A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lycenchelys</Emphasis> (Perciformes: Zoarcidae) from the Pacific coast of northern Japan

 Lycenchelys tohokuensis sp. nov. is described from five specimens, 199–270 mm SL. Unknown before 1997, specimens were collected along the Pacific side of the Tohoku coast, from off Aomori to Fukushima prefectures at depths of 543–709 m. The species differs from all congeners in the northwestern Pacific chiefly in the lack of pelvic fins, having a double lateral line configuration, relatively low vertebral counts, two rows of palatine teeth, and its head pore pattern. The new species does not appear to be closely related to any other northwestern Pacific Lycenchelys including the only other one without pelvic fins, Lycenchelys fedorovi Anderson and Balanov, 2000. Received: March 26, 2002 / Revised: July 8, 2002 / Accepted: July 9, 2002 Acknowledgments We are indebted to Dr. Daiji Kitagawa, Tohoku National Fisheries Research Institution, and participants in his research cruises, including Drs. T. Hattori, Y. Shimizu, K. Uchikawa, and T. Nobetsu, for collecting and supplying the five specimens described here. We also thank the crews of the R/V Wakataka-Maru and T/V Tanshu-Maru for their help aboard ship. Elaine Heemstra, J.L.B. Smith Institute, South Africa, rendered the figures. Correspondence to:M. Eric Anderson     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Zacco sieboldii</Emphasis>, a species distinct from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zacco temminckii</Emphasis> (Cyprinidae)

 Two biological types of Japanese dark chub, so-called types A and B of Zacco temminckii, were taxonomically inspected. A comparison of types A and B with the lectotypes of Leuciscus sieboldii and L. temminckii in Siebold's collection revealed that type A is identical to L. sieboldii, whereas type B matches L. temminckii. Hence, Zacco sieboldii and Z. temminckii were redescribed on the basis of the lectotype and additional specimens from Japan. Zacco sieboldii is distinguishable from Z. temminckii by having a narrower band on the anterior portion of both body sides, nine branched rays of anal fin (10 in Z. temminckii), lateral line scales not less than 53 (not more than 52 in Z. temminckii), and scales above lateral line not less than 13 (not more than 11 in Z. temmincki). A key to the species of Japanese Zacco is also provided. Received: August 15, 1999 / Revised: July 25, 2002 / Accepted: August 19, 2002 Acknowledgments We express our cordial thanks to all the following investigators: Dr. M.J.P. Van Oijen (RMNH) for the specimen loan of von Siebold's collection; Professor San-Rin Jeon, Sang-Myung University (formerly, Seoul) for providing several papers on Korean Zacco congeners; Dr. Harumi Sakai, National Fisheries University; Dr. Tetsuo Furukawa-Tanaka, Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo; Dr. Seishi Kimura, Mie University; Dr. Akihisa Iwata, Kyoto University; Dr. Osamu Katano, National Research Institute of Fisheries Sciences; Mr. Kazuo Hoshino, Oita Marine Palace; and Dr. Kouichi Kawamura, National Research Institute of Aquaculture, for the valuable comments and information on the ecological aspects of both species of the Japanese dark chub. Correspondence to:Kazumi Hosoya     

Spawning season and migration of the myctophid fish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Diaphus theta </Emphasis>in the western North Pacific

 The spawning season, spawning grounds, and migration of the myctophid fish Diaphus theta were studied in the western North Pacific, based on seasonal sampling and estimation of hatching dates. The peak abundance of larvae was observed in July in the transition waters between the Oyashio and Kuroshio fronts. The spawning season ranged from late March to early September, with a peak from May to July. Larvae and juveniles <40 mm in standard length were distributed in the transition waters, whereas larger individuals were collected in the Oyashio and the Western Subarctic waters. These results indicate that this species undergoes a horizontal spawning migration from the Oyashio and Western Subarctic waters into the transition waters crossing the Oyashio front. Received: July 11, 2002 / Revised: October 2, 2002 / Accepted: October 15, 2002 Acknowledgments We are grateful to the captains, officers, and crew of FRV Hokko-Maru, FRV Tankai-Maru, and RV Hakuho-Maru for their assistance at sea. We thank Dr. H. Saito and Mr. H. Kasai for their cooperation in field sampling, and Dr. C. Sassa for his assistance with larval fish taxonomy. Correspondence to:Masatoshi Moku     

A marking technique for live fish eggs and larvae

 A new marking technique for live fish eggs and larvae was proposed to elucidate the larval biology and adult breeding ecology of wild fish. In the laboratory, females of a freshwater goby Rhinogobius sp. OR were abdominally injected with one of three coloring agents—brilliant blue FCF, rose Bengal, or β-carotene—before their oviposition. The rose Bengal proved lethal to adult fish. The other two dyes had little effect on adult mortality. With these two treatments, there were negative effects on neither fecundity nor egg mortality, resulting in normally developed larvae. The brilliant blue FCF stained eggs and larvae greenish blue whereas the staining effect of β-carotene was unclear. The timing of injection was important in effective staining of eggs and reducing the risk of miscarriage. In conclusion, the brilliant blue FCF was the more useful marker. We discuss what this method can show us about the ecology of wild fish and how this method can be applied to field study. Received: March 6, 2002 / Revised: July 11, 2002 / Accepted: August 14, 2002 RID="*" ID="*" Present address: Center for Marine Environmental Studies, Ehime University, 3 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama 790-8577, Japan (e-mail: nokuda@sci.ehime-u.ac.jp) Acknowledgments I am grateful to K. Karino, M. Kohda, and A. Moriyama for giving us valuable advice and to M. Inoue and H. Miyatake for their field assistance. This study was financially supported by Research Fellowships of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for Young Scientists. Correspondence to:Noboru Okuda     

Occurrence of sea eels of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anguilla japonica</Emphasis> along the Sanriku Coast of Japan

 The age and migratory history of the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica, collected along the Sanriku Coast of Japan, were examined using otolith microstructure and analysis of strontium (Sr) and calcium (Ca) concentrations. The mean Sr : Ca ratios from the elver mark to the otolith edge indicated that there were eels with several general categories of migratory history, including sea eels that never entered freshwater and others which had entered freshwater for brief periods but returned to the estuary or bay. This first evidence of the occurrence of sea eels in this northern area indicates that Japanese eels of the Sanriku Coast do not necessarily migrate into freshwater rivers. Received: May 15, 2002 / Revised: August 4, 2002 / Accepted: August 15, 2002 Acknowledgments We thank Messrs. S. Yamane and K. Morita, and crews of the Otsuchi Marine Research Center, Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, for their assistance in collecting the eels. This work was supported in part by Grant-in-Aid No. 13760138 from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. Correspondence to:Takaomi Arai     

Early ontogeny of a South Pacific gonostomatid fish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sigmops longipinnis</Emphasis>

 During the R/V Hakuho-maru Cruise KH-95-2, Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, from Tokyo, Japan to the South Pacific east of Australia (22° N–30° S; 126° E–176° E) from June to September, 1995, 77 unidentified gonostomatid larvae (5.5–20.0 mm SL) were collected south of 20° S with an IKMT net. They subsequently were identified as Sigmops longipinnis (Mukhacheva), and its ontogeny during the latter part of the larval stage (body form and proportions, photophores, pigmentation, and meristics) is described here. The larvae develop a species-specific row of melanophores along the midlateral line anterior to the caudal peduncle and another along the middorsal line from before the dorsal fin to just before the caudal fin. Received: June 24, 2002 / Revised: November 2, 2002 / Accepted: January 31, 2003     

Existence of traveling wave solutions in a diffusive predator-prey model

 We establish the existence of traveling front solutions and small amplitude traveling wave train solutions for a reaction-diffusion system based on a predator-prey model with Holling type-II functional response. The traveling front solutions are equivalent to heteroclinic orbits in R ⁴ and the small amplitude traveling wave train solutions are equivalent to small amplitude periodic orbits in R ⁴ . The methods used to prove the results are the shooting argument and the Hopf bifurcation theorem. Received: 25 May 2001 / Revised version: 5 August 2002 / Published online: 19 November 2002 RID="*" ID="*" Research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundations (NNSF) of China. RID="*" ID="*" Research was partially supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada. On leave from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3J5, Canada. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): 34C35, 35K57 Key words or phrases: Traveling wave solution – Wazewski set – Shooting argument – Hopf bifurcation Acknowledgements. We would like to thank the two referees for their careful reading and helpful comments.     

Correlation between pathogenicity and molecular characteristics in the willow leaf rusts <Emphasis Type="Italic">Melampsora epitea</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">M. humilis</Emphasis> in Japan

 We studied the correlation between pathogenicity and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) type, which was determined by polymerase chain reaction-based RFLP analysis of the internal transcribed spacer regions of ribosomal DNA, in the willow leaf rust fungi Melampsora epitea and M. humilis. Eighteen clones of eight Salix species were inoculated with urediniospores from seven collections of the two rust species. M. epitea and M. humilis (RFLP type-5 collections) were pathogenic to six to eight Salix species. RFLP type-7 collections of M. epitea were pathogenic to only two Salix species. The taxonomic relationships of the two rust species are discussed. Received: December 11, 2002 / Accepted: February 17, 2003 RID="*" ID="*" Contribution no. 179, Laboratory of Plant Parasitic Mycology, Institute of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Tsukuba, Japan Acknowledgments We thank K. Katsuya, former professor at the University of Tsukuba, for his encouragement in this study. We are also grateful to M. Yashima, Botanical Garden, University of Tohoku, for his assistance in collecting materials and to R. Suzuki, University of Tsukuba, for providing a rust isolate.     

Growth history and migration of the threespine stickleback <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gasterosteus aculeatus</Emphasis> in Otsuchi Bay,northeastern Japan

 Both growth and migratory history of the Pacific Ocean forms of the threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus collected in Otsuchi Bay, northeastern Japan, were examined using otolith microstructure and analysis of strontium (Sr) and calcium (Ca) concentrations with wavelength dispersive X-ray spectrometry by an electron microprobe. Age of the juveniles (21.6–25.9 mm in total length) examined ranged from 101 to 128 days (115 ± 8.5 days; mean ± SD), hatching being estimated as having occurred between March and April 2001. The Sr : Ca ratios in the otoliths changed with both ontogenic development and salinity of the habitat. The otolith Sr : Ca ratios increased gradually from 4.1 × 10⁻³ around the core to 7.5 × 10⁻³ around the edge of the otolith. The fluctuation pattern of otolith Sr : Ca ratios was different from those observed in both freshwater resident and anadromous forms in previous studies. These results suggested that the fish sampled spend their lives in the estuarine and sea environment without freshwater life after hatching. Received: June 5, 2002 / Revised: September 11, 2002 / Accepted: September 24, 2002 Acknowledgments We thank Mr. K. Morita and crews of the Otsuchi Marine Research Center, Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo for their assistance in collecting specimens. This work was supported in part by Grant-in-Aid No. 13760138 from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. Correspondence to:Takaomi Arai     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Exobasidium dubium</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. miyabei</Emphasis> sp. nov. causing Exobasidium leaf blisters on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhododendron </Emphasis>spp. in Japan

 Two Exobasidium species causing Exobasidium leaf blister on Rhododendron spp. are described. An Exobasidium leaf blister on Rhododendron yedoense var. yedoense f. yedoense has been recognized in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan, since the first report was issued in 1950. The causal fungus is identified with Exobasidium dubium from the morphology of its hymenial structure and mode of germination of the basidiospores. Another Exobasidium leaf blister on Rhododendron dauricum has been observed in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. In comparison with morphology based on hymenial structure and mode of germination of the basidiospores of the 100 validly described taxa, this fungus differs from those known taxa in the size of basidia and basidiospores, the numbers of sterigmata and septa of basidiospores, and the mode of germination of basidiospores. Thus, a new species, Exobasidium miyabei, is established and illustrated. Received: February 13, 2002 / Accepted: September 25, 2002  Present address: National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba 305-8602, Japan Acknowledgments We profoundly appreciate the cooperation of Dr. V. Melnik in providing Russian papers and Dr. L. Vasilyeva for translating them into English. We thank Prof. H. Takahashi for loaning the materials in the Herbarium of the Hokkaido University Museum and Dr. W. Abe, Graduate School of Science, University of Hokkaido, for his kind help with the sampling of R. dauricum in Teshikaga, Hokkaido Prefecture. This study was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (No. 13460019), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). Contribution No. 171, Laboratory of Plant Parasitic Mycology, Institute of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Tsukuba. Correspondence to:M. Kakishima     

A new species of the cardinalfish genus Gymnapogon (Perciformes, Apogonidae) from the Red Sea

 A new cardinalfish species, Gymnapogon melanogaster, is described from two specimens collected at night in the Gulf of Aqaba, Eilat, Israel. This species is characterized by having 9 dorsal and 8 anal fin soft rays; 14–15 pectoral fin rays; 2 + 11 gill rakers; a flat, bifurcated preopercular spine; a naked body without a papillae network; black pelvic fins; and a black stomach. It is similar to Gymnapogon vanderbilti (Fowler, 1938) that is known only from the Line Islands of the Central Pacific Ocean. Received: December 26, 2001 / Revised: June 10, 2002 / Accepted: June 24, 2002 Acknowledgments We thank D. Didier and M. Sabaj of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, for loans of and for taking data from type specimens; T.H. Fraser of the Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, kindly provided data on type specimens. We are grateful to E. Heemstra of the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Grahamstown, South Africa, for the artwork presented in this article and to A. Lerner of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, for his assistance in collecting the specimens. Correspondence to:Ofer Gon     

Coloration and ontogenetic features of fluviatile species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhinogobius</Emphasis> (Gobioidei: Gobiidae) in Amami-oshima Island,Ryukyu Islands,Japan

 The fluviatile Rhinogobius sp. 1 (hereinafter R. sp. 1) (Japanese name kibara-yoshinobori or English name yellow belly medium-egg type) is broadly distributed in the Ryukyu Islands ranging from Amami-oshima Island to Iriomote Island. However, based on the molecular evidence, this species has probably had multiple origins from amphidromous species. We compared the coloration of specimens at Amami-oshima I. with that of the other specimens (islands) in the Ryukyu Is. Amami-oshima I. specimens of R. sp. 1 were different from the specimens of other populations in having five to six cross lines on the caudal fin. We examined the early life history of fluviatile Rhinogobius at Amami-oshima I., based on rearing experiments, and estimated the age of wild specimens by counting otolith increments. Spawned egg capsules of “Rhinogobius sp. 1” at Amami-oshima I. were larger than those of amphidromous species. Their developmental stage in newly hatched larvae was similar to that of Okinawan R. sp. 1 in having a straight notochord; however, it had a flexed notochord earlier than that of Rhinogobius sp. 2 (hereinafter R. sp. 2) (aobara-yoshinobori or blue belly medium-egg type). The ontogenetic trajectory of “Rhinogobius sp. 1” in Amami-oshima I. was similar to Okinawan R. sp. 1 (30 days in larval duration) but different from R. sp. 2 (15 days). In amphidromous relatives of R. sp. 2, developmental timing during larval period was earlier than in the amphidromous relatives of R. sp. 1. It has been suggested that the phenomenon of fluvial landlocking has been accompanied somewhat by egg size increase (on the basis of a few examples). However, the ontogenetic trajectories of fluviatile Rhinogobius species may be a reflection of those of ancestral amphidromous species. Received: March 18, 2002 / Revised: November 7, 2002 / Accepted: December 10, 2002     

Female spawning strategy in Rhinogobius sp. OR: how do females deposit their eggs in the nest?

 We tried to elucidate how females of a paternal nest brooding goby Rhinogohius sp. OR deposit their eggs in a nest, using a marking technique for live eggs under laboratory conditions in which male somatic condition, nest space, and mating pattern (monogamous or bigamous) were controlled. Whether females rejected mating was independent of either male quality, such as body size and somatic condition, or nest space. In a situation in which two females were allowed to spawn sequentially with a male, however, females rejected mating at a higher rate when they were the first to spawn than when they were the second to spawn; this is because eggs from first females were more vulnerable to cannibalism by parental males and second females. Even when nest space was limited and thus was occupied by eggs from the first females, second females could deposit all their eggs in the nest by using the minute interspace of existing eggs. In the presence of the parental male, such a female seemed less likely to suffer a cost from increased egg mortality due to crowdedness, still holding the advantage of being the second spawner. Finally, we extrapolated the field breeding ecology of this fish from the laboratory data. It was suggested that a single monolayer brood of the same age usually consisted of eggs from multiple females and thus the mating pattern would be more polygynous than previously expected. Received: March 6, 2002 / Revised: July 11, 2002 / Accepted: August 14, 2002 RID="*" ID="*" Present address: Center for Marine Environmental Studies, Ehime University, 3 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama 790-8577, Japan (e-mail: nokuda@sci.ehime-u.ac.jp) Acknowledgments I am grateful to S. Sone and D. Takahashi for giving us useful information and to M. Inoue and H. Miyatake for their field assistance. This study was financially supported by Research Fellowships of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for Young Scientists. Correspondence to:Noboru Okuda     

Two new species of chimaeroid fishes from the southwestern Pacific Ocean (Holocephali, Chimaeridae)

 Two new species of chimaeroid fishes from the family Chimaeridae are described on the basis of morphological characters. The carpenter's chimaera is a large-bodied species of Chimaera distinguished from its congeners by massive head with blunt snout; firm, nondeciduous skin; purplish color; preopercular and oral lateral line canals branching together; and pelvic claspers that are divided for the distal one third of length, purple at the base with white fleshy tips. The pale ghost shark is a species of Hydrolagus distinguished from its congeners by a dorsal fin spine that reaches to the origin of the second dorsal fin when depressed; elongate second dorsal fin not indented along its length; preopercular and oral lateral line canals sharing a common branch; long, stout caudal filament; and pale silvery-gray coloration fading to white ventrally. The pale ghost shark has long been recognized as a new species from New Zealand, and formal taxonomic recognition of this species will prove important for fishery management. Received: October 15, 2001 / Revised: May 1, 2002 / Accepted: May 29, 2002 Acknowledgments I am grateful to Peter Last, Alastair Graham (CSIRO, Dept. of Marine Research), Clive Roberts, Andrew Stewart (NMNZ, Wellington), and Mark McGrouther and Doug Hoese (AMS, Sydney), for their hospitality and support of this research. This work was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF DEB-9510735) and the National Geographic Society (no. 5414–95), and also funded in part by the New Zealand Foundation for Scientific Research and Technology, Biosystematics of NZ EEZ Fishes Project, contract MNZ603, C. Roberts, program leader.     

A fluvial population of Cottus pollux (middle-egg type) from the Honmyo River, Kyushu Island, Japan

 Specimens of the Cottus pollux species' group collected from the upper part of the Honmyo River, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, were subjected to morphological and allozyme analyses to place them into one of the recognized valid taxa, viz. small-egg type (SE type), middle-egg type (ME type), or large-egg type (LE type). They were identified as ME type on the basis of specific morphological characteristics, such as laterally depressed cross-sectional shape at posterior half of the body and deep caudal peduncle, and by having a diagnostic allozyme allele (MEP ^* 54). This ME-type population is the first recorded from Kyushu Island, Japan. An ecological survey of the population revealed that females spawned larger eggs (2.8–3.2 mm in diameter) than those of other amphidromous populations, from which well-developed yolk-sac larvae of about 8.0 mm TL were hatched out. In addition, ME-type specimens collected on 25 and 26 May 2001 included 15 sex-unknown juveniles ranging from 18.8 to 30.2 mm SL, suggesting that they represented larvae hatched out on a nearby spawning ground, with no experience of downstream migration into Isahaya Bay. This observation strongly suggests that the ME-type population in the Honmyo River has a fluvial lifestyle, being different from other amphidromous populations. The former population may have arisen from an amphidromous ancestor through changes in egg size and early ontogenetic development. Received: February 25, 2002 / Revised: May 21, 2002 / Accepted: June 17, 2002 Acknowledgments We thank Professor M. Azuma, Nagasaki University, for his kind guidance of our field survey in the Honmyo River and Dr. G.S. Hardy, Thames, New Zealand, for correcting the English. Thanks are also offered to Mrs. Y. Miyajima and Y. Masaoka, Kyushu Branch of Construction and Technology Institute Co., for their helpful cooperation in the field survey. Drs. H. Sakai, National Fisheries University and Y. Yamazaki, Toyama University, and Mrs. N. Okabe and Y. Suzuki of Yamagata Prefecture are thanked for their help in sample collection. This work was partly supported by a Grant-in-Aid (No. 13660171) from the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to A. Goto. Correspondence to:Akira Goto