized, and immediately photographed. A tissue sample was taken from each specimen prior to being placed in formalin. Methods of counts and measurements follow Pyle and Kosaki (2016).
Head length, depth of body, width of body, snout length, predorsal length, preanal length, length of dorsal-fin and anal-fin bases, orbit diameter, interorbital width, caudal peduncle depth, and lengths of fin spines and rays are expressed as percent of standard length (as SL). Counts and measurements for the paratype, if different from the holotype, are presented in parentheses after the value for the holotype.
The holotype has been deposited in the fish collection at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Honolulu (BPBM), and the paratype has been deposited at the US National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC (USNM).
Total genomic DNA was extracted using the ‘HotSHOT’ protocol (Meeker et al. 2007). A 533-base pair fragment of the mtDNA cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1) region was amplified using primers from Baldwin et al. (2009). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed in a 15 μl reaction containing 7.5 μl BioMix Red (Biolone Inc, Springfield, NJ, USA), 0.2 μM of each primer, 5–50 ng template DNA, and nanopure water (Thermo Scientific Barnstead, Dubuque, IA, USA) to volume. PCR cycling parameters were as follows: initial 95 °C denaturation for 10 min followed by 35 cycles of 94 °C for 30 sec, 55 °C for 30 sec, and 72 °C for 30 sec, followed by a final extension of 72 °C for 10 min. PCR products were visualized using a 1.5% agarose gel with GelStar (Cambrex Bio Science Rockland, Inc., Rockland, MA, USA) and then cleaned by incubating with 0.75 units of Exonuclease and 0.5 units of Shrimp Akaline Phosphate (ExoSAP; USB, Cleveland, OH, USA) per 7.5 μl of PCR product for 30 min. at 37 °C followed by 85 °C for 15 min. Sequencing was conducted in the forward and reverse direction using a genetic analyzer (ABI 3730XL, Applied Biosystems, Foster City, California) at the ASGPB Genomics Sequencing Facility at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. The sequences were aligned, edited and trimmed to a common length using Geneious Pro v.6.1.6 DNA analysis software (Biomatters. http://www.geneious.com/). CO1 haplotypes were deposited in GenBank and the Barcode of Life Database
==========================
Joshua M. Copus, Richard L. Pyle, Brian D. Greene, John E. RandallAbstractA new species of the butterflyfish genus Prognathodes (Chaetodontidae) is described from two specimens collected at a depth of 116 m off Ngemelis Island, Palau. Prognathodes geminus sp. n. is similar to P.basabei Pyle & Kosaki, 2016 from the Hawaiian archipelago, and P. guezei(Maugé & Bauchot, 1976) from the western Indian Ocean, but differs from these species in the number of soft dorsal-fin rays, size of head, body width, and body depth. There are also subtle differences in life color, and substantial differences in the mtDNA cytochrome oxidase I sequence (d ≈ 0.08). Although genetic comparisons with P. guezei are unavailable, it is expected that the genetic divergence between P. guezei and P. geminuswill be even greater than that between P. geminus and P. basabei. It is named for the strikingly similar color pattern it shares with P. basabei.
KeywordsClosed-circuit rebreather, Mesophotic Coral Ecosystem, Micronesia, systematic ichthyology
IntroductionThe butterflyfish genus Prognathodes Gill, 1862 (type species Chelmopelta Günther, 1860 = Chaetodon aculeatus Poey, 1860) currently includes twelve valid species: seven from the Atlantic [P. aculeatus (Poey, 1860), P.aya (Jordan, 1886), P. brasiliensis Burgess, 2001, P. dichrous (Günther, 1869), P. guyanensis (Durand, 1960), P. marcellae (Poll, 1950), and P.obliquus (Lubbock & Edwards, 1980)], two from the tropical eastern Pacific [P. falcifer (Hubbs & Rechnitzer, 1958), P. carlhubbsi Nalbant, 1995], one from the Hawaiian Islands [P. basabei Pyle & Kosaki, 2016], one from the central Indian Ocean and western Pacific [P. guyotensis (Yamamoto & Tameka, 1982)], and one from the western Indian Ocean [P. guezei (Maugé & Bauchot, 1976)], most of which are associated with deep coral-reef environments known as Mesophotic Coral Reef ecosystems (MCEs; 30–150 m; Hinderstein et al. 2010).
Several individuals of a butterflyfish with dark bars resembling both P.guezei from the Western Indian Ocean and a species from the Hawaiian Islands that was later described as P. basabei were recorded on video at depths in excess of 110 m during a series of submersible dives in Palau conducted by Patrick L Colin and Lori Bell Colin in 2001. In April 2007, while conducting a series of deep exploratory dives off Ngemelis Island, Palau (Republic of Belau) in the Caroline Islands, authors Pyle and Greene collected two specimens of this unidentified Prognathodes at a depth of 116 m. The fish were encountered among a patch of limestone rubble at the base of a prominent limestone outcropping.
Based on an examination of a combination of morphological and genetic characters of the Palauan specimens, in comparison to six specimens of P.basabei and two specimens of P. guezei (the two species that most closely resemble the Palauan specimens), we herein describe the new species as Prognathodes geminus.
Materials and methodsTwo unknown fish of the genus Prognathodes were collected with hand nets during deep dives using mixed-gas, closed-circuit rebreathers off of Ngemelis Island (7.13791N, 134.22181E), at a depth of 116 m. In order to capture the live coloration, the specimens were brought to the surface alive, euthanized, and immediately photographed. A tissue sample was taken from each specimen prior to being placed in formalin. Methods of counts and measurements follow Pyle and Kosaki (2016).
Head length, depth of body, width of body, snout length, predorsal length, preanal length, length of dorsal-fin and anal-fin bases, orbit diameter, interorbital width, caudal peduncle depth, and lengths of fin spines and rays are expressed as percent of standard length (as SL). Counts and measurements for the paratype, if different from the holotype, are presented in parentheses after the value for the holotype.
The holotype has been deposited in the fish collection at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Honolulu (BPBM), and the paratype has been deposited at the US National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC (USNM).
Total genomic DNA was extracted using the ‘HotSHOT’ protocol (Meeker et al. 2007). A 533-base pair fragment of the mtDNA cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1) region was amplified using primers from Baldwin et al. (2009). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed in a 15 μl reaction containing 7.5 μl BioMix Red (Biolone Inc, Springfield, NJ, USA), 0.2 μM of each primer, 5–50 ng template DNA, and nanopure water (Thermo Scientific Barnstead, Dubuque, IA, USA) to volume. PCR cycling parameters were as follows: initial 95 °C denaturation for 10 min followed by 35 cycles of 94 °C for 30 sec, 55 °C for 30 sec, and 72 °C for 30 sec, followed by a final extension of 72 °C for 10 min. PCR products were visualized using a 1.5% agarose gel with GelStar (Cambrex Bio Science Rockland, Inc., Rockland, MA, USA) and then cleaned by incubating with 0.75 units of Exonuclease and 0.5 units of Shrimp Akaline Phosphate (ExoSAP; USB, Cleveland, OH, USA) per 7.5 μl of PCR product for 30 min. at 37 °C followed by 85 °C for 15 min. Sequencing was conducted in the forward and reverse direction using a genetic analyzer (ABI 3730XL, Applied Biosystems, Foster City, California) at the ASGPB Genomics Sequencing Facility at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. The sequences were aligned, edited and trimmed to a common length using Geneious Pro v.6.1.6 DNA analysis software (Biomatters. http://www.geneious.com/). CO1 haplotypes were deposited in GenBank and the Barcode of Life Database
==========================
Eviota gunawanae • A New Microendemic Dwarfgoby (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from the Fakfak Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia
Eviota gunawanae Greenfield, Tornabene & Erdmann
in Greenfield, Tornabene, Erdmann & Pada, 2019.
Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 32
DOI:10.5281/zenodo.26167 twitter.com/FishEvoLuke
Abstract
A new species of dwarfgoby, Eviota gunawanae, with a cephalic sensory-canal pore pattern lacking only the IT and NA pores and with the AITO pore positioned far forward and opening anteriorly, is described from the Fakfak Peninsula in the Bird’s Head Seascape of western New Guinea, West Papua Province, Indonesia. It has a dorsal/anal-fin-ray formula of 8/7, 16 unbranched pectoral-fin rays, the fifth pelvic-fin ray present, very long anterior tubular nares, a distinctive double black spot at the caudal-fin base, and no narrow horizontal line of melanophores crossing the pectoral-fin base. In life, it has a maroon stripe down the midline of the body, with elongate white spots above it posteriorly and two white lines over the abdomen. E. gunawanae is most closely related to E. tetha. The new species appears to represent the eighth known microendemic fish species from this remote reef location in West Papua, highlighting the biodiversity conservation importance of the Fakfak Peninsula’s reefs.
Key words: taxonomy, systematics, ichthyology, coral-reef fishes, gobies, endemism, microendemism, phylogenetics, Bird’s Head Seascape, conservation, Eviota tetha
Eviota gunawanae n. sp.
underwater photograph, Fakfak, West Papua Province, Indonesia
(photos: M.V. Erdmann).
Eviota gunawanae, n. sp. Greenfield, Tornabene & Erdmann
Tiene’s Dwarfgoby
Diagnosis. A species of Eviota with a cephalic sensory-canal pore pattern lacking only IT and NA pores and with AITO pore positioned far forward and opening anteriorly; very long anterior tubular nares; dorsal/anal-finray formula 8/7; 16 unbranched pectoral-fin rays; fifth pelvic-fin ray about 10% length of the fourth pelvic-fin ray; a black spot at caudal-fin base in two joined parts extending anteriorly past end of hypural plate; top of head with scattered melanophores, sometimes arranged in lines, but not as a single line of melanophores extending posteriorly from PITO pore back onto nape. In life, a maroon stripe down midline of body with elongate white spots above stripe posteriorly and two white lines over abdomen.
Etymology. The species is named in honor of Dr. Tiene Gunawan, one of Indonesia’s foremost marine conservationists who has dedicated the past two decades to expanding the marine protected area network of West Papua and formulating policies to protect the biodiverse marine ecosystems contained therein. Dr. Gunawan also helped plan and launch the marine biodiversity survey of the Fakfak coastline that led to the discovery of this species.
Distribution and habitat. Currently known only from Karas Island in the Fakfak Regency, West Papua Province, Indonesia. It is presumably more widespread along the poorly-explored Fakfak coastline, but unlikely to be found in the very well-surveyed Raja Ampat Islands to the north. The species was found in a relatively unusual deepwater-reef environment consisting of large foliose and plating corals on a gentle slope from 35–55m depth, exposed to moderate currents but otherwise protected from wave energy.
David W. Greenfield, Luke Tornabene, Mark V. Erdmann and Defy N. Pada. 2019. Eviota gunawanae, A New Microendemic Dwarfgoby from the Fakfak Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia (Teleostei: Gobiidae). Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 32; 57–67. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.26167
twitter.com/FishEvoLuke/status/1112830189908549632
==========================
Eviota gunawanae Greenfield, Tornabene & Erdmann
in Greenfield, Tornabene, Erdmann & Pada, 2019.
Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 32
DOI:10.5281/zenodo.26167 twitter.com/FishEvoLuke
Abstract
A new species of dwarfgoby, Eviota gunawanae, with a cephalic sensory-canal pore pattern lacking only the IT and NA pores and with the AITO pore positioned far forward and opening anteriorly, is described from the Fakfak Peninsula in the Bird’s Head Seascape of western New Guinea, West Papua Province, Indonesia. It has a dorsal/anal-fin-ray formula of 8/7, 16 unbranched pectoral-fin rays, the fifth pelvic-fin ray present, very long anterior tubular nares, a distinctive double black spot at the caudal-fin base, and no narrow horizontal line of melanophores crossing the pectoral-fin base. In life, it has a maroon stripe down the midline of the body, with elongate white spots above it posteriorly and two white lines over the abdomen. E. gunawanae is most closely related to E. tetha. The new species appears to represent the eighth known microendemic fish species from this remote reef location in West Papua, highlighting the biodiversity conservation importance of the Fakfak Peninsula’s reefs.
Key words: taxonomy, systematics, ichthyology, coral-reef fishes, gobies, endemism, microendemism, phylogenetics, Bird’s Head Seascape, conservation, Eviota tetha
Eviota gunawanae n. sp.
underwater photograph, Fakfak, West Papua Province, Indonesia
(photos: M.V. Erdmann).
Eviota gunawanae, n. sp. Greenfield, Tornabene & Erdmann
Tiene’s Dwarfgoby
Diagnosis. A species of Eviota with a cephalic sensory-canal pore pattern lacking only IT and NA pores and with AITO pore positioned far forward and opening anteriorly; very long anterior tubular nares; dorsal/anal-finray formula 8/7; 16 unbranched pectoral-fin rays; fifth pelvic-fin ray about 10% length of the fourth pelvic-fin ray; a black spot at caudal-fin base in two joined parts extending anteriorly past end of hypural plate; top of head with scattered melanophores, sometimes arranged in lines, but not as a single line of melanophores extending posteriorly from PITO pore back onto nape. In life, a maroon stripe down midline of body with elongate white spots above stripe posteriorly and two white lines over abdomen.
Etymology. The species is named in honor of Dr. Tiene Gunawan, one of Indonesia’s foremost marine conservationists who has dedicated the past two decades to expanding the marine protected area network of West Papua and formulating policies to protect the biodiverse marine ecosystems contained therein. Dr. Gunawan also helped plan and launch the marine biodiversity survey of the Fakfak coastline that led to the discovery of this species.
Distribution and habitat. Currently known only from Karas Island in the Fakfak Regency, West Papua Province, Indonesia. It is presumably more widespread along the poorly-explored Fakfak coastline, but unlikely to be found in the very well-surveyed Raja Ampat Islands to the north. The species was found in a relatively unusual deepwater-reef environment consisting of large foliose and plating corals on a gentle slope from 35–55m depth, exposed to moderate currents but otherwise protected from wave energy.
David W. Greenfield, Luke Tornabene, Mark V. Erdmann and Defy N. Pada. 2019. Eviota gunawanae, A New Microendemic Dwarfgoby from the Fakfak Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia (Teleostei: Gobiidae). Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 32; 57–67. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.26167
twitter.com/FishEvoLuke/status/1112830189908549632
==========================
Sardinella pacifica • A New Species of Sardine (Clupeiformes, Clupeidae) from the Philippines
Sardinella pacifica
Hata & Motomura, 2019
DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.829.30688
Abstract
A new sardine, Sardinella pacifica sp. n., is described on the basis of 21 specimens collected from the Philippines. The new species closely resembles Sardinella fimbriata (Valenciennes, 1847), both species having lateral scales with centrally discontinuous striae, a dark spot on the dorsal-fin origin, more than 70 lower gill rakers on the first gill arch, the pelvic fin with eight rays, and 17 or 18 prepelvic and 12 or 13 postpelvic scutes. However, the new species is distinguished from the latter by lower counts of lateral scales, pseudobranchial filaments, and postpelvic scutes (38–41, 14–19 and 12–13, respectively vs. 44–46, 19–22 and 13–14), and a shorter lower jaw (10.4–11.6% of standard length vs. 11.1–12.2%). Sardinella pacifica sp. n. is known only from the Philippines, whereas S. fimbriata is restricted to the Indian Ocean, although previously considered to be an Indo-West Pacific species, distributed from India to the Philippines.
Keywords: morphology, Sardinella fimbriata, Southeast Asia, taxonomy
Figure 1. Holotype of Sardinella pacifica sp. n., BMNH 1985.4.12.1, 105.1 mm SL, Manila Bay, Luzon Island, Philippines.
Sardinella pacifica sp. n.
Diagnosis: A species of Sardinella with the following combination of characters: caudal fin with black posterior margin; lateral body scales with centrally discontinuous vertical striae, and few perforations and pores posteriorly; 38–41 (modally 38) lateral scales in longitudinal series; body scales deciduous; black spot on dorsal-fin origin; pelvic fin with one unbranched and seven branched rays; gill rakers 40–53 (43) in upper series on 1st gill arch, 71–84 (72) in lower series, 112–137 (118) in total; gill rakers 40–56 (42) in upper series on 2nd gill arch, 70–94 (79) in lower series, 112–148 (115) in total; gill rakers 37–52 (42) in upper series on 3rd gill arch, 57–75 (60) in lower series, 95–127 (99) in total; gill rakers 31–43 (35) in upper series on 4th gill arch, 44–63 (48) in lower, 78–106 (80) in total; gill rakers 30–43 (34) on hind face of 3rd gill arch; 17 or 18 (18) + 12 or 13 (13) = 29–31 (30) scutes on ventral edge of body; anal fin with 18–21 (20) rays; lower jaw rather short, 10.4–11.6% of SL.
...
Distribution: Currently known only from the Philippines.
Etymology: The specific name pacifica (in reference to the Pacific Ocean) is given to distinguish the species from S. fimbriata, with which it had been confused, and which is now considered to be restricted to the Indian Ocean.
Harutaka Hata and Hiroyuki Motomura. 2019. A New Species of Sardine, Sardinella pacifica from the Philippines (Teleostei, Clupeiformes, Clupeidae). ZooKeys. 829: 75-83. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.829.30688
==========================
Sardinella pacifica
Hata & Motomura, 2019
DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.829.30688
Abstract
A new sardine, Sardinella pacifica sp. n., is described on the basis of 21 specimens collected from the Philippines. The new species closely resembles Sardinella fimbriata (Valenciennes, 1847), both species having lateral scales with centrally discontinuous striae, a dark spot on the dorsal-fin origin, more than 70 lower gill rakers on the first gill arch, the pelvic fin with eight rays, and 17 or 18 prepelvic and 12 or 13 postpelvic scutes. However, the new species is distinguished from the latter by lower counts of lateral scales, pseudobranchial filaments, and postpelvic scutes (38–41, 14–19 and 12–13, respectively vs. 44–46, 19–22 and 13–14), and a shorter lower jaw (10.4–11.6% of standard length vs. 11.1–12.2%). Sardinella pacifica sp. n. is known only from the Philippines, whereas S. fimbriata is restricted to the Indian Ocean, although previously considered to be an Indo-West Pacific species, distributed from India to the Philippines.
Keywords: morphology, Sardinella fimbriata, Southeast Asia, taxonomy
Figure 1. Holotype of Sardinella pacifica sp. n., BMNH 1985.4.12.1, 105.1 mm SL, Manila Bay, Luzon Island, Philippines.
Sardinella pacifica sp. n.
Diagnosis: A species of Sardinella with the following combination of characters: caudal fin with black posterior margin; lateral body scales with centrally discontinuous vertical striae, and few perforations and pores posteriorly; 38–41 (modally 38) lateral scales in longitudinal series; body scales deciduous; black spot on dorsal-fin origin; pelvic fin with one unbranched and seven branched rays; gill rakers 40–53 (43) in upper series on 1st gill arch, 71–84 (72) in lower series, 112–137 (118) in total; gill rakers 40–56 (42) in upper series on 2nd gill arch, 70–94 (79) in lower series, 112–148 (115) in total; gill rakers 37–52 (42) in upper series on 3rd gill arch, 57–75 (60) in lower series, 95–127 (99) in total; gill rakers 31–43 (35) in upper series on 4th gill arch, 44–63 (48) in lower, 78–106 (80) in total; gill rakers 30–43 (34) on hind face of 3rd gill arch; 17 or 18 (18) + 12 or 13 (13) = 29–31 (30) scutes on ventral edge of body; anal fin with 18–21 (20) rays; lower jaw rather short, 10.4–11.6% of SL.
...
Distribution: Currently known only from the Philippines.
Etymology: The specific name pacifica (in reference to the Pacific Ocean) is given to distinguish the species from S. fimbriata, with which it had been confused, and which is now considered to be restricted to the Indian Ocean.
Harutaka Hata and Hiroyuki Motomura. 2019. A New Species of Sardine, Sardinella pacifica from the Philippines (Teleostei, Clupeiformes, Clupeidae). ZooKeys. 829: 75-83. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.829.30688
==========================
| 2019_festival_info_form.pdf |
A New Species of the Electric Knifefish Gymnotus Linnaeus (Gymnotiformes: Gymnotidae) from Northeastern Brazil
Ricardo Campos-da-Paz1 and Carlos David de Santana2 A new species of Gymnotus is described from coastal river systems in the Pernambuco State, Brazil. It is phylogenetically referred to the ‘‘Gymnotus carapo group clade’’ for presenting a clear patch posteriorly at anal fin, two independent pores at dorsoposterior corner of preopercle, a single row of well-developed teeth (most arrowhead-shaped) anteriorly on premaxilla, cleithrum with anterior notch, and by the relative anus to anal-fin distance, pectoral-fin length, and maxilla length. The new species is distinguished from all congeners in the ‘‘Gymnotus carapo group clade’’ by a unique set of characters of uncertain polarity, including the number of dark bands along the body, dark bands along body three to four times wider than pale interbands, with nearly straight margins (never broken anteriorly into irregular dark spots), and bands nearly uniform in color, number of scales above lateral line, number of lateral-line perforated scales to first ventral ramus, number of total pored lateral-line scales, head length, snout length, body depth, number of anal-fin rays, number of pectoral-fin rays, number of precaudal vertebrae, number of teeth on anterior row of premaxilla, and number of teeth along outer row of dentary. The new taxon represents the first species of Gymnotus described from localities in northeastern Brazil, north of the mouth of the rio Sa˜o Francisco. Uma nova especie de ´ Gymnotus e descrita de sistemas de rios costeiros no estado de Pernambuco, Brasil. ´ E referida ´ filogeneticamente ao clado ‘‘grupo Gymnotus carapo’’ por apresentar uma a´rea clara posteriormente na nadadeira anal, dois poros independentes no canto dorsoposterior do pre-op ´ erculo, uma ´ unica fileira de dentes bem desenvolvidos (em ´ sua maioria com formato de seta distalmente) anteriormente no pre-maxilar, cleitro com um chanfro anterior, e pela ´ distaˆncia relativa entre o aˆnus e a nadadeira anal, e comprimentos da nadadeira peitoral e osso maxilar. A nova especie ´ e distinta de todas as suas cong ´ eneres no clado ‘‘grupo ˆ Gymnotus carapo’’ por uma combina¸ca˜o unica de caracteres de ´ polaridade incerta, incluindo o numero de faixas escuras ao longo do corpo, faixas escuras largas, tr ´ es a quatro vezes ˆ mais largas do que as interbandas claras, com margens quase retas (nunca fragmentadas anteriormente formando manchas escuras irregulares), com colorido uniforme, numero de escamas acima da linha lateral, n ´ umero de escamas ´ perfuradas da linha lateral ate o primeiro ramo ventral, n ´ umero total de escamas com poros na linha lateral, ´ comprimento da cabe¸ca, comprimento do focinho, altura do corpo, numero de raios da nadadeira anal, n ´ umero de raios ´ da nadadeira peitoral, numero de v ´ ertebras pr ´ e-caudais, n ´ umero de dentes na fileira anterior do pr ´ e-maxilar, e n ´ umero ´ de dentes na fileira externa do denta´rio. O novo ta´xon representa a primeira especie de ´ Gymnotus descrita de localidades no nordeste do Brasil, ao norte da foz do rio Sa˜o Francisco.
full pdf on :- https://static1.squarespace.com/static/570d1ea37da24f381ca53c95/t/5c8a824beb393117ca599562/1552
==========================
Ricardo Campos-da-Paz1 and Carlos David de Santana2 A new species of Gymnotus is described from coastal river systems in the Pernambuco State, Brazil. It is phylogenetically referred to the ‘‘Gymnotus carapo group clade’’ for presenting a clear patch posteriorly at anal fin, two independent pores at dorsoposterior corner of preopercle, a single row of well-developed teeth (most arrowhead-shaped) anteriorly on premaxilla, cleithrum with anterior notch, and by the relative anus to anal-fin distance, pectoral-fin length, and maxilla length. The new species is distinguished from all congeners in the ‘‘Gymnotus carapo group clade’’ by a unique set of characters of uncertain polarity, including the number of dark bands along the body, dark bands along body three to four times wider than pale interbands, with nearly straight margins (never broken anteriorly into irregular dark spots), and bands nearly uniform in color, number of scales above lateral line, number of lateral-line perforated scales to first ventral ramus, number of total pored lateral-line scales, head length, snout length, body depth, number of anal-fin rays, number of pectoral-fin rays, number of precaudal vertebrae, number of teeth on anterior row of premaxilla, and number of teeth along outer row of dentary. The new taxon represents the first species of Gymnotus described from localities in northeastern Brazil, north of the mouth of the rio Sa˜o Francisco. Uma nova especie de ´ Gymnotus e descrita de sistemas de rios costeiros no estado de Pernambuco, Brasil. ´ E referida ´ filogeneticamente ao clado ‘‘grupo Gymnotus carapo’’ por apresentar uma a´rea clara posteriormente na nadadeira anal, dois poros independentes no canto dorsoposterior do pre-op ´ erculo, uma ´ unica fileira de dentes bem desenvolvidos (em ´ sua maioria com formato de seta distalmente) anteriormente no pre-maxilar, cleitro com um chanfro anterior, e pela ´ distaˆncia relativa entre o aˆnus e a nadadeira anal, e comprimentos da nadadeira peitoral e osso maxilar. A nova especie ´ e distinta de todas as suas cong ´ eneres no clado ‘‘grupo ˆ Gymnotus carapo’’ por uma combina¸ca˜o unica de caracteres de ´ polaridade incerta, incluindo o numero de faixas escuras ao longo do corpo, faixas escuras largas, tr ´ es a quatro vezes ˆ mais largas do que as interbandas claras, com margens quase retas (nunca fragmentadas anteriormente formando manchas escuras irregulares), com colorido uniforme, numero de escamas acima da linha lateral, n ´ umero de escamas ´ perfuradas da linha lateral ate o primeiro ramo ventral, n ´ umero total de escamas com poros na linha lateral, ´ comprimento da cabe¸ca, comprimento do focinho, altura do corpo, numero de raios da nadadeira anal, n ´ umero de raios ´ da nadadeira peitoral, numero de v ´ ertebras pr ´ e-caudais, n ´ umero de dentes na fileira anterior do pr ´ e-maxilar, e n ´ umero ´ de dentes na fileira externa do denta´rio. O novo ta´xon representa a primeira especie de ´ Gymnotus descrita de localidades no nordeste do Brasil, ao norte da foz do rio Sa˜o Francisco.
full pdf on :- https://static1.squarespace.com/static/570d1ea37da24f381ca53c95/t/5c8a824beb393117ca599562/1552
==========================
A new species of sea urchin associating clingfish of the genus Dellichthys from New Zealand (Teleostei, Gobiesocidae)
Kevin W. Conway, Andrew L. Stewart, Adam P. SummersAbstractA new species of clingfish, Dellichthys trnskii sp. n. is described on the basis of 27 specimens, 11.9–46.0 mm SL, collected from intertidal and shallow coastal waters of New Zealand. It is distinguished from its only congener, D. morelandi Briggs, 1955 by characters of the cephalic sensory system and oral jaws, snout shape, and colouration in life. A rediagnosis is provided for D. morelandi, which is shown to exhibit sexual dimorphism in snout shape.
KeywordsTaxonomy, marine fishes, Acanthomorpha, sexual dimorphism
IntroductionThe family Gobiesocidae contains over 160 species within 50 genera of predominately small-bodied marine fishes found in coastal areas of the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans (Briggs 1955; Conway et al. 2015), from the intertidal zone to ~500 meters (Hastings and Conway 2017). Seven species also are known to inhabit freshwater streams in the Neotropics (Briggs and Miller 1960; Conway et al. 2017a). Commonly referred to as clingfishes, members of this family generally exhibit a well-developed ventral adhesive disc (formed by elements of the paired-fin girdles (Guitel 1888)), with which they can attach to smooth or even heavily structured substrates with great tenacity (Wainwright et al. 2013; Ditsche et al. 2014).
Many species of clingfishes are reported to live in close association with echinoderms (Pfaff 1942; Teytaud 1971). This relationship may be obligate, as in the association between clingfishes of the genus Discotrema and certain crinoids (Briggs 1976; Fishelson 1966, 1974), or more facultative and dependent on life stage (Sakashita 1992; Goncçalves et al. 2002). For example, juveniles of the New Zealand urchin clingfish Dellichthys morelandi live directly underneath or in close proximity to the echinoid Evechinus chloroticus (Dix 1969, 1970). This association provides juveniles of D. morelandi with both protection from predators and also food, as confirmed by the presence of tube feet and/or pedicellaria in the stomachs of individuals dissected for diet analyses (Dix 1969; Russell 1983). Individuals of D. morelandi that have become too large to seek refuge beneath the spines of E. chloroticus instead occupy crevices between or under rocks or among shell debris (Paulin and Roberts 1992; Francis 2012).
Recent ichthyological surveys targeting clingfishes in intertidal and shallow sub-tidal areas along the coast of Northland (New Zealand) produced multiple individuals of Dellichthys from directly beneath or in close proximity to the sea urchin E. chloroticus. Subsequent investigation revealed that these specimens represent two species; one D. morelandi and the other an undescribed species, which is described herein.
Materials and methodsSpecimens used in this study were obtained from the following museum collections: Australian Museum, Sydney (AMS); Auckland War Memorial Museum, Auckland (AIM); Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington (NMNZ); and the Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections, Texas A&M University, College Station (TCWC).
Head and body measurements reported follow Conway et al. (2014)and are expressed as percent of standard length (SL) or head length (HL). Adhesive disc papillae terminology follows Briggs (1955). Cephalic superficial neuromast row terminology follows Conway et al. (2017b) and cephalic lateral line pore terminology follows Shiogaki and Dotsu (1983), except that we also use numbers to refer to individual pores following Conway et al. (2017b).
Select specimens were cleared and double stained (C&S) for bone and cartilage investigation using the protocol of Taylor and Van Dyke (1985). Select specimens were reversibly stained using cyanine blue following Saruwatari et al. (1997) to aid examination of adhesive disc papillae. Specimens or parts thereof were observed and photographed using a ZEISS SteREO Discovery V20 stereomicroscope equipped with a ZEISS Axiocam MRc5 digital camera. Digital images taken with this set up were typically stacked using the ZEISS Axiovision software. Computed tomography (CT) scans of select specimens were also obtained at the Karel F. Liem BioImaging Center (Friday Harbor Laboratories, University of Washington) using a Bruker (Billerica, MA) SkyScan 1173 scanner with a 1 mm aluminum filter at 60 kV and 110 μA on a 2048 × 2048 pixel CCD at a resolution of 8.8 μm. Specimens were scanned simultaneously while inside a 50 ml plastic Falcon tube (Corning, NY), in which they were wrapped with cheesecloth moistened with ethanol (70 %) to prevent movement during scanning. The resulting CT data were visualized, segmented, and rendered in Horos (http://www.horosproject.org) and Amira (FEI). All digital images were processed using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.
Genomic DNA was extracted from muscle tissue or fin clips (stored in 95% ETOH) using a DNeasy Blood and Tissue Extraction Kit (Qiagen, Inc.) in accordance with the manufacturer’s protocols. A segment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and the 12s ribosomal RNA (12S) was amplified using the primers LCO1490/ HC02198 (Folmer et al. 1994) and L1091/H1478 (Kocher et al. 1989), respectively. Parameters for PCR amplification followed Conway et al. (2017a). Genetic distances (uncorrected p-distances) were calculated based on COI and 12S sequences using PAUP v.4.0b10 (Swofford 2000).
SystematicsDellichthys trnskii sp. n.http://zoobank.org/1D5D5875-116E-4F15-9E65-322BE259F2DA
Figs 1, 2A, 3, 4A, 5A, 6, 7A–B, 8A–C
New English Name: Trnski’s Clingfish
==========================
Kevin W. Conway, Andrew L. Stewart, Adam P. SummersAbstractA new species of clingfish, Dellichthys trnskii sp. n. is described on the basis of 27 specimens, 11.9–46.0 mm SL, collected from intertidal and shallow coastal waters of New Zealand. It is distinguished from its only congener, D. morelandi Briggs, 1955 by characters of the cephalic sensory system and oral jaws, snout shape, and colouration in life. A rediagnosis is provided for D. morelandi, which is shown to exhibit sexual dimorphism in snout shape.
KeywordsTaxonomy, marine fishes, Acanthomorpha, sexual dimorphism
IntroductionThe family Gobiesocidae contains over 160 species within 50 genera of predominately small-bodied marine fishes found in coastal areas of the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans (Briggs 1955; Conway et al. 2015), from the intertidal zone to ~500 meters (Hastings and Conway 2017). Seven species also are known to inhabit freshwater streams in the Neotropics (Briggs and Miller 1960; Conway et al. 2017a). Commonly referred to as clingfishes, members of this family generally exhibit a well-developed ventral adhesive disc (formed by elements of the paired-fin girdles (Guitel 1888)), with which they can attach to smooth or even heavily structured substrates with great tenacity (Wainwright et al. 2013; Ditsche et al. 2014).
Many species of clingfishes are reported to live in close association with echinoderms (Pfaff 1942; Teytaud 1971). This relationship may be obligate, as in the association between clingfishes of the genus Discotrema and certain crinoids (Briggs 1976; Fishelson 1966, 1974), or more facultative and dependent on life stage (Sakashita 1992; Goncçalves et al. 2002). For example, juveniles of the New Zealand urchin clingfish Dellichthys morelandi live directly underneath or in close proximity to the echinoid Evechinus chloroticus (Dix 1969, 1970). This association provides juveniles of D. morelandi with both protection from predators and also food, as confirmed by the presence of tube feet and/or pedicellaria in the stomachs of individuals dissected for diet analyses (Dix 1969; Russell 1983). Individuals of D. morelandi that have become too large to seek refuge beneath the spines of E. chloroticus instead occupy crevices between or under rocks or among shell debris (Paulin and Roberts 1992; Francis 2012).
Recent ichthyological surveys targeting clingfishes in intertidal and shallow sub-tidal areas along the coast of Northland (New Zealand) produced multiple individuals of Dellichthys from directly beneath or in close proximity to the sea urchin E. chloroticus. Subsequent investigation revealed that these specimens represent two species; one D. morelandi and the other an undescribed species, which is described herein.
Materials and methodsSpecimens used in this study were obtained from the following museum collections: Australian Museum, Sydney (AMS); Auckland War Memorial Museum, Auckland (AIM); Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington (NMNZ); and the Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections, Texas A&M University, College Station (TCWC).
Head and body measurements reported follow Conway et al. (2014)and are expressed as percent of standard length (SL) or head length (HL). Adhesive disc papillae terminology follows Briggs (1955). Cephalic superficial neuromast row terminology follows Conway et al. (2017b) and cephalic lateral line pore terminology follows Shiogaki and Dotsu (1983), except that we also use numbers to refer to individual pores following Conway et al. (2017b).
Select specimens were cleared and double stained (C&S) for bone and cartilage investigation using the protocol of Taylor and Van Dyke (1985). Select specimens were reversibly stained using cyanine blue following Saruwatari et al. (1997) to aid examination of adhesive disc papillae. Specimens or parts thereof were observed and photographed using a ZEISS SteREO Discovery V20 stereomicroscope equipped with a ZEISS Axiocam MRc5 digital camera. Digital images taken with this set up were typically stacked using the ZEISS Axiovision software. Computed tomography (CT) scans of select specimens were also obtained at the Karel F. Liem BioImaging Center (Friday Harbor Laboratories, University of Washington) using a Bruker (Billerica, MA) SkyScan 1173 scanner with a 1 mm aluminum filter at 60 kV and 110 μA on a 2048 × 2048 pixel CCD at a resolution of 8.8 μm. Specimens were scanned simultaneously while inside a 50 ml plastic Falcon tube (Corning, NY), in which they were wrapped with cheesecloth moistened with ethanol (70 %) to prevent movement during scanning. The resulting CT data were visualized, segmented, and rendered in Horos (http://www.horosproject.org) and Amira (FEI). All digital images were processed using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.
Genomic DNA was extracted from muscle tissue or fin clips (stored in 95% ETOH) using a DNeasy Blood and Tissue Extraction Kit (Qiagen, Inc.) in accordance with the manufacturer’s protocols. A segment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and the 12s ribosomal RNA (12S) was amplified using the primers LCO1490/ HC02198 (Folmer et al. 1994) and L1091/H1478 (Kocher et al. 1989), respectively. Parameters for PCR amplification followed Conway et al. (2017a). Genetic distances (uncorrected p-distances) were calculated based on COI and 12S sequences using PAUP v.4.0b10 (Swofford 2000).
SystematicsDellichthys trnskii sp. n.http://zoobank.org/1D5D5875-116E-4F15-9E65-322BE259F2DA
Figs 1, 2A, 3, 4A, 5A, 6, 7A–B, 8A–C
New English Name: Trnski’s Clingfish
==========================
Aponogeton natans
Morphometrics and Taxonomic Update to the Sri Lankan Aponogeton (Aponogetonaceae)
Aponogeton natans (L.) Engler & Krause
Manawaduge & Yakandawala, 2018.
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.365.3.1
Abstract
The recent studies on Sri Lankan Aponogeton underline the necessity of a taxonomic revision for the genus; especially with the recent discovery of two new endemic taxa and their described morphological affinities, revealing some misconceptions in the key morphological features used in identification and the overlapping morphology of the species within the genus. Accordingly, a morphometric analysis was carried out with 78 field collected specimens representing all six Sri Lankan Aponogeton species. The results indicate that A. kannangarae, a recently described endemic species which has been stated as closely resembling A. rigidifolius, is more similar to A. jacobsenii, with shared morphological characters, raising doubts if it is a distinct species. Further, the endemic A. jacobsenii, previously described and illustrated as a species with rarely occurring floating leaves, has been now described as with no floating leaves. Based on the results, a taxonomic update is presented with a key, full synonymy, descriptions and photographs.
Keywords: Monocots, Aponogeton jacobsenii, Aponogeton kannangarae, Aquatic plants, Cluster analysis, Morphology, Phenetics
Aponogeton natans (L.) Engler & Krause
in Krause & Engler (1906)
Aponogetonaceae Planchon (1856: tab. 4894)
(as ‘Aponogetaceae’), nom. cons.
Type:— Aponogeton (Linnaeus 1781: 32).
Aponogeton Linnaeus (1781: 32)
Type:— Aponogeton natans (Linnaeus 1771: 226) Engler & Krause
in Krause & Engler (1906: 11).
1. Aponogeton dassanayakei Manawaduge et al. (2016a: 251)
2. Aponogeton natans (L.) Engler & Krause in Krause & Engler (1906: 11)
3. Aponogeton crispus Thunberg (1784: 73) (as ‘A. crispum’)
4. Aponogeton rigidifolius Bruggen (1962: 91)
5. Aponogeton jacobsenii Bruggen (1983: 120)
6. Aponogeton kannangarae De Silva et al. (2016: 220)
Chapa Manawaduge and Deepthi Yakandawala. 2018. Morphometrics and Taxonomic Update to the Sri Lankan Aponogetonaceae. Phytotaxa. 365(3); 201–224. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.365.3.1
==========================
Aponogeton natans (L.) Engler & Krause
Manawaduge & Yakandawala, 2018.
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.365.3.1
Abstract
The recent studies on Sri Lankan Aponogeton underline the necessity of a taxonomic revision for the genus; especially with the recent discovery of two new endemic taxa and their described morphological affinities, revealing some misconceptions in the key morphological features used in identification and the overlapping morphology of the species within the genus. Accordingly, a morphometric analysis was carried out with 78 field collected specimens representing all six Sri Lankan Aponogeton species. The results indicate that A. kannangarae, a recently described endemic species which has been stated as closely resembling A. rigidifolius, is more similar to A. jacobsenii, with shared morphological characters, raising doubts if it is a distinct species. Further, the endemic A. jacobsenii, previously described and illustrated as a species with rarely occurring floating leaves, has been now described as with no floating leaves. Based on the results, a taxonomic update is presented with a key, full synonymy, descriptions and photographs.
Keywords: Monocots, Aponogeton jacobsenii, Aponogeton kannangarae, Aquatic plants, Cluster analysis, Morphology, Phenetics
Aponogeton natans (L.) Engler & Krause
in Krause & Engler (1906)
Aponogetonaceae Planchon (1856: tab. 4894)
(as ‘Aponogetaceae’), nom. cons.
Type:— Aponogeton (Linnaeus 1781: 32).
Aponogeton Linnaeus (1781: 32)
Type:— Aponogeton natans (Linnaeus 1771: 226) Engler & Krause
in Krause & Engler (1906: 11).
1. Aponogeton dassanayakei Manawaduge et al. (2016a: 251)
2. Aponogeton natans (L.) Engler & Krause in Krause & Engler (1906: 11)
3. Aponogeton crispus Thunberg (1784: 73) (as ‘A. crispum’)
4. Aponogeton rigidifolius Bruggen (1962: 91)
5. Aponogeton jacobsenii Bruggen (1983: 120)
6. Aponogeton kannangarae De Silva et al. (2016: 220)
Chapa Manawaduge and Deepthi Yakandawala. 2018. Morphometrics and Taxonomic Update to the Sri Lankan Aponogetonaceae. Phytotaxa. 365(3); 201–224. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.365.3.1
==========================
Blue-ringed octopus bite hospitalises fourth person in three weeks
A fourth person is suspected to have been bitten by a deadly blue-ringed octopus off the WA coast within three weeks.
A fourth person is believed to have been bitten by a blue-ringed octopus off the WA coast this month.
The male was pulling up cray pots on Saturday morning off a northern Perth beach when he was bitten by what’s believed to be the tiny and venomous creature.
His father Richard told 6PR that his son had been collecting his cray pots about five to 10 minutes off Ocean Reef when he was bitten.
“You don’t know they’re there I guess, you put your hand in and then that’s when it happened I guess,” he said.
“You can’t see them, they’re so small.”
Richard said they had never come across a blue-ringed before but had occasionally seen Wobbegong sharks or harmless octopus.
The pair caught no crayfish and Richard's son was bitten as he pulled the first pot before they called the ambulance. He was taken to Joondalup Hospital.
Richard said his son had told him the bite was painful and that he was now doing well after getting treatment.
“He’s feeling better, he’s still a bit sore where it bit him though,” he said.
“It was very painful but he’s blood pressure and his heart rate has come down a bit, it’s calming down quite well.
“He’s fine now thank goodness.”
A Joondalup Hospital spokeswoman said it was suspected the male was bitten by the blue-ringed but that it couldn’t be confirmed.
The incident comes just two days after another man was taken to hospital after supposedly being bitten by the same species of octopus off Perth’s south.
Two other men were also suspected to have been bitten by a blue ring this month, one off Point Peron and the other off Garden Island.
==========================
A fourth person is suspected to have been bitten by a deadly blue-ringed octopus off the WA coast within three weeks.
A fourth person is believed to have been bitten by a blue-ringed octopus off the WA coast this month.
The male was pulling up cray pots on Saturday morning off a northern Perth beach when he was bitten by what’s believed to be the tiny and venomous creature.
His father Richard told 6PR that his son had been collecting his cray pots about five to 10 minutes off Ocean Reef when he was bitten.
“You don’t know they’re there I guess, you put your hand in and then that’s when it happened I guess,” he said.
“You can’t see them, they’re so small.”
Richard said they had never come across a blue-ringed before but had occasionally seen Wobbegong sharks or harmless octopus.
The pair caught no crayfish and Richard's son was bitten as he pulled the first pot before they called the ambulance. He was taken to Joondalup Hospital.
Richard said his son had told him the bite was painful and that he was now doing well after getting treatment.
“He’s feeling better, he’s still a bit sore where it bit him though,” he said.
“It was very painful but he’s blood pressure and his heart rate has come down a bit, it’s calming down quite well.
“He’s fine now thank goodness.”
A Joondalup Hospital spokeswoman said it was suspected the male was bitten by the blue-ringed but that it couldn’t be confirmed.
The incident comes just two days after another man was taken to hospital after supposedly being bitten by the same species of octopus off Perth’s south.
Two other men were also suspected to have been bitten by a blue ring this month, one off Point Peron and the other off Garden Island.
==========================
Practical Fishkeeping magazine sold to Warner Group Publications Ltd
Monday the 18th of February 2019 saw an announcement that Britain’s biggest fishkeeping magazine, and its B2B sister title, Pet Product Marketing, had been sold.
“I would like to inform you, we have today finalised the sale of Practical Fishkeeping and Pet Product Marketing magazines, and their companion websites, to Warners Group Publications Ltd.” Said Rob Munro-Hall, Group Managing Director of Bauer Media.
“Both titles are a good fit for Warners, who already publish Your Cat and Your Dog, along with other specialist interest magazines. The acquisition of these titles will give Warners a strong position in the pets market.”
PFK is known for instruction, education and informationPractical Fishkeeping, or PFK as it’s known by its regular readers, celebrated its 50th birthday in 2016, and had seen off much competition over the years, to survive as the only freshwater tropical fish magazine on sale on British news stands.
PFK was sold previously as part of the Emap portfolio to Bauer Media, and managed to out last much larger Emap/Bauer titles such as More, FHM and Max Power, which all closed their print publications due to a shift in audience and advertiser behaviour.
A new beginning
Several industry sources told FKN that the sale of PFK and PPM to Warner was a good thing, and that really specialist titles were Warner’s thing, so the future could be bright for PFK, and it may gets the attention that it deserves.
“Bauer is confident that both brands will prosper at Warners, and the titles will transfer on March 1. Issues on-sale from the 1st March will fall under Warners ownership.” Closed Munro-Hall.
Here’s to the next 50 years!
==========================
Monday the 18th of February 2019 saw an announcement that Britain’s biggest fishkeeping magazine, and its B2B sister title, Pet Product Marketing, had been sold.
“I would like to inform you, we have today finalised the sale of Practical Fishkeeping and Pet Product Marketing magazines, and their companion websites, to Warners Group Publications Ltd.” Said Rob Munro-Hall, Group Managing Director of Bauer Media.
“Both titles are a good fit for Warners, who already publish Your Cat and Your Dog, along with other specialist interest magazines. The acquisition of these titles will give Warners a strong position in the pets market.”
PFK is known for instruction, education and informationPractical Fishkeeping, or PFK as it’s known by its regular readers, celebrated its 50th birthday in 2016, and had seen off much competition over the years, to survive as the only freshwater tropical fish magazine on sale on British news stands.
PFK was sold previously as part of the Emap portfolio to Bauer Media, and managed to out last much larger Emap/Bauer titles such as More, FHM and Max Power, which all closed their print publications due to a shift in audience and advertiser behaviour.
A new beginning
Several industry sources told FKN that the sale of PFK and PPM to Warner was a good thing, and that really specialist titles were Warner’s thing, so the future could be bright for PFK, and it may gets the attention that it deserves.
“Bauer is confident that both brands will prosper at Warners, and the titles will transfer on March 1. Issues on-sale from the 1st March will fall under Warners ownership.” Closed Munro-Hall.
Here’s to the next 50 years!
==========================
Hirondellea gigas which lives in Mariana Trench
A Troubling Discovery in the Deepest Ocean Trenches
In the Mariana Trench, the lowest point in any ocean, every tiny animal tested had plastic pollution hiding in its gut.
ED YONG
FEB 27, 2019
Hirondellea gigas, an amphipod collected from the Mariana TrenchALAN JAMIESON / NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITYUpdated at 1:45 p.m. ET on March 2, 2019.
Alan Jamieson remembers seeing it for the first time: a small, black fiber floating in a tube of liquid. It resembled a hair, but when Jamieson examined it under a microscope, he realized that the fiber was clearly synthetic—a piece of plastic. And worryingly, his student Lauren Brooks had pulled it from the gut of a small crustacean living in one of the deepest parts of the ocean.
For the past decade, Jamieson, a marine biologist at Newcastle University, has been sending vehicles to the bottom of marine trenches, which can be as deep as the Himalayas are tall. Once there, these landers have collected amphipods—scavenger relatives of crabs and shrimp that thrive in the abyss. Jamieson originally wanted to know how these animals differ from one distant trench to another. But a few years ago, almost on a whim, he decided to analyze their body for toxic, human-made pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, which have been banned for decades but which persist in nature for much longer.
The team found PCBs galore. Some amphipods were carrying levels 50 times higher than those seen in crabs from one of China’s most polluted rivers. When the news broke, Jamieson was inundated with calls from journalists and concerned citizens. And in every discussion, one question kept coming up: What about plastics?
The world produces an estimated 10 tons of plastic a second, and between 5 million and 14 million tons sweep into the oceans every year. Some of that debris washes up on beaches, even on the world’s most isolated islands. About 5 trillion pieces currently float in surface waters, mostly in the form of tiny, easy-to-swallow fragments that have ended up in the gut of albatrosses, sea turtles, plankton, fish, and whales. But those pieces also sink, snowing into the deep sea and upon the amphipods that live there.
Read: How the disposable straw explains modern capitalism
Brooks eventually found plastic fibers and fragments in 72 percent of the amphipods that the team collected, from all six trenches that they had surveyed. In the least polluted of these sites, half of the amphipods had swallowed at least one piece of plastic. In the 6.8-mile-deep Mariana Trench, the lowest point in any ocean, all of the specimens had plastic in their gut.
Examples of fibers from trench amphipods (Lauren Brooks / Newcastle University)Does a single fiber really matter amid all the sediment and detritus that amphipods regularly swallow? Jamieson thinks so. For a start, PCBs and other toxins can stick to plastic, turning fibers into sinks for other contaminants. Also, many of the pieces that his team found were relatively huge. “The worst example I saw was a purple fiber, a few millimeters long, tied in a figure-of-eight in an animal no longer than a centimeter,” Jamieson says. “Imagine if you swallowed a meter of polypropylene rope.”
If trenches from places as distant as Japan, Peru, and New Zealand can be contaminated, it’s likely that humanity’s plastic fingers have stretched into every part of the ocean, including habitats we have barely begun to understand. No marine ecosystem is untouched. “It builds upon a growing body of evidence suggesting that the deep sea, by far the largest habitat on the planet, may very well be the largest reservoir of plastic waste on the planet,” says Anela Choyfrom the University of California at San Diego.
“It’s not a good result,” Jamieson adds. “I don’t like doing this type of work.”
When he submitted his findings to a scientific journal, the researchers who reviewed the paper reasonably asked how he could tell that the fibers were actually plastic. “Our response was, ‘Some of it’s purple!’ ” Jamieson says. “There’s bits of pink in there. This doesn’t come from animals.” To satisfy the critics, his team chemically analyzed a subset of the fibers and found that all of it was synthetic.
They also took steps to ensure that they hadn’t inadvertently introduced plastic into the trenches. The landers that they used to collect the amphipods have some plastic parts, but they are all bright green and yellow, and no such colors were found in the specimens. Even if the amphipods had eaten plastic from the landers (or from the bait used to attract them), the team only dissected the last of the creatures’ several stomachs to avoid sampling their most recent meals. And they performed those dissections within a special chamber, where continuously rising air stops fibers from their equipment or clothes from settling in the samples. Given these precautions, Jamieson is confident that the fibers he found had sunk into the abyss on their own.
Read: How plastic cleanup threatens the ocean’s living islands
Other scientists have also found plastic litter in the deep; just last year, one team documented a plastic bag at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Until now, no one had shown that abyssal animals were actually eating those fragments, but in retrospect, it seems obvious that amphipods would. They are exceptional scavengers that excel at finding food. By deliberately pumping water over their body, they can detect the faintest plumes of odor, and with taste buds on their legs, they can forage with every footstep. When a morsel hits the ocean floor, amphipods turn up in droves. “We can catch 10,000 in one day with just a pipe, some bait, and a funnel,” Jamieson says.
Food is scarce in the deep, so amphipods can’t afford to be fussy. They’ll eat pretty much anything, which makes them particularly vulnerable to plastics. And since they sit at the bottom of the trench food webs, their catholic appetite can doom entire ecosystems. “They’re like bags of peanuts,” Jamieson says. “Everything else eats amphipods—shrimp, fish—and they’ll end up consuming plastics, too. And when the fish die, they get consumed by amphipods, and it goes round and round in circles.”
“What you put in the trench stays in the trench,” he adds. Which means that the plastic problem “is only going to get worse. Anything going in there isn’t coming back.”
That’s a hypothesis the team can test in later studies. If Jamieson is right, then amphipods from deeper parts of the same trench should have higher levels of plastics than those from higher up. But Choy says, “We certainly don’t need decades of further scientific study to necessitate more responsible behavior and policies now.”
“I imagine pollution in the Mariana Trench is an abstract concept for most people, but for those of us living in the Mariana Islands this has consequences for what ends up on our dinner plates,” says Angelo Villagomez, an indigenous Chamorro from the Mariana Islands who works for the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project. “So what can we do? The International Union for the Conservation of Nature recommends we protect 30 percent of every marine habitat to address human impacts, but that will only help if we’re also sustainably managing the remaining 70 percent, reducing carbon emissions, and limiting the pollution being dumped in the ocean in the first place.”
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.
from "The Atlantic"
==========================
In the Mariana Trench, the lowest point in any ocean, every tiny animal tested had plastic pollution hiding in its gut.
ED YONG
FEB 27, 2019
Hirondellea gigas, an amphipod collected from the Mariana TrenchALAN JAMIESON / NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITYUpdated at 1:45 p.m. ET on March 2, 2019.
Alan Jamieson remembers seeing it for the first time: a small, black fiber floating in a tube of liquid. It resembled a hair, but when Jamieson examined it under a microscope, he realized that the fiber was clearly synthetic—a piece of plastic. And worryingly, his student Lauren Brooks had pulled it from the gut of a small crustacean living in one of the deepest parts of the ocean.
For the past decade, Jamieson, a marine biologist at Newcastle University, has been sending vehicles to the bottom of marine trenches, which can be as deep as the Himalayas are tall. Once there, these landers have collected amphipods—scavenger relatives of crabs and shrimp that thrive in the abyss. Jamieson originally wanted to know how these animals differ from one distant trench to another. But a few years ago, almost on a whim, he decided to analyze their body for toxic, human-made pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, which have been banned for decades but which persist in nature for much longer.
The team found PCBs galore. Some amphipods were carrying levels 50 times higher than those seen in crabs from one of China’s most polluted rivers. When the news broke, Jamieson was inundated with calls from journalists and concerned citizens. And in every discussion, one question kept coming up: What about plastics?
The world produces an estimated 10 tons of plastic a second, and between 5 million and 14 million tons sweep into the oceans every year. Some of that debris washes up on beaches, even on the world’s most isolated islands. About 5 trillion pieces currently float in surface waters, mostly in the form of tiny, easy-to-swallow fragments that have ended up in the gut of albatrosses, sea turtles, plankton, fish, and whales. But those pieces also sink, snowing into the deep sea and upon the amphipods that live there.
Read: How the disposable straw explains modern capitalism
Brooks eventually found plastic fibers and fragments in 72 percent of the amphipods that the team collected, from all six trenches that they had surveyed. In the least polluted of these sites, half of the amphipods had swallowed at least one piece of plastic. In the 6.8-mile-deep Mariana Trench, the lowest point in any ocean, all of the specimens had plastic in their gut.
Examples of fibers from trench amphipods (Lauren Brooks / Newcastle University)Does a single fiber really matter amid all the sediment and detritus that amphipods regularly swallow? Jamieson thinks so. For a start, PCBs and other toxins can stick to plastic, turning fibers into sinks for other contaminants. Also, many of the pieces that his team found were relatively huge. “The worst example I saw was a purple fiber, a few millimeters long, tied in a figure-of-eight in an animal no longer than a centimeter,” Jamieson says. “Imagine if you swallowed a meter of polypropylene rope.”
If trenches from places as distant as Japan, Peru, and New Zealand can be contaminated, it’s likely that humanity’s plastic fingers have stretched into every part of the ocean, including habitats we have barely begun to understand. No marine ecosystem is untouched. “It builds upon a growing body of evidence suggesting that the deep sea, by far the largest habitat on the planet, may very well be the largest reservoir of plastic waste on the planet,” says Anela Choyfrom the University of California at San Diego.
“It’s not a good result,” Jamieson adds. “I don’t like doing this type of work.”
When he submitted his findings to a scientific journal, the researchers who reviewed the paper reasonably asked how he could tell that the fibers were actually plastic. “Our response was, ‘Some of it’s purple!’ ” Jamieson says. “There’s bits of pink in there. This doesn’t come from animals.” To satisfy the critics, his team chemically analyzed a subset of the fibers and found that all of it was synthetic.
They also took steps to ensure that they hadn’t inadvertently introduced plastic into the trenches. The landers that they used to collect the amphipods have some plastic parts, but they are all bright green and yellow, and no such colors were found in the specimens. Even if the amphipods had eaten plastic from the landers (or from the bait used to attract them), the team only dissected the last of the creatures’ several stomachs to avoid sampling their most recent meals. And they performed those dissections within a special chamber, where continuously rising air stops fibers from their equipment or clothes from settling in the samples. Given these precautions, Jamieson is confident that the fibers he found had sunk into the abyss on their own.
Read: How plastic cleanup threatens the ocean’s living islands
Other scientists have also found plastic litter in the deep; just last year, one team documented a plastic bag at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Until now, no one had shown that abyssal animals were actually eating those fragments, but in retrospect, it seems obvious that amphipods would. They are exceptional scavengers that excel at finding food. By deliberately pumping water over their body, they can detect the faintest plumes of odor, and with taste buds on their legs, they can forage with every footstep. When a morsel hits the ocean floor, amphipods turn up in droves. “We can catch 10,000 in one day with just a pipe, some bait, and a funnel,” Jamieson says.
Food is scarce in the deep, so amphipods can’t afford to be fussy. They’ll eat pretty much anything, which makes them particularly vulnerable to plastics. And since they sit at the bottom of the trench food webs, their catholic appetite can doom entire ecosystems. “They’re like bags of peanuts,” Jamieson says. “Everything else eats amphipods—shrimp, fish—and they’ll end up consuming plastics, too. And when the fish die, they get consumed by amphipods, and it goes round and round in circles.”
“What you put in the trench stays in the trench,” he adds. Which means that the plastic problem “is only going to get worse. Anything going in there isn’t coming back.”
That’s a hypothesis the team can test in later studies. If Jamieson is right, then amphipods from deeper parts of the same trench should have higher levels of plastics than those from higher up. But Choy says, “We certainly don’t need decades of further scientific study to necessitate more responsible behavior and policies now.”
“I imagine pollution in the Mariana Trench is an abstract concept for most people, but for those of us living in the Mariana Islands this has consequences for what ends up on our dinner plates,” says Angelo Villagomez, an indigenous Chamorro from the Mariana Islands who works for the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project. “So what can we do? The International Union for the Conservation of Nature recommends we protect 30 percent of every marine habitat to address human impacts, but that will only help if we’re also sustainably managing the remaining 70 percent, reducing carbon emissions, and limiting the pollution being dumped in the ocean in the first place.”
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.
from "The Atlantic"
==========================
OATA supports new freshwater fish conservation programmeThe trade association and its business members will support a number of projects with Shoal including saving Telestes and the Humpback Mahseer by Shekina Tuahene
The Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association (OATA) has announced it has become a strategic partner of Shoal, a new conservation programme for freshwater fish that launched on Friday 1 March.
Shoal is a new initiative which aims to engage a diverse range of organisations to “accelerate and escalate action to save the most threatened fish and other freshwater species”.
OATA, and several of its member businesses, have been involved in the creation of the new initiative which has already identified a number of projects it is looking to support, from saving threatened Telestes fishes in Croatia and the Humpback Mahseer in southern India to creating a conservation action plan for the Sulawesi’s Ancient Lakes.
==========================
The Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association (OATA) has announced it has become a strategic partner of Shoal, a new conservation programme for freshwater fish that launched on Friday 1 March.
Shoal is a new initiative which aims to engage a diverse range of organisations to “accelerate and escalate action to save the most threatened fish and other freshwater species”.
OATA, and several of its member businesses, have been involved in the creation of the new initiative which has already identified a number of projects it is looking to support, from saving threatened Telestes fishes in Croatia and the Humpback Mahseer in southern India to creating a conservation action plan for the Sulawesi’s Ancient Lakes.
==========================
Chaenocephalus aceratus
Icefish Genome Reveals Adaptations to Extreme Antarctic Environments
Mar 4, 2019 by News Staff / Source
« Previous
| A multinational team of researchers has successfully sequenced the genome of the Antarctic blackfin icefish (Chaenocephalus aceratus), opening a genetic window on fish that evolved over the last 77 million years to survive in extreme Antarctic temperatures.
The Antarctic blackfin icefish (Chaenocephalus aceratus). Image credit: Thomas Desvignes.
Antarctic icefishes are members of the family Channichthyidae.
These ‘white blooded’ creatures inhabit the Earth’s coldest marine environment and are the only vertebrates that lack functional red blood cells and functional hemoglobin genes.
Icefish blood carries oxygen solely in physical solution, resulting in an oxygen-carrying capacity per unit of blood volume of less than 10% of that in closely related red-blooded Antarctic notothenioid fishes.
The blackfin icefish, along with 5 other species among the 16 recognized species of icefishes, also lack oxygen-binding proteins called myoglobins.
Icefishes evolved mechanisms that appear to compensate for loss of these oxygen-binding proteins, including enormous hearts with increased stroke volume relative to body size, enhanced vascular systems, and changes in mitochondrial density and morphology.
“In a human, such traits would normally signal disease. These adaptations, however, help the fish survive,” said University of Oregon’s Professor John Postlethwait, co-lead author of the study.
“The icefishes are examples of what Charles Darwin called the ‘wrecks of ancient life.’ They diverged from the ancestors of stickleback, losing many of the features common to their ancestral forms as they evolved. Among genes that disappeared amid the months of night and months of sunlight in the polar region were those tied to circadian rhythms.”
“Ice fish populations first appeared at the end of the Pliocene after Antarctica’s surface temperatures dropped by 2.5 degrees Celsius. About 77 million years ago, they had diverged from the line of their common ancestors with the stickleback — and then developed phenotypes that were better adapted to the cold,” said co-author Professor Manfred Schartl, a researcher at the Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg and Texas A&M University.
To help investigate the genomic basis for these extreme evolutionary adaptations, Professor Postlethwait, Professor Schartl and their colleagues sequenced the genome of the blackfin icefish.
They collected blackfin icefish, which average about 12 inches (30.5 cm) in length, from various depths near King Sejong Station and the Western Bransfield Strait along the Antarctic Peninsula.
Along with genomic DNA taken from the female, RNA was extracted from 12 tissues — brain, eye, gill, heart, intestine, kidney, liver, muscle, ovary, skin, spleen and stomach — to help understand what genes each organ uses.
The scientists mapped 30,773 protein-coding genes and how they localize along chromosomes.
“Icefish and other notothenioid fishes experienced gene changes that produced antifreeze proteins to help them survive — an adaptation discovered in the 1970s. The completed mapping helps place this discovery into a genomic context,” they said.
The genome assembly and linkage map reveal remarkable stability of contents of the 24 chromosomes among bony fish, including medaka (Japanese rice fish), European sea bass and blackfin icefish spanning 110 million years, especially when compared with chromosome changes in mammals over the same time period.
The biggest divergence involved the genes of icefish and sea bass, suggesting changes in the cold.
“Our results show that the number of genes involved in the protection against ice damage, including the genes coding for anti-freeze glycoproteins, is strongly expanded in the icefish genome,” Professor Schartl said.
“Icefish evolved from fish that lived on the bottom and had no swim bladder, an organ that develops like our lungs but then loses the attachment to the pharynx and fills with gas. Most fish, except for bottom feeders, have one and it helps them maintain position in the water column,” Professor Postlethwait said.
“When most fish species became extinct around Antarctica as the waters cooled, icefishes evolved to occupy the Southern Ocean water column. One of the biggest challenges they faced was getting off the bottom without a swim bladder.”
“They likely limited the mineralization of their bones, the most dense part of our bodies, and accumulated lipids, which are lighter than water — think of olive oil that floats on the top of the water in a pan about to cook spaghetti.”
The results appear in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
_____
Bo-Mi Kim et al. 2019. Antarctic blackfin icefish genome reveals adaptations to extreme environments. Nature Ecology & Evolution 3: 469-478; doi: 10.1038/s41559-019-0812-7
==========================
Mar 4, 2019 by News Staff / Source
« Previous
| A multinational team of researchers has successfully sequenced the genome of the Antarctic blackfin icefish (Chaenocephalus aceratus), opening a genetic window on fish that evolved over the last 77 million years to survive in extreme Antarctic temperatures.
The Antarctic blackfin icefish (Chaenocephalus aceratus). Image credit: Thomas Desvignes.
Antarctic icefishes are members of the family Channichthyidae.
These ‘white blooded’ creatures inhabit the Earth’s coldest marine environment and are the only vertebrates that lack functional red blood cells and functional hemoglobin genes.
Icefish blood carries oxygen solely in physical solution, resulting in an oxygen-carrying capacity per unit of blood volume of less than 10% of that in closely related red-blooded Antarctic notothenioid fishes.
The blackfin icefish, along with 5 other species among the 16 recognized species of icefishes, also lack oxygen-binding proteins called myoglobins.
Icefishes evolved mechanisms that appear to compensate for loss of these oxygen-binding proteins, including enormous hearts with increased stroke volume relative to body size, enhanced vascular systems, and changes in mitochondrial density and morphology.
“In a human, such traits would normally signal disease. These adaptations, however, help the fish survive,” said University of Oregon’s Professor John Postlethwait, co-lead author of the study.
“The icefishes are examples of what Charles Darwin called the ‘wrecks of ancient life.’ They diverged from the ancestors of stickleback, losing many of the features common to their ancestral forms as they evolved. Among genes that disappeared amid the months of night and months of sunlight in the polar region were those tied to circadian rhythms.”
“Ice fish populations first appeared at the end of the Pliocene after Antarctica’s surface temperatures dropped by 2.5 degrees Celsius. About 77 million years ago, they had diverged from the line of their common ancestors with the stickleback — and then developed phenotypes that were better adapted to the cold,” said co-author Professor Manfred Schartl, a researcher at the Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg and Texas A&M University.
To help investigate the genomic basis for these extreme evolutionary adaptations, Professor Postlethwait, Professor Schartl and their colleagues sequenced the genome of the blackfin icefish.
They collected blackfin icefish, which average about 12 inches (30.5 cm) in length, from various depths near King Sejong Station and the Western Bransfield Strait along the Antarctic Peninsula.
Along with genomic DNA taken from the female, RNA was extracted from 12 tissues — brain, eye, gill, heart, intestine, kidney, liver, muscle, ovary, skin, spleen and stomach — to help understand what genes each organ uses.
The scientists mapped 30,773 protein-coding genes and how they localize along chromosomes.
“Icefish and other notothenioid fishes experienced gene changes that produced antifreeze proteins to help them survive — an adaptation discovered in the 1970s. The completed mapping helps place this discovery into a genomic context,” they said.
The genome assembly and linkage map reveal remarkable stability of contents of the 24 chromosomes among bony fish, including medaka (Japanese rice fish), European sea bass and blackfin icefish spanning 110 million years, especially when compared with chromosome changes in mammals over the same time period.
The biggest divergence involved the genes of icefish and sea bass, suggesting changes in the cold.
“Our results show that the number of genes involved in the protection against ice damage, including the genes coding for anti-freeze glycoproteins, is strongly expanded in the icefish genome,” Professor Schartl said.
“Icefish evolved from fish that lived on the bottom and had no swim bladder, an organ that develops like our lungs but then loses the attachment to the pharynx and fills with gas. Most fish, except for bottom feeders, have one and it helps them maintain position in the water column,” Professor Postlethwait said.
“When most fish species became extinct around Antarctica as the waters cooled, icefishes evolved to occupy the Southern Ocean water column. One of the biggest challenges they faced was getting off the bottom without a swim bladder.”
“They likely limited the mineralization of their bones, the most dense part of our bodies, and accumulated lipids, which are lighter than water — think of olive oil that floats on the top of the water in a pan about to cook spaghetti.”
The results appear in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
_____
Bo-Mi Kim et al. 2019. Antarctic blackfin icefish genome reveals adaptations to extreme environments. Nature Ecology & Evolution 3: 469-478; doi: 10.1038/s41559-019-0812-7
==========================
This Rare Fish Has No Eyes, Needle Teeth, And Looks Like It May Burst From Your Chest
CARLY CASSELLA
1 MAR 2019If there's one place in the world you would expect to find an Alien-esque monster of the deep, it's Australia.
Earlier this month, a group of anglers were fishing in Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory when they snagged something unexpected.
Stopping the boat, the anglers pulled up a 15-centimetre-long (5.9 inches) worm-like fish, a species that has rarely, if ever, been seen.
With no eyes and a pointy smile, the creature looks like something straight out of the 1979 classic horror film Alien.
"It's like purpley-brown," Angler Tee Hokin told ABC News, "it had a really weird head, but the body was like an eel and it didn't even move or wriggle; it was like stunned, like stealth mode."
The fish was so firmly latched onto the lure, the anglers had to use pliers to pry its suction cup free.
"It was the only way to get it off, you couldn't shake it, you couldn't anything," added Hokin.
"It was cool. Never in my life have I seen it before, none of us had ever seen it before."
(Outback Boat Hire)
The ABC took the mystery to Michael Hammer, a curator of fishes at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.
He identified the bizarre creature as a worm goby, and while he wasn't able to identify the species from the pictures alone, he said it was probably from the genus Taenioides.
We know that other species in this genus feed on crustaceans and small fish, but as far as reproduction, habitat, sexuality and behaviour goes, we still know very little.
Because worm gobies tend to live their entire lives under the mud, humans rarely come across them. Hammer says there's even a chance that the most recent discovery is an entirely new species.
(Outback Boat Hire)
There's so much about these elusive fish that we still don't know, so Hammer is calling on the public to get in touch if they ever find one. Despite their cruel appearance, he says the worst the creature can do is give you a little bite.
"They still have very glass-like, small little teeth so a few people have said when they've caught them [that] they get a bite from them, but it's not dangerous," he explained to ABC News.
"Although they do grow up to 50 cm in length, so once they are that big they could give you a bit of a bite."
==========================
CARLY CASSELLA
1 MAR 2019If there's one place in the world you would expect to find an Alien-esque monster of the deep, it's Australia.
Earlier this month, a group of anglers were fishing in Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory when they snagged something unexpected.
Stopping the boat, the anglers pulled up a 15-centimetre-long (5.9 inches) worm-like fish, a species that has rarely, if ever, been seen.
With no eyes and a pointy smile, the creature looks like something straight out of the 1979 classic horror film Alien.
"It's like purpley-brown," Angler Tee Hokin told ABC News, "it had a really weird head, but the body was like an eel and it didn't even move or wriggle; it was like stunned, like stealth mode."
The fish was so firmly latched onto the lure, the anglers had to use pliers to pry its suction cup free.
"It was the only way to get it off, you couldn't shake it, you couldn't anything," added Hokin.
"It was cool. Never in my life have I seen it before, none of us had ever seen it before."
(Outback Boat Hire)
The ABC took the mystery to Michael Hammer, a curator of fishes at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.
He identified the bizarre creature as a worm goby, and while he wasn't able to identify the species from the pictures alone, he said it was probably from the genus Taenioides.
We know that other species in this genus feed on crustaceans and small fish, but as far as reproduction, habitat, sexuality and behaviour goes, we still know very little.
Because worm gobies tend to live their entire lives under the mud, humans rarely come across them. Hammer says there's even a chance that the most recent discovery is an entirely new species.
(Outback Boat Hire)
There's so much about these elusive fish that we still don't know, so Hammer is calling on the public to get in touch if they ever find one. Despite their cruel appearance, he says the worst the creature can do is give you a little bite.
"They still have very glass-like, small little teeth so a few people have said when they've caught them [that] they get a bite from them, but it's not dangerous," he explained to ABC News.
"Although they do grow up to 50 cm in length, so once they are that big they could give you a bit of a bite."
==========================
Despite export bans global seahorse trade continues
National legislation as well as bans under the international CITES agreement not slowing the trade in seahorse productsDate:
February 28, 2019
Source:
University of British Columbia
Summary:
Many countries are engaged in a vast illegal and unrecorded international trade in seahorses, one that circumvents global regulations, according to new study that has implications for many other animal species.
Share:
FULL STORY
Many countries are engaged in a vast illegal and unrecorded international trade in seahorses, one that circumvents global regulations, according to new UBC study that has implications for many other animal species.
advertisement
The United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) restricts exports of seahorses to those that have been sourced sustainably and legally. Seahorses were the first marine fishes subject to such regulation, largely because of work by the Project Seahorse team at UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries.
The goal of this CITES regulation was sustainable use but most countries that exported large numbers of seahorses have subsequently either chosen to ban exports or had bans imposed on them by CITES. Approximately 98 per cent of seahorses previously found in global trade came from countries that have now imposed bans, so both exports and imports should more or less have ended.
However, the new research from UBC indicates that many nations with bans apparently continued to export dried seahorses, thus neither meeting their obligations under CITES nor enforcing the trade bans.
"The 183 Parties to CITES are required to limit export of species that have been placed on Appendix II, including seahorses, to levels that are safe for wild populations. Many are struggling to meet this obligation," explains Dr. Amanda Vincent, senior author on the paper, professor in UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, and co-founder and Director of Project Seahorse.
"We found that 95 per cent of dried seahorses in Hong Kong's large market were reported as being imported from source countries that had export bans being in place, including Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, and Viet Nam," noted Dr. Ting-Chun Kuo, co-author and, during the study, a PhD candidate in Project Seahorse.
"This is a remarkable discovery given the high proportion of global seahorse trade that goes through Hong Kong," commented Dr. Sarah Foster, lead author and Research Associate with Project Seahorse. "Such illegal shipments lacked the required CITES records and permits. This means that many seahorse populations continue to be under heavy pressure without CITES oversight of sources and sustainability of trade."
Dr. Vincent, who also Chairs the global expert group on seahorses, points to problematic fishing methods as a driver of the trade. "The great majority of seahorses are obtained as bycatch in bottom trawls and other non-selective fishing methods. Such indiscriminate fishing obtains at least 37 million seahorses each year, a vast number that can easily enter trade. It is vital that such fisheries be constrained, even as trade is regulated."
"It is going to take all actors and agencies to curb the substantial illegal trade in seahorses and other marine wildlife," noted Dr. Foster, also Global Trade Officer for the expert group on seahorses. "CITES needs to work more closely with the nations involved to ensure strict enforcement so that traders reject seahorses from source countries with trade bans, and authorities impose penalties such as confiscation and stiff fines."
That said, it would be far better for CITES members to manage their trade sustainably than to declare bans that are not implemented. At present, most seahorse trade occurs in a black market, neither tracked nor regulated.
"The current high level of illegal activity may have significant consequences for conservation of wild populations. Getting this right is vital for seahorses and for the other marine fishes subject to CITES regulation, such as sharks, rays, Napoleon wrasse and European eels," concluded Dr. Vincent.
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of British Columbia. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Cite This Page: University of British Columbia. "Despite export bans global seahorse trade continues: National legislation as well as bans under the international CITES agreement not slowing the trade in seahorse products." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 February 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190228134233.htm>.
==========================
National legislation as well as bans under the international CITES agreement not slowing the trade in seahorse productsDate:
February 28, 2019
Source:
University of British Columbia
Summary:
Many countries are engaged in a vast illegal and unrecorded international trade in seahorses, one that circumvents global regulations, according to new study that has implications for many other animal species.
Share:
FULL STORY
Many countries are engaged in a vast illegal and unrecorded international trade in seahorses, one that circumvents global regulations, according to new UBC study that has implications for many other animal species.
advertisement
The United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) restricts exports of seahorses to those that have been sourced sustainably and legally. Seahorses were the first marine fishes subject to such regulation, largely because of work by the Project Seahorse team at UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries.
The goal of this CITES regulation was sustainable use but most countries that exported large numbers of seahorses have subsequently either chosen to ban exports or had bans imposed on them by CITES. Approximately 98 per cent of seahorses previously found in global trade came from countries that have now imposed bans, so both exports and imports should more or less have ended.
However, the new research from UBC indicates that many nations with bans apparently continued to export dried seahorses, thus neither meeting their obligations under CITES nor enforcing the trade bans.
"The 183 Parties to CITES are required to limit export of species that have been placed on Appendix II, including seahorses, to levels that are safe for wild populations. Many are struggling to meet this obligation," explains Dr. Amanda Vincent, senior author on the paper, professor in UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, and co-founder and Director of Project Seahorse.
"We found that 95 per cent of dried seahorses in Hong Kong's large market were reported as being imported from source countries that had export bans being in place, including Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, and Viet Nam," noted Dr. Ting-Chun Kuo, co-author and, during the study, a PhD candidate in Project Seahorse.
"This is a remarkable discovery given the high proportion of global seahorse trade that goes through Hong Kong," commented Dr. Sarah Foster, lead author and Research Associate with Project Seahorse. "Such illegal shipments lacked the required CITES records and permits. This means that many seahorse populations continue to be under heavy pressure without CITES oversight of sources and sustainability of trade."
Dr. Vincent, who also Chairs the global expert group on seahorses, points to problematic fishing methods as a driver of the trade. "The great majority of seahorses are obtained as bycatch in bottom trawls and other non-selective fishing methods. Such indiscriminate fishing obtains at least 37 million seahorses each year, a vast number that can easily enter trade. It is vital that such fisheries be constrained, even as trade is regulated."
"It is going to take all actors and agencies to curb the substantial illegal trade in seahorses and other marine wildlife," noted Dr. Foster, also Global Trade Officer for the expert group on seahorses. "CITES needs to work more closely with the nations involved to ensure strict enforcement so that traders reject seahorses from source countries with trade bans, and authorities impose penalties such as confiscation and stiff fines."
That said, it would be far better for CITES members to manage their trade sustainably than to declare bans that are not implemented. At present, most seahorse trade occurs in a black market, neither tracked nor regulated.
"The current high level of illegal activity may have significant consequences for conservation of wild populations. Getting this right is vital for seahorses and for the other marine fishes subject to CITES regulation, such as sharks, rays, Napoleon wrasse and European eels," concluded Dr. Vincent.
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of British Columbia. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
- Sarah J. Foster, Ting-Chun Kuo, Anita Kar Yan Wan, Amanda C.J. Vincent. Global seahorse trade defies export bans under CITES action and national legislation. Marine Policy, 2019; 103: 33 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2019.01.014
Cite This Page: University of British Columbia. "Despite export bans global seahorse trade continues: National legislation as well as bans under the international CITES agreement not slowing the trade in seahorse products." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 February 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190228134233.htm>.
==========================
New Dwarf Lionfish Species26 Feb, 2019
Fresh holotype of Dendrochirus koyo sp. nov., NSMT-P 114734, 45.0 mm SL, Japan (photos: NSMT). Collected at 143m (470 ft) and the only specimen known so far.
Within a much larger review of the Zebra Dwarf Lionfish, Dendrochirus zebra, authors Mizuki Matsunuma and Hiroyuki Motomura included the new scientific description of a new species of red and white Dwarf Lionfish, which was discovered in Japanese waters back in 2013.
Dendrochirus koyo sp. nov., given the English name of Ogasawara Dwarf Lionfish, was described from a single specimen collected at 143m depth off Chichi-jima Island, Ogasawara Islands, Japan. It was discovered by researchers operating the Reserve Vessel RV Kōyo-maru, which was performing a biological dredge on July 16th, 2013. Because it measured only 45.0 mm SL (1.75 inches), we have no way of knowing whether this is a juvenile or adult specimen of this new, possibly endemic, and probably deepwater lionfish.
It’s worth noting that some scientists and taxonomists are skeptical of species descriptions based on only a single known specimen, particularly when the new species does not differ significantly from a known species. As such, the Ogasawara Dwarf Lionfish’s validity as a species certainly could benefit from further exploration and scientific collection where it was discovered.
From the Paper:
Distribution
Dendrochirus koyo sp. nov. has currently been recorded only from the type locality at a depth of 143 m, off Chichi-jima Island, Ogasawara Islands, Japan. The species is known only from the holotype, despite comprehensive surveys of specimens of Dendrochirus in collections worldwide during this study. It is most likely to be endemic to the Ogasawara Islands seamount, although the distributional range may extend southeastward to the Mariana Islands.
Etymology
The name of the new species refers to the RV Kōyo-maru, the research vessel of the Tokyo Metropolitan Islands Area Research and Development Center of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The holotype was collected during a Kōyo-maru cruise to the Ogasawara Island, jointly operated by the agency and NSMT. The name is used as a noun in apposition.
The English name of the species refers to the type locality, whereas the Japanese name [Shiro (white)-himeyamanokami (Japanese common name for Dendrochirus)] refers to the uniformly whitish body coloration of the preserved (and only known) specimen.
Read more
Read the full article, Redescription of Dendrochirus zebra (Scorpaenidae: Pteroinae) with a new species of Dendrochirus from the Ogasawara Islands, Japan, online at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10228-019-00681-1
Reference
Matsunuma, M. & Motomura. Redescription of Dendrochirus zebra (Scorpaenidae: Pteroinae) with a new species of Dendrochirus from the Ogasawara Islands, Japan. H. Ichthyol Res (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-019-00681-1
from Reef to Rainforest media
==========================
Fresh holotype of Dendrochirus koyo sp. nov., NSMT-P 114734, 45.0 mm SL, Japan (photos: NSMT). Collected at 143m (470 ft) and the only specimen known so far.
Within a much larger review of the Zebra Dwarf Lionfish, Dendrochirus zebra, authors Mizuki Matsunuma and Hiroyuki Motomura included the new scientific description of a new species of red and white Dwarf Lionfish, which was discovered in Japanese waters back in 2013.
Dendrochirus koyo sp. nov., given the English name of Ogasawara Dwarf Lionfish, was described from a single specimen collected at 143m depth off Chichi-jima Island, Ogasawara Islands, Japan. It was discovered by researchers operating the Reserve Vessel RV Kōyo-maru, which was performing a biological dredge on July 16th, 2013. Because it measured only 45.0 mm SL (1.75 inches), we have no way of knowing whether this is a juvenile or adult specimen of this new, possibly endemic, and probably deepwater lionfish.
It’s worth noting that some scientists and taxonomists are skeptical of species descriptions based on only a single known specimen, particularly when the new species does not differ significantly from a known species. As such, the Ogasawara Dwarf Lionfish’s validity as a species certainly could benefit from further exploration and scientific collection where it was discovered.
From the Paper:
Distribution
Dendrochirus koyo sp. nov. has currently been recorded only from the type locality at a depth of 143 m, off Chichi-jima Island, Ogasawara Islands, Japan. The species is known only from the holotype, despite comprehensive surveys of specimens of Dendrochirus in collections worldwide during this study. It is most likely to be endemic to the Ogasawara Islands seamount, although the distributional range may extend southeastward to the Mariana Islands.
Etymology
The name of the new species refers to the RV Kōyo-maru, the research vessel of the Tokyo Metropolitan Islands Area Research and Development Center of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The holotype was collected during a Kōyo-maru cruise to the Ogasawara Island, jointly operated by the agency and NSMT. The name is used as a noun in apposition.
The English name of the species refers to the type locality, whereas the Japanese name [Shiro (white)-himeyamanokami (Japanese common name for Dendrochirus)] refers to the uniformly whitish body coloration of the preserved (and only known) specimen.
Read more
Read the full article, Redescription of Dendrochirus zebra (Scorpaenidae: Pteroinae) with a new species of Dendrochirus from the Ogasawara Islands, Japan, online at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10228-019-00681-1
Reference
Matsunuma, M. & Motomura. Redescription of Dendrochirus zebra (Scorpaenidae: Pteroinae) with a new species of Dendrochirus from the Ogasawara Islands, Japan. H. Ichthyol Res (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-019-00681-1
from Reef to Rainforest media
==========================
Channa lipor • A New Species of Dwarf Channa (Teleostei: Channidae) from Meghalaya, Northeast India
Channa lipor
Praveenraj, Uma, Moulitharan & Singh, 2019
DOI: 10.1643/CI-18-079
twitter.com/ASIHCopeia
facebook.com/PraveenRaj39750121
Abstract
Channa lipor, a new species of snakehead of the C. gachua species-group, is described based on 11 specimens from Meghalaya, Northeast India. It is distinguished from its congeners by possessing an orange, bronze-brown dorsum and fins, 9–12 black spots or blotches on the dorsal-fin sub-margin appearing parallel along the length of the dorsal-fin base, six oblique brown bars on the upper half on the flank, presence of seven gray to brown zigzag bands on the caudal fin, and fewer anal-fin rays. Channa lipor, new species, morphologically resembles C. aurantipectoralis, but the partial cox1 gene sequences reveal a genetic distance of 12.6–13.1% between them, and Channa lipor, new species, also possesses deep sequence divergence from any known populations of C. gachua. It differs from the topotypic C. gachua by having fewer anal-fin rays (20 vs. 22–24), fewer dorsal-fin rays (29–32 vs. 34–36), and fewer pectoral-fin rays (12–14 vs. 15–17), and in tooth pattern, by having the fifth ceratobranchial curved with four rows of teeth, outer row with 11 thick teeth; palatine with three rows of curved teeth, inner row with 14 large inwardly curved teeth; and dentary with long canine-like teeth in the posterior end.
Channa lipor, holotype, ZSI FF 7660, 89.5 mm SL, prior to preservation.
Channa lipor, paratype, CIARI/FF-44, 71.7 mm SL, Umraling River, Umraling village, Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya, India.
Channa lipor, new species
Etymology.--The specific epithet lipor indicates the local vernacular name for the species in Khasi language, a dialect spoken by the Khasi tribes of Meghalaya. It is used as a noun in apposition.
Remarks.-- Channa lipor is well known in the aquarium trade as ‘‘Channa sp. lipor’’.
Jayasimhan Praveenraj, Arumugam Uma, Nallathambi Moulitharan, and Sadokpam Gojendro Singh. 2019. A New Species of Dwarf Channa (Teleostei: Channidae) from Meghalaya, Northeast India. Copeia. 107(1); 61–70. DOI: 10.1643/CI-18-079
facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2195965133775158
twitter.com/ASIHCopeia/status/1092454923445456897
==========================
Channa lipor
Praveenraj, Uma, Moulitharan & Singh, 2019
DOI: 10.1643/CI-18-079
twitter.com/ASIHCopeia
facebook.com/PraveenRaj39750121
Abstract
Channa lipor, a new species of snakehead of the C. gachua species-group, is described based on 11 specimens from Meghalaya, Northeast India. It is distinguished from its congeners by possessing an orange, bronze-brown dorsum and fins, 9–12 black spots or blotches on the dorsal-fin sub-margin appearing parallel along the length of the dorsal-fin base, six oblique brown bars on the upper half on the flank, presence of seven gray to brown zigzag bands on the caudal fin, and fewer anal-fin rays. Channa lipor, new species, morphologically resembles C. aurantipectoralis, but the partial cox1 gene sequences reveal a genetic distance of 12.6–13.1% between them, and Channa lipor, new species, also possesses deep sequence divergence from any known populations of C. gachua. It differs from the topotypic C. gachua by having fewer anal-fin rays (20 vs. 22–24), fewer dorsal-fin rays (29–32 vs. 34–36), and fewer pectoral-fin rays (12–14 vs. 15–17), and in tooth pattern, by having the fifth ceratobranchial curved with four rows of teeth, outer row with 11 thick teeth; palatine with three rows of curved teeth, inner row with 14 large inwardly curved teeth; and dentary with long canine-like teeth in the posterior end.
Channa lipor, holotype, ZSI FF 7660, 89.5 mm SL, prior to preservation.
Channa lipor, paratype, CIARI/FF-44, 71.7 mm SL, Umraling River, Umraling village, Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya, India.
Channa lipor, new species
Etymology.--The specific epithet lipor indicates the local vernacular name for the species in Khasi language, a dialect spoken by the Khasi tribes of Meghalaya. It is used as a noun in apposition.
Remarks.-- Channa lipor is well known in the aquarium trade as ‘‘Channa sp. lipor’’.
Jayasimhan Praveenraj, Arumugam Uma, Nallathambi Moulitharan, and Sadokpam Gojendro Singh. 2019. A New Species of Dwarf Channa (Teleostei: Channidae) from Meghalaya, Northeast India. Copeia. 107(1); 61–70. DOI: 10.1643/CI-18-079
facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2195965133775158
twitter.com/ASIHCopeia/status/1092454923445456897
==========================
Review of Ancistrus(Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the northwestern Guiana Shield, Orinoco Andes, and Adjacent Basins with Description of Six New Species
Ancistrus patronus
De Souza, Taphorn & Armbruster, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4552.1.1
Abstract
The Orinoco Andes and northwestern Guiana Shield (Essequibo, Orinoco, Branco, and upper Negro) were found to contain 11 species of Ancistrus, six of which are new. We additionally examine A. brevifilis from the Río Tuy of Venezuela and A. trinitatis from the island of Trinidad. The species in the region can be broken up into dorsoventrally flattened species (Ancistrus leoni new species, A. lithurgicus, and A. macropthalmus), white to yellow-dotted species (Ancistrus kellerae new species, A. nudiceps, and A. patronus new species), wide-jawed species (Ancistrus amaris new species and Ancistrus yutajae new species), and white-spotted species (A. brevifilis, A. leucostictus, A. trinitatis, A. saudades new species, and A. triradiatus). Distributions of Ancistrus support the Proto-Berbice hypothesis as A. saudades is found in the upper reaches of the Ventuari, Caura, and Caroni rivers, which were thought to have once flowed into the Proto-Berbice. In addition, although A. nudiceps does not appear to have split once the Takutu River was captured by the Branco, the progenitor of A. leucostictus and A. saudades did speciate with the populations on either side of the Rupununi Portal differing by 7% sequence divergence of the mitochondrial Cytochrome b gene. Besides the descriptions of the new species, we redescribe the others occurring in the area, and adjacent watersheds. We provide a key for their identification, and a preliminary hypothesis of relationships based on DNA sequences of the few species for which tissue samples are available.
Keywords: Pisces, Ancistrini, Colombia, Guyana, Venezuela, Taxonomy
Ancistrus patronus De Souza, Taphorn & Armbruster, 2019
Ancistrus patronus De Souza, Taphorn & Armbruster, 2019
Ancistrus patronus, named for the genus's paternal care of offspring.
photos: Jonathan W. Armbruster.
Lesley S De Souza, Donald C. Taphorn and Jonathan W. Armbruster. 2019. Review of Ancistrus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the northwestern Guiana Shield, Orinoco Andes, and Adjacent Basins with Description of Six New Species. Zootaxa. 4552(1); 1-67. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4552.1.1
Six new species of hideously adorable tentacle-nosed catfish discovered in Amazon phys.org/news/2019-02-species-hideously-adorable-tentacle-nosed-catfish.html via @physorg_com
==========================
Ancistrus patronus
De Souza, Taphorn & Armbruster, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4552.1.1
Abstract
The Orinoco Andes and northwestern Guiana Shield (Essequibo, Orinoco, Branco, and upper Negro) were found to contain 11 species of Ancistrus, six of which are new. We additionally examine A. brevifilis from the Río Tuy of Venezuela and A. trinitatis from the island of Trinidad. The species in the region can be broken up into dorsoventrally flattened species (Ancistrus leoni new species, A. lithurgicus, and A. macropthalmus), white to yellow-dotted species (Ancistrus kellerae new species, A. nudiceps, and A. patronus new species), wide-jawed species (Ancistrus amaris new species and Ancistrus yutajae new species), and white-spotted species (A. brevifilis, A. leucostictus, A. trinitatis, A. saudades new species, and A. triradiatus). Distributions of Ancistrus support the Proto-Berbice hypothesis as A. saudades is found in the upper reaches of the Ventuari, Caura, and Caroni rivers, which were thought to have once flowed into the Proto-Berbice. In addition, although A. nudiceps does not appear to have split once the Takutu River was captured by the Branco, the progenitor of A. leucostictus and A. saudades did speciate with the populations on either side of the Rupununi Portal differing by 7% sequence divergence of the mitochondrial Cytochrome b gene. Besides the descriptions of the new species, we redescribe the others occurring in the area, and adjacent watersheds. We provide a key for their identification, and a preliminary hypothesis of relationships based on DNA sequences of the few species for which tissue samples are available.
Keywords: Pisces, Ancistrini, Colombia, Guyana, Venezuela, Taxonomy
Ancistrus patronus De Souza, Taphorn & Armbruster, 2019
Ancistrus patronus De Souza, Taphorn & Armbruster, 2019
Ancistrus patronus, named for the genus's paternal care of offspring.
photos: Jonathan W. Armbruster.
Lesley S De Souza, Donald C. Taphorn and Jonathan W. Armbruster. 2019. Review of Ancistrus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the northwestern Guiana Shield, Orinoco Andes, and Adjacent Basins with Description of Six New Species. Zootaxa. 4552(1); 1-67. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4552.1.1
Six new species of hideously adorable tentacle-nosed catfish discovered in Amazon phys.org/news/2019-02-species-hideously-adorable-tentacle-nosed-catfish.html via @physorg_com
==========================
(A) Chinchaysuyoa labiata (Boulenger 1898)
(C, D) Chinchaysuyoa ortegai
(C, D) Chinchaysuyoa ortegai
Chinchaysuyoa gen. nov. • A New Genus of the Fish Family Ariidae (Siluriformes), with A Redescription ofChinchaysuyoa labiata from Ecuador and A New Species Description from Peru
(A) Chinchaysuyoa labiata (Boulenger 1898)
(C, D) Chinchaysuyoa ortegai
Marceniuk, Marchena, Oliveira & Betancur-R, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4551.3.5
facebook.com/CentinelasdelMarPeruano
Abstract
In recent years, morphological and molecular studies have improved our understanding about the relationships and classification schemes of the marine catfishes of the family Ariidae. A taxonomic issue that is still contentious concerns the limits and status of the freshwater Neotropical ariid diversity, in particular the species in the genus Potamarius. The delimitation of Potamarius is currently uncertain given the disjunct distribution of the species in Mesoamerica (Potamarius izabalensis, P. nelsoni and P. usumacintae, from Lake Izabal and Usumacinta River basins in Mexico to Guatemala) and Brazil (P. grandoculis, from coastal lakes in southeastern Brazil). The freshwater Arius labiatus and Hexanematichthys henni from the Peripa and Daule rivers in Ecuador that drain to the Eastern Pacific (EP), have also at times been listed as species inquirenda in Potamarius. Here, we redescribe Arius labiatus, redefine the taxonomic status of Hexanematichthys henni, as junior synonym of Arius labiatus, and describe a new species from Peru that is closely related to Arius labiatus. Based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic evidence, we also describe a new genus (Chinchaysuyoa) for the two South American species.
Keywords: Pisces, morphological, molecular, relationships and classification, freshwater species
(C) Chinchaysuyoa ortegai, holotype 256 mm SL (MUSM 63800), and (D) fresh non type specimen, not cataloged, 315 mm SL.
Chinchaysuyoa new genus
Type species. Chinchaysuyoa labiata.
Etymology. Chinchaysuyoa name of the Inca Empire territory that comprised the Ecuador and Peru, gender feminine.
Chinchaysuyoa labiata (Boulenger 1898)
Arius labiatus Boulenger 1898:6 (original description; Río Peripa, Ecuador). ...
Hexanematichthys henni Fisher & Eigenmann 1922:30 (original description; Río Daule, Colimes). ...
Chinchaysuyoa ortegai new species
Hexanematichthys henni (non Fisher & Eigenmann). ...
Alexandre Pires Marceniuk, Jose Marchena, Claudio Oliveira and Ricardo Betancur-R. 2019. Chinchaysuyoa, A New Genus of the Fish Family Ariidae (Siluriformes), with A Redescription of Chinchaysuyoa labiata from Ecuador and A New Species Description from Peru. Zootaxa. 4551(3); 361–378. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4551.3.5
researchgate.net/publication/330774784_Chinchaysuyoa_a_new_genus_of_the_family_Ariidae_from_Ecuador_and_Peru
facebook.com/CentinelasdelMarPeruano/posts/319025175395330
facebook.com/IctioPeruana/posts/2479996342029347
==========================
(A) Chinchaysuyoa labiata (Boulenger 1898)
(C, D) Chinchaysuyoa ortegai
Marceniuk, Marchena, Oliveira & Betancur-R, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4551.3.5
facebook.com/CentinelasdelMarPeruano
Abstract
In recent years, morphological and molecular studies have improved our understanding about the relationships and classification schemes of the marine catfishes of the family Ariidae. A taxonomic issue that is still contentious concerns the limits and status of the freshwater Neotropical ariid diversity, in particular the species in the genus Potamarius. The delimitation of Potamarius is currently uncertain given the disjunct distribution of the species in Mesoamerica (Potamarius izabalensis, P. nelsoni and P. usumacintae, from Lake Izabal and Usumacinta River basins in Mexico to Guatemala) and Brazil (P. grandoculis, from coastal lakes in southeastern Brazil). The freshwater Arius labiatus and Hexanematichthys henni from the Peripa and Daule rivers in Ecuador that drain to the Eastern Pacific (EP), have also at times been listed as species inquirenda in Potamarius. Here, we redescribe Arius labiatus, redefine the taxonomic status of Hexanematichthys henni, as junior synonym of Arius labiatus, and describe a new species from Peru that is closely related to Arius labiatus. Based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic evidence, we also describe a new genus (Chinchaysuyoa) for the two South American species.
Keywords: Pisces, morphological, molecular, relationships and classification, freshwater species
(C) Chinchaysuyoa ortegai, holotype 256 mm SL (MUSM 63800), and (D) fresh non type specimen, not cataloged, 315 mm SL.
Chinchaysuyoa new genus
Type species. Chinchaysuyoa labiata.
Etymology. Chinchaysuyoa name of the Inca Empire territory that comprised the Ecuador and Peru, gender feminine.
Chinchaysuyoa labiata (Boulenger 1898)
Arius labiatus Boulenger 1898:6 (original description; Río Peripa, Ecuador). ...
Hexanematichthys henni Fisher & Eigenmann 1922:30 (original description; Río Daule, Colimes). ...
Chinchaysuyoa ortegai new species
Hexanematichthys henni (non Fisher & Eigenmann). ...
Alexandre Pires Marceniuk, Jose Marchena, Claudio Oliveira and Ricardo Betancur-R. 2019. Chinchaysuyoa, A New Genus of the Fish Family Ariidae (Siluriformes), with A Redescription of Chinchaysuyoa labiata from Ecuador and A New Species Description from Peru. Zootaxa. 4551(3); 361–378. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4551.3.5
researchgate.net/publication/330774784_Chinchaysuyoa_a_new_genus_of_the_family_Ariidae_from_Ecuador_and_Peru
facebook.com/CentinelasdelMarPeruano/posts/319025175395330
facebook.com/IctioPeruana/posts/2479996342029347
==========================
Channa torsaensis • A New Ornamental Species of Snakehead Fish (Teleostei: Channidae) from River Torsa of West Bengal, India
Channa torsaensis
Dey, Nur, Raychowdhury, Sarkar, Singh & Barat, 2018
DOI: 10.18782/2320-7051.7131
ABSTRACT
A new Channa species described from River Torsa of Brahmaputra river basin, West Bengal, India. Channa torsaensis sp. nov. a new species of Channa, is distinguished from congeners by a combination of the following characters namely a dorsal, anal and caudal fins being bluish with a broad dark blue border having a tinge of orange border covering the dark blue border; dorsal fin with numerous back spots; caudal fin with 9-10 black bands; 5-6 oblique greyish-blue bands present on the body; lateral line pored scales 46 in number; dorsal fin rays 36-38; anal fin rays 22 - 25; total vertebrae 44- 45 (16+28).
Key words: Taxonomy, Endemic, Brahmaputra basin, new species of Channa.
Channa torsaensis sp. nov.
New English name: Cobalt Blue Channa
Local name (Bengali): Neel Chang
Diagnosis. Channa torsaensis sp. nov. is distinguished from all other species of Channaexcept C. pomanensis and C. quinquefasciata by an unique broad dark blue border on the dorsal, anal and caudal fin and having a tinge of orange border covering; 5-6 oblique greyish-blue bands present on the body. ....
DOI: 10.18782/2320-7051.7131
Distribution and Habitat At present, known to be distributed from tributary of River Torsa, Dakshin Barajhar forest, Alipurduar district, West Bengal, India (Fig.4). The running river water was transparent, cool, low depth and having various substrata like gravel, pebbles, sand, soil and medium to large boulders.
Etymology. The new species is named after the River Torsa, from where the fish was collected.
CONCLUSION:
Based on the diagnosis, Channa species have been classified into 15 groups from North-East India in the Brahmaputra drainage, India. Channa torsaensis sp. nov. brings the number of Channa species to 16 from in Brahmaputra drainage, North East India. Channa torsaensis is male mouth-brooder and more aggressive in nature than other native Channa species.
Arpita Dey, Ruksa Nur, Basudhara Raychowdhury, Debapriya Sarkar,
Laishram Kosygin Singh and Sudip Barat. 2018. A New Ornamental Species of Snakehead Fish (Teleostei: Channidae) from River Torsa of West Bengal, India. International Journal of Pure & Applied Bioscience (Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. - IJPAB). 6(6); 497-503. DOI: 10.18782/2320-7051.7131
==========================
Channa torsaensis
Dey, Nur, Raychowdhury, Sarkar, Singh & Barat, 2018
DOI: 10.18782/2320-7051.7131
ABSTRACT
A new Channa species described from River Torsa of Brahmaputra river basin, West Bengal, India. Channa torsaensis sp. nov. a new species of Channa, is distinguished from congeners by a combination of the following characters namely a dorsal, anal and caudal fins being bluish with a broad dark blue border having a tinge of orange border covering the dark blue border; dorsal fin with numerous back spots; caudal fin with 9-10 black bands; 5-6 oblique greyish-blue bands present on the body; lateral line pored scales 46 in number; dorsal fin rays 36-38; anal fin rays 22 - 25; total vertebrae 44- 45 (16+28).
Key words: Taxonomy, Endemic, Brahmaputra basin, new species of Channa.
Channa torsaensis sp. nov.
New English name: Cobalt Blue Channa
Local name (Bengali): Neel Chang
Diagnosis. Channa torsaensis sp. nov. is distinguished from all other species of Channaexcept C. pomanensis and C. quinquefasciata by an unique broad dark blue border on the dorsal, anal and caudal fin and having a tinge of orange border covering; 5-6 oblique greyish-blue bands present on the body. ....
DOI: 10.18782/2320-7051.7131
Distribution and Habitat At present, known to be distributed from tributary of River Torsa, Dakshin Barajhar forest, Alipurduar district, West Bengal, India (Fig.4). The running river water was transparent, cool, low depth and having various substrata like gravel, pebbles, sand, soil and medium to large boulders.
Etymology. The new species is named after the River Torsa, from where the fish was collected.
CONCLUSION:
Based on the diagnosis, Channa species have been classified into 15 groups from North-East India in the Brahmaputra drainage, India. Channa torsaensis sp. nov. brings the number of Channa species to 16 from in Brahmaputra drainage, North East India. Channa torsaensis is male mouth-brooder and more aggressive in nature than other native Channa species.
Arpita Dey, Ruksa Nur, Basudhara Raychowdhury, Debapriya Sarkar,
Laishram Kosygin Singh and Sudip Barat. 2018. A New Ornamental Species of Snakehead Fish (Teleostei: Channidae) from River Torsa of West Bengal, India. International Journal of Pure & Applied Bioscience (Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. - IJPAB). 6(6); 497-503. DOI: 10.18782/2320-7051.7131
==========================
Gymnogeophagus jaryi • A New Species of the Neotropical Cichlid Genus Gymnogeophagus (Teleostei: Cichliformes) from the Middle Paraná Basin, Misiones, Argentina
Gymnogeophagus jaryi
Alonso, Terán, Aguilera, Říčan, Casciotta, Serra, Almirón, Benítez, García & Mirande, 2019
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210166
Abstract
Gymnogeophagus jaryi, new species, is described from Southern tributaries of the Middle Paraná basin in Misiones. It can be distinguished from all other members of the genus, except from G. australis and G. caaguazuensis, by the presence of a hyaline to grey anterior portion of the dorsal fin. Gymnogeophagus jaryi differs from G. caaguazuensis by a longer caudal peduncle, caudal fin not lyrate, central portion of scales on dorsal portion of trunk light iridescent blue and by white spots in soft portion of dorsal fin in adult males, and from G. australis by the light iridescent blue coloration of central portion of scales on the dorsal portion of trunk and tail, and by the lack of scales on the soft portion of the dorsal fin. Additionally, it can be diagnosed by the following unique combination of characters: 10–11 dorsal-fin branched rays, 27–30 E1 scales, absence of lips thickening, and, in males, by the possession of a hump in adults, caudal fin not lyrate, presence of large white spots forming transversal stripes distally and in anterior area of the dorsal fin’s soft portion, central area of scales on the dorsal portion of the trunk light iridescent blue, lack of scales on the base of the dorsal fin’s soft portion, absence of a conspicuous and oblique dark band from the eye to the anterior border of the head, anterior portion of dorsal fin hyaline to grey, scales of the midlateral spot each bearing a semicircular light blue blotch, head hump starting at the horizontal through the eyes, concave anterior profile in lateral view, base of unpaired fins yellow, and whitish hyaline spots on caudal fin. The new species, based on mtDNA phylogeny, is the sister species of G. caaguazuensis from the Paraguay basin and is closely related to G. australis.
Gymnogeophagus jaryi, new species
Diagnosis: The number of E1 scales, 27–30 (vs. 23–25), and the possession of a cephalic hump in adult males, distinguishes the new species from all species of the G. rhabdotusspecies group (G. rhabdotus, G. meridionalis, G. setequedas, G. che, G. terrapurpura and G. taroba). It is distinguished from all species of the G. gymnogenys group, except G. caaguazuensis and G. australis, by having the anterior portion of the dorsal fin grey to hyaline, in few specimens grey slightly reddish, with no markings (vs. red to yellow with hyaline spots or elongated transversal blotches). It differs from G. caaguazuensis by a longer caudal peduncle (18.5–22.0 vs. 13.9–17.4, % SL), caudal fin not lyrate (vs. lyrate), central portion of scales on dorsal portion of trunk light iridescent blue (vs. golden to greenish) and, in adult males, white spots in the soft portion of the dorsal fin, sometimes elongated in the distal portion forming lines (vs. with spaced small silvery to bright blue dots in G. caaguazuensis). It differs from G. australis by the light iridescent blue coloration of the central portion of scales on the dorsal portion of trunk and tail (vs. with golden central portion of scales) and by the lack of scales on dorsal-fin soft portion (vs. present). It is distinguished from G. balzanii by a lower body depth and less branched dorsal-fin rays (10–11 vs. 12–15). It can be further distinguished from G. peliochelynion, G. labiatus and G. pseudolabiatus by the absence of thickening in the lips (vs. present); from G. gymnogenys and G. mekinos by the absence of a conspicuous and oblique dark band from the anterior margin of eye to the anterior border of head; from G. gymnogenys also by presence of elongated spots distally in the soft portion of the dorsal fin (vs. large round spots); from G. mekinos also by dorsal fin coloration (vs. spiny portion without markings, soft portion with only few dots, distally immaculate). Additionally, the new species differs from G. constellatusby a semicircular light blue spot on each scale of the midlateral spot (vs. large white spot) and by spiny posterior portion with short narrow stripes or spots (vs. long wide stripes) and soft portion with dots and lines distally (vs. long wide stripes); from G. tiraparae by lacking the over-developed head hump (hump starting only at the horizontal plane through the eyes, forming a concave profile of the snout in lateral view vs. hump starting already from the upper lip, forming a convex profile at eyes height) and by a different coloration pattern of the dorsal fin (spiny posterior portion with short narrow stripes or spots and soft portion with dots and lines distally vs. dorsal fin hyaline with two horizontal series of moderately elongated light blue dots between dorsal-fin spines, and a series of light blue stripes between soft rays, and a red ground color between the two series of dots); from G. lipokarenos by presenting a red distal margin on posterior half of dorsal fin (vs. red distal margin along the entire fin), by lower peduncle length 18.5–22.0% of SL (vs. 14.1–17.9% of SL in G. lipokarenos); from G. missioneiro by having the base of unpaired fins yellow (vs. red) and by the presence of separated dots in both the spiny and soft portions of dorsal fin (vs. long wide stripes in G. missioneiro); and from G. lacustris by having lips, branchiostegal membrane and isthmus grey (vs. orange), unpaired fin-bases yellowish (vs. light olivaceous to reddish), by hyaline or white spots on caudal fin (vs. longitudinal stripes), and by absence of a dark vertical stripe through the eyes (vs. present in G. lacustris) (Figs 1–3).
....
Etymology: The specific epithet is derived from the Guaraní word “jarýi”, meaning grandmother. It is dedicated to the Non-Governmental Organization of “Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo”, created in 1977 whose objective is to locate and restore to their legitimate families all the children disappeared by the last Argentine dictatorship. A noun in apposition.
Habitats of Gymnogeophagus jaryi. at Middle Paraná River basin, Misiones, Argentina.
(A, B, C) Type Locality at Cuñá Pirú stream;(B) rocks and driftwood in the margins; (C) rapids with marginal vegetation; D) Ñacanguazú stream. All photos show localities after rains in turbid conditions.
Distribution: Gymnogeophagus jaryi is known from several tributaries of the Southern Middle Paraná: the Cuña Pirú basin, the Garuhapé basin, and the Ñacanguazú basin in Argentina, Misiones and, based on photographs and mtDNA sequences it is also present in the Manduviyú, Pirapó and Ype Curú basins in Paraguay.
Phylogenetic relationships of Gymnogeophagus jaryi based on cytb marker. Analysis by parsimony under extended implied weighting. Numbers above branches denote GC values. Image of G. caaguazuensis and G. constellatus were taken and modified from their original description
Felipe Alonso, Guillermo E. Terán, Gastón Aguilera, Oldřich Říčan, Jorge Casciotta, Wilson Sebastián Serra, Adriana Almirón, Mauricio F. Benítez, Ignacio García and Juan Marcos Mirande. 2019. Description of A New Species of the Neotropical Cichlid Genus Gymnogeophagus Miranda Ribeiro, 1918 (Teleostei: Cichliformes) from the Middle Paraná Basin, Misiones, Argentina. PLoS ONE. 14(2): e0210166. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210166ere to edit.
==========================
Austrolebias ephemerus • A New Annual Fish (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae) from the upper Rio Paraguai basin, Brazilian Chaco
Austrolebias ephemerus
Volcan & Severo-Neto, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4560.3.6
Abstract
A new species of Austrolebias belonging to the A. bellottii species group is herein described from the Brazilian Chaco, Mato Grosso do Sul state, constituting the northernmost record of the genus in Brazil, as well as the first record of this genus on the left bank of the Rio Paraguai. The new species is distinguished from all other species of the A. bellottii group by the following combination of characters: pectoral fin posterior margin reaching vertical between base of 4th and 7th anal fin rays in females, a high number of gill rakers in the first branchial arch, a lower head width in both sexes, and a small number of neuromasts in the preopercular series. Additionally, we provide information on ecology and the conservation status of the new species.
Keywords: Pisces, Austrolebias bellottii species group, seasonal pool, conservation, killifish
Matheus Vieira Volcan and Francisco Severo-Neto. 2019. Austrolebias ephemerus (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae), A New Annual Fish from the upper Rio Paraguai basin, Brazilian Chaco. Zootaxa. 4560(3); 541–553. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4560.3.6
==========================
Austrolebias ephemerus
Volcan & Severo-Neto, 2019
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4560.3.6
Abstract
A new species of Austrolebias belonging to the A. bellottii species group is herein described from the Brazilian Chaco, Mato Grosso do Sul state, constituting the northernmost record of the genus in Brazil, as well as the first record of this genus on the left bank of the Rio Paraguai. The new species is distinguished from all other species of the A. bellottii group by the following combination of characters: pectoral fin posterior margin reaching vertical between base of 4th and 7th anal fin rays in females, a high number of gill rakers in the first branchial arch, a lower head width in both sexes, and a small number of neuromasts in the preopercular series. Additionally, we provide information on ecology and the conservation status of the new species.
Keywords: Pisces, Austrolebias bellottii species group, seasonal pool, conservation, killifish
Matheus Vieira Volcan and Francisco Severo-Neto. 2019. Austrolebias ephemerus (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae), A New Annual Fish from the upper Rio Paraguai basin, Brazilian Chaco. Zootaxa. 4560(3); 541–553. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4560.3.6
==========================
Tosanoides bennetti, a new species of anthiadiine fish (Pisces: Serranidae) from the Coral Sea, Australia
by Gerald R. Allen and Fenton Walsh – aqua 25 (1) – pp. 25-34
Abstract
Tosanoides bennetti is described from six specimens, 25.0-49.2 mm SL, collected from 141-150 m depth range at the Holmes Reefs, Coral Sea, which are situated approximately 220 km east of Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Diagnostic features include: dorsal rays X,17; anal rays III,8; pectoral rays 12-14; pored lateral line scales 29-33, either in continuous series or separated by gap of 1-3 transverse scale rows; gill rakers on the first branchial arch 7-10 + 23-26; body depth 2.7-2.8 in SL; male when freshly collected mainly lavender pink with four downward-slanting, yellow bands on head and body, middle two forming series of large irregularly-shaped spots; dorsal fin mainly yellow with narrow lavender outer margin and lavender basal portion, curling around posteriormost part of fin to join lavender outer margin; anal fin yellow except basal one-third and posteriormost rays lavender; caudal fin lavender with large yellow spot covering most of central portion of lower lobe; maximum known size to about 5 cm SL. The new taxon is most similar to T. annepatrice from Melanesia (Palau and Pohnpei), but differs with regards to male and female colour patterns and generally has shorter dorsal and anal-fin spines, a slightly more slender body, shorter snout, smaller eye, and shorter maxilla.
Full Text | PDF (375 KB)
==========================
by Gerald R. Allen and Fenton Walsh – aqua 25 (1) – pp. 25-34
Abstract
Tosanoides bennetti is described from six specimens, 25.0-49.2 mm SL, collected from 141-150 m depth range at the Holmes Reefs, Coral Sea, which are situated approximately 220 km east of Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Diagnostic features include: dorsal rays X,17; anal rays III,8; pectoral rays 12-14; pored lateral line scales 29-33, either in continuous series or separated by gap of 1-3 transverse scale rows; gill rakers on the first branchial arch 7-10 + 23-26; body depth 2.7-2.8 in SL; male when freshly collected mainly lavender pink with four downward-slanting, yellow bands on head and body, middle two forming series of large irregularly-shaped spots; dorsal fin mainly yellow with narrow lavender outer margin and lavender basal portion, curling around posteriormost part of fin to join lavender outer margin; anal fin yellow except basal one-third and posteriormost rays lavender; caudal fin lavender with large yellow spot covering most of central portion of lower lobe; maximum known size to about 5 cm SL. The new taxon is most similar to T. annepatrice from Melanesia (Palau and Pohnpei), but differs with regards to male and female colour patterns and generally has shorter dorsal and anal-fin spines, a slightly more slender body, shorter snout, smaller eye, and shorter maxilla.
Full Text | PDF (375 KB)
==========================
Hoplolatilus andamanensis, a new species of sand tilefish (Pisces: Malacanthidae) from the Andaman Islands and confirmation of H. luteusas a junior synonym of H. fourmanoiri, pp. 1-12
Abstract
Hoplolatilus andamanensis is described on the basis of four specimens, 99.2-110.4 mm SL, collected at the Andaman Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean. The species was previously misidentified as H. luteus, a species that was originally described from a single specimen from Flores, Indonesia. Previous authors have debated the issue of whether H. luteus is a valid species or a junior synonym of H. fourmanoiri. Additional evidence in the form of underwater observations and collected specimens support the contention of Dooley & Jimenez that the two species are synonymous. The new species is closely related to H. fourmanoiri, but differs in scale morphology and coloration. It also usually has 11 dorsal spines versus a usual count of 10 spines in H. fourmanoiri. There is also a 1.5% divergence between the two species based on 16s ribosomal RNA sequence data.
Full Text | PDF (806 KB)
==========================
Abstract
Hoplolatilus andamanensis is described on the basis of four specimens, 99.2-110.4 mm SL, collected at the Andaman Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean. The species was previously misidentified as H. luteus, a species that was originally described from a single specimen from Flores, Indonesia. Previous authors have debated the issue of whether H. luteus is a valid species or a junior synonym of H. fourmanoiri. Additional evidence in the form of underwater observations and collected specimens support the contention of Dooley & Jimenez that the two species are synonymous. The new species is closely related to H. fourmanoiri, but differs in scale morphology and coloration. It also usually has 11 dorsal spines versus a usual count of 10 spines in H. fourmanoiri. There is also a 1.5% divergence between the two species based on 16s ribosomal RNA sequence data.
Full Text | PDF (806 KB)
==========================
Melanorivulus aithogrammus, a new miniature species (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae) from lower Rio Tapajós basin, Brazil, with a key for the species of the Melanorivulus zygonectes species group
ROSSELLA · FEBRUARY 5, 2019
0 335 5
by Dalton Tavares Bressane Nielsen and Ricardo Britzke – aqua 25 (1) pp. 35-43
A new species of Melanorivulus, belonging to the Melanorivulus zygonectes species group, is described from the lower Rio Tapajós basin, Pará state, Brazil. Melanorivulus aithogrammus,new species, was recorded from a small tributary in the left bank of Rio Tapajós, Amazon basin. It differs from the other species of the Melanorivulus zygonectes species group by its color pattern in males, presenting sides of body light gray, with irregular oblique red bars, some in the shape of an inverted “Y”, caudal fin hyaline with 5-6 brownish-red vertical bars, and pointed anal fin. A key to the species belonging to the Melanorivulus zygonectes species group is presented.
Full Text | PDF (564 KB)
==========================
ROSSELLA · FEBRUARY 5, 2019
0 335 5
by Dalton Tavares Bressane Nielsen and Ricardo Britzke – aqua 25 (1) pp. 35-43
A new species of Melanorivulus, belonging to the Melanorivulus zygonectes species group, is described from the lower Rio Tapajós basin, Pará state, Brazil. Melanorivulus aithogrammus,new species, was recorded from a small tributary in the left bank of Rio Tapajós, Amazon basin. It differs from the other species of the Melanorivulus zygonectes species group by its color pattern in males, presenting sides of body light gray, with irregular oblique red bars, some in the shape of an inverted “Y”, caudal fin hyaline with 5-6 brownish-red vertical bars, and pointed anal fin. A key to the species belonging to the Melanorivulus zygonectes species group is presented.
Full Text | PDF (564 KB)
==========================
