Redescriptions of Dampierosa daruma Whitley 1932 and Erosa erosa (Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes 1829) (Teleostei: Synanceiidae)

Ichthyological Research - Dampierosa daruma Whitley 1932 and Erosa erosa (Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes 1829) (Synanceiidae) were redescribed on the basis of both primary type and non-type...     

Encounters with the Cuvier’s beaked whale, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ziphius cavirostris</Emphasis> Cuvier, 1823 (Cetacea: Ziphiidae), in waters off eastern Kamchatka and the Commander Islands

The biology of the Cuvier’s beaked whale, Ziphius cavirostris Cuvier, 1823, in Russian waters remains almost unstudied. The species is encountered rarely elsewhere in the seas of Russia, except for the waters off the Commander Islands. Currently, some researchers express doubt about the accuracy of the known Cuvier’s beaked whale records in the region. This report provides information on the confirmed encounters with Cuvier’s beaked whale off the Commander Islands and eastern Kamchatka.     

Biochemical studies on Brachionus plicatilis: hydrolytic enzymes,integument proteins and composition of trophi

In Terminos Lagoon, México, more than 80 fish species use the mangrove and seagrass habitats. We studied nekton dynamics in an inlet seagrass system and a more sheltered seagrass/mangrove system located behind a barrier island. Seasonal community biomass ranges from 0.6 to 5.2 g wet wt m^-2. For the two habitats together, there are 28 dominant species. Eleven species were common to both areas: Sphoeroides testudineus (Linnaeus, 1758), Archosargus rhomboidalis Linnaeus, 1758, A. probatocephalus (Walbaum, 1792), Arius felis (Linnaeus, 1766), A. melanopus (Gunther, 1864), Eucinostomus gula (Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1830), Bairdiella chrysoura (Lacépède, 1803), Orthopristis chrysoptera (Linnaeus, 1766), Chilomycterus schoepfi (Walbaum, 1792), Opsanus beta (Goode & Bean, 1879) and Lutjanus griseus (Linnaeus, 1758). Ten species used exclusively the inlet seagrass system: Urolophus jamaicensis (Cuvier, 1817), Haemulon aurolineatum (Cuvier, 1829), H. bonariense (Cuvier, 1830), H. plumieri (Lacépède, 1802), Anisotremus virginicus (Linnaeus, 1758), Odontoscion dentex (Cuvier, 1830), Corvula sanctae-luciae (Jordan, 1890), Nicholsina usta (Valenciennes, 1839), Stephanolepis hispidus (Linnaeus, 1766) and Diodon hystrix Linnaeus, 1758. Seven species were dominant only in the seagrass/mangrove system: Anchoa mitchilli (Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1848), Scorpaena plumieri Bloch, 1789, Cynoscion nebulosus (Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1830), Diapterus rhombeus (Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1830), Bairdiella ronchus (Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1830), Cichlasoma urophtalmus (Günther, 1862) and Acanthostracion quadricornis (Linnaeus, 1758). Comparative analysis showed that periodic variation in biomass and diversity of fish assemblages in seagrass and seagrass/mangrove habitats were synchronized with sizes and densities of population, season of the year (dry, wet, ‘nortes’), circulation pattern, and patterns of primary production (phytoplankton, Thalassia testudinum Konig, 1805; and Rhizophora mangle Linnaeus). This analysis allowed the definition of 3 life-cycle patterns with a clear nektonic ‘seasonal programming’ following the timing of primary production in these critical habitats: (1) marine species which spawn in or near the inlet with eggs and larvae transported into and distributed throughout the lagoon by the predominant currents; (2) estuarine-marine species which spawn in different habitats of the lagoon and use the seagrass/mangrove system as a nursery area, and (3) species which complete their life history in the inlet seagrass and/or seagrass/mangrove systems. EPOMEX Program Contribution No. 0026.     

Gerres limbatus Cuvier and G. lucidus Cuvier from the Indo-Malay Archipelagos, the latter corresponding to young of the former (Perciformes: Gerreidae)

Taxonomic status of Gerres limbatus Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1830 and G. lucidus Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1830 was studied. The two species were reassessed as the same species, the latter corresponding to young of the former, on the basis of examination of their eight syntypes and other comparative specimens. Gerres limbatus clearly differs from other congeners in having 2½–3 (usually 2½) scales between the 5th dorsal fin spine base and the lateral line, and four or five diffuse, dark saddle patches mainly along the back in life (more apparent in small specimens less than ca. 65 mm in standard length, or preserved and stressed live specimens) (vs. usually more than 3½ scales between fifth dorsal fin spine base and lateral line, and and no such body color pattern of G. limbatus in other congeners). The species is currently known from the southern and western coasts of India including Sri Lanka, the Malay Peninsula, Gulf of Thailand, and Indonesia, becoming rare in occurrence eastward.     

Authorship and validity of two flatheads, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Platycephalus japonicus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Platycephalus crocodilus</Emphasis> (Teleostei: Platycephalidae)

The authorship of Platycephalus japonicus and Platycephalus crocodilus is researched. Although many authors have considered that the authorship of these flatheads can be attributed to Tilesius (1812), we consider that Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes [ex Tilesius] (1829) has valid authorship of them. Platycephalus isacanthus, Platycephalus borboniensis and Platycephalus guttatus were also established by Cuvier in the same publication. The conspecificity of these three species and the precedence of P. japonicus are reconfirmed in this study. Although many authors have recognized the validity of P. guttatus, its holotype is identical to P. crocodilus. We also establish the precedence of P. crocodilus over P. guttatus.     

A new natural intergeneric cyprinid hybrid from the Jordan River drainage, with a key to the large barbine cyprinids of the southern Levant

In Ain al-Qunaiya. an isolated source within the Jordan River drainage basin of Jordan, several fishes were found to have characters intermediate between two cyprinid species. Barbus canis Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes. 1842 and Capoeta damascina (Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes. 1842). The hypothesis of their hybrid origin is advanced. A key to the large barbine cyprinids of the Jordan River system and their hybrids is given.     

A new genus for Diplectanum setosum Nagibina, 1976 (Monogenea: Dipletanidae), a parasite of Psammoperca waigiensis (Cuvier) (Perciformes: Latidae) from Okinawa-jima Island,Japan

Systematic Parasitology - The diplectanid monogenean Diplectanum setosum Nagibina, 1976 is redescribed based on newly collected specimens from Psammoperca waigiensis (Cuvier) (Perciformes: Latidae)...     

Peptide Modulators of ASIC Channels of the Sea Anemone Urticina aff. coriacea (Cuvier, 1798) from the Sea of Okhotsk

Russian Journal of Marine Biology - A search for biologically active peptides has been performed in an aqueous extract of the sea anemone Urticina aff. coriacea (Cuvier, 1798) (Actiniidae) from the...     

The reproductive biology of Chrysoblephus laticeps and C. cristiceps (Teleostei: Sparidae)

A detailed histological study showed that in two protogynous sparids, Chrysoblephus laticeps (Cuvier) and C. cristiceps (Cuvier), gametogenesis follows a pattern typical of temperate sparids and marine teleosts in general. Fertilization is external and both species produce numerous small eggs which are pelagic. They have a restricted summer breeding season and gonadal recrudescence is well correlated with temperature and photoperiod. Behavioural observations showed that C. laticeps are pair-spawners, releasing their gametes well above the substratum after an elaborate courtship routine. The testes of these fishes are small in relation to those of other sparids and are thought to reflect basic differences in the mating systems of sex-changing and gonochoristic species.     

Length–weight relationships of six fish species from the Coastal Waters of Jask,Iran

The length–weight relationships (LWRs) for six species were determined, namely Carangoides chrysophrys (Cuvier, 1833), Drepane longimana (Bloch & Schneider, 1801), Euthynnus affinis (Cantor, 1849), Polydactylus plebeius (Broussonet, 1782), Pomadasys kaakan (Cuvier, 1830) and Pseudorhombus elevatus (Ogilby, 1912). Fish was sampled from the Coastal Waters of Jask, Iran (located in Hormozgan Provinces) between October 2011 and March 2012. This work revises previous literature in the Jask and provides the first reference on weight–length parameters for two fish species worldwide and for six species of the Coastal Waters of Jask, Iran.     

Redécouverte du « crocodile de Sheppey » de Georges Cuvier (Crocodilus delucii Gray, 1831) et signification du « monitor de Sheppey » (London Clay,Yprésien)

Unpublished drawings made by Georges Cuvier in 1809, while visiting the collection of the Deluc family in Geneva, reveal the vertebrae of the crocodilian and the so-called “monitor lizard” or serpent of Sheppey that Cuvier briefly described in 1824 in the new edition of his Recherches sur les ossemens fossiles (Research on Fossil Bones). The crocodilian cervical vertebra, holotype of Crocodilus delucii Gray, 1831, was identified at the Natural History Museum in Geneva, where much of the Deluc collection is preserved. This specimen of historical interest does not make it possible to change the status of the species, which is considered as a nomen dubium, in view of the paucity of the diagnostic elements offered by an isolated vertebra. As for the second vertebra, first identified by Cuvier as that of a “monitor lizard”, and then as that of a snake, it appears to belong to the marine snake Palaeophis toliapicus Owen, 1841. This paper confirms that Cuvier is the first to have reported in a published work the presence of crocodilians and squamates in the London Clay Formation (Ypresian).     

Quand les Reptiles marins anglais traversaient la Manche: Mary Anning et Georges Cuvier,deux acteurs de la découverte et de l’étude des Ichthyosaures et des Plésiosaures

When English marine Reptiles crossed the Channel. Mary Anning and Georges Cuvier, two actors of the discovery and study of Ichthyosaurs and Plesiosaurs. From 1800 to 1824, Georges Cuvier succeeded in obtaining a great deal of informations, as well as documents, drawings, casts and original fossils related to marine Reptiles (Ichthyosaurs and Plesiosaurs) from the Lower Jurassic (Lias) of Great Britain. He was completely informed about the discoveries made by Mary Anning. A great number of documents in the archives of the Museum national d’histoire naturelle in Paris show the importance and the quality of the scientific links that existed between France and Great Britain, in spite of the political vicissitudes between the two nations.     

Alcide d’Orbigny entre Cuvier et Lamarck

In the History of Science, Alcide d’Orbigny has the distinctive characteristic to be placed, between Cuvier and Lamarck, who were the two masters of Natural Science for most of the 19th century. It is in this historical context that Alcide d’Orbigny lived. Of Cuvier, he remembered ideas on disasters and species fixedness without using the same evidence, for he was not a vertebrist. Of Lamarck, he rejected the ideas on life continuity and species transformation while using the research field opened by the Zoology and Invertebrate Palaeontology founder. Alcide d’Orbigny’s originality was to use Lamarck’s Invertebrate fossils as evidence of the ideas that Cuvier had based on Vertebrate fossils.     

240th anniversary of the birth of Georges Cuvier (1769–1832)

August 2009 marked the 240th anniversary of the birth of Georges Cuvier, an architect of comparative anatomy, a founder of paleontology, and the originator of catastrophism. An account of the biography and summary of research of this outstanding French natural historian is provided. A contemporary of Cuvier, Napoleon Bonaparte, in 1800 regarded the diverse talents of his compatriot so highly that he made him a trusted member of his inner circle, inviting his help in both private matters and state affairs.     

Channa siamensis (Günther, 1861), a junior synonym of Channa lucius (Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1831)

The holotype of Channa siamensis (Günther, 1861) was examined and compared with specimens of all other channid species currently considered to be valid (2 genera, 27 species). As all of the examined morphological characters (meristics, morphometrics, coloration, a patch of gular scales, and cephalic sensory pores) of the small-sized hototype (74.2 mm SL) agree with those for C. lucius except for slight gaps in predorsal length and interorbital width (subject to allometric changes), the authors concluded that C. siamensis is a junior synonym of C. lucius (Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1831). Received: April 25, 1999 / Revised: December 6, 2000 / Accepted: February 16, 2001     

The distribution of Poecilancistrium caryophyllum (Trypanorhyncha) plerocercoids in spot, Leiostomus xanthurus Lacèpéde, and spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus (Cuvier)

Spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus (Cuvier), and spot, Leiostomus xanthurus Lacèpéde, from two sites along Florida's west coast were collected, weighed, sexed and measured. A systematic search for plerocercoids of the cestode Poecilancistrium caryophyllum yielded infection prevalences of 81.9% for C. nebulosus and 25.0% for L. xanthurus . The maximum infection intensity was 10 (mean = 2.65) plerocercoids per fish in C. nebulosus and six (mean = 1.69) per fish in L. xanthurus . Significant correlations were found between infection prevalence and length in C. nebulosus , and a significant correlation was observed between intensity and length in both species. Condition coefficient ( K ) and intensity were negatively correlated in C. nebulosus but not in L. xanthurus . An iterative computer technique based on the truncated negative binomial distribution indicated no parasite-induced mortality occurred in either species. Sand drum, Umbrina coroides Cuvier, is reported as a new host record for P. caryophyllum .     

葛洲坝水利枢纽下游宜昌江段渔业资源现状

1997-1999年间统计了葛洲坝水利枢纽工程下游宜昌江段的不同渔具渔获物3254kg。共获得鱼类45种,优势种类为铜鱼、瓦氏黄颡鱼、长鳍吻鮈、圆筒吻鮈、草鱼、鲢、长吻鮠、南方鲇等,鳊、青鱼、鳡等的相对数量比建坝前减少,(鱼宗)、鳜、鳤、鲌类等建坝前的常见种类现在较为少见或罕见。鲥、裂腹鱼、华鲮、暗纹东方鲀等偶见种类以及珍稀鱼类白鲟未被发现。目前该江段渔获物中低龄个体比重较高,性成熟个体较少。过度捕捞是影响坝下江段渔业资源衰退的主要原因。