The syntypes of the sciaenid Corvina albida Cuvier and the status of Dendrophysa hooghliensis Sinha and Rao and Nibea coibor (nec Hamilton) of Chu, Lo & Wu

Day (1876) rightly used the name Corvina albida Cuvier for a species with a pair of one on either side of the median pore of the lower jaw, and Dendrophysa hooghliensis Sinha & Rao (1969) is a synonym of it. Following Talwar (1970c), it may be known as Daysciaena albida . Reports of ' Pseudosciaenu' albida or Nibea cuibor from the western Pacific are of this species, but at least some refer to a Nibea, here renamed Nibea chui . The genus is redefined to exclude species without a cephalic extension to the swim-bladder and a generic name is proposed for 'Nibea' diacanthus (Lacépède). A key to the species of is given.     

Species Distribution Models of Tropical Deep-Sea Snappers

Deep-sea fisheries provide an important source of protein to Pacific Island countries and territories that are highly dependent on fish for food security. However, spatial management of these deep-sea habitats is hindered by insufficient data. We developed species distribution models using spatially limited presence data for the main harvested species in the Western Central Pacific Ocean. We used bathymetric and water temperature data to develop presence-only species distribution models for the commercially exploited deep-sea snappers Etelis Cuvier 1828, Pristipomoides Valenciennes 1830, and Aphareus Cuvier 1830. We evaluated the performance of four different algorithms (CTA, GLM, MARS, and MAXENT) within the BIOMOD framework to obtain an ensemble of predicted distributions. We projected these predictions across the Western Central Pacific Ocean to produce maps of potential deep-sea snapper distributions in 32 countries and territories. Depth was consistently the best predictor of presence for all species groups across all models. Bathymetric slope was consistently the poorest predictor. Temperature at depth was a good predictor of presence for GLM only. Model precision was highest for MAXENT and CTA. There were strong regional patterns in predicted distribution of suitable habitat, with the largest areas of suitable habitat (> 35% of the Exclusive Economic Zone) predicted in seven South Pacific countries and territories (Fiji, Matthew & Hunter, Nauru, New Caledonia, Tonga, Vanuatu and Wallis & Futuna). Predicted habitat also varied among species, with the proportion of predicted habitat highest for Aphareus and lowest for Etelis. Despite data paucity, the relationship between deep-sea snapper presence and their environments was sufficiently strong to predict their distribution across a large area of the Pacific Ocean. Our results therefore provide a strong baseline for designing monitoring programs that balance resource exploitation and conservation planning, and for predicting future distributions of deep-sea snappers.     

Redescription of Dendrochirus zebra (Scorpaenidae: Pteroinae) with a new species of Dendrochirus from the Ogasawara Islands,Japan

Ichthyological Research - Dendrochirus zebra (Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes 1829) (Scorpaenidae: Pteroinae) is redescribed on the basis of 405 specimens from the Indo-West Pacific region. The...     

Etelis boweni sp. nov., a new cryptic deepwater eteline snapper from the Indo-Pacific (Perciformes: Lutjanidae)

A new species of Etelis is described based on 16 specimens collected from the Red Sea and Western Australia, with confirmed genetic records throughout the Indo-West Pacific. It is similar to and was often misidentified as Etelis carbunculus Cuvier, with both species sharing the diagnostic character of low number of developed gill rakers. Nonetheless, the two species are genetically divergent and differ morphologically in adult body length; proportions of eye, snout, cheek and caudal fin; shape of head, opercular spine and sagittal otolith; and coloration of the tip of the upper caudal fin. Etelis boweni has a wide Indo-west Pacific distribution that largely overlaps with E. carbunculus, and the two species are often caught on the same fishing line.     

A multivariate morphometric investigation of Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810 and A. presbyter Cuvier, 1829 (Teleostei: Atherinidae): morphometric evidence in support of the two species

Two recently developed morphometric methodologies, multiple group principal components analysis (MGPCA) and the box truss method of body form transformation are used to re-address whether Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810 and A. presbyter Cuvier, 1829 are morphometrically distinct. The results revealed that morphometric differences are present between A. boyeri and A. presbyter , consistent with expectations of the existence of two species.
Females of the two species were clearly discriminated into two separate groups because the within-group covariances of several characters within populations of each species were different between species i.e., the covariances were heteroscedastic. The occurrence of heteroscedasticity within the data, although statistically invalidating the results of canonical variates anslysis, indicated there to be a large amount of morphological variation between females of the two species. Males were differentiated as a result of differences in body 'shape', particularly the relationship between head 'shape' and body 'shape'.
Several probable reasons are given for the failure of a previous study to differentiate the two species. The data rejects the synonymy of the two species in support of the continued use of the taxa A. boyeri Risso, 1810 and A. presbyter Cuvier, 1829.     

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.     

Two new species of nudibranchiate molluscs from the west coast of North America, with a revision of the family Cuthonidae

Two species of nudibranch molluscs are described from the northeastern Pacific Ocean on the west coast of North America. These are: a new aeolid species of Cuthona Alder & Hancock, 1855 (family Cuthonidae) from the Oregonian marine zoogeographical province and a new dorid species of Acanthodoris Gray, 1850 (family Onchidorididae) from the Panamic province in the Gulf of California. The internal anatomy and external features of each species are compared with related species. Differences in structure of the radula, reproductive system and other morphological aspects are described. A revision of the family Cuthonidae is included. Evidence is presented to include the genera Trinchesia Ihering, 1879, and Precuthona Odhner, 1929, within the genus Cuthona. Cuthona alpha Baba & Hamatani, 1963, is synonymized with Catriona columbiana (O'Donoghue, 1922). We consider the New World Cuthonidae to be composed of the following five genera: Catriona Winckworth, 1941; Cuthona Alder & Hancock, 1855; Embletonia Alder & Hancock, 1851; Tenellia Costa, 1877; and Tergipes Cuvier, 1805.     

The food and feeding habits of Hydrocynus forskahlii Cuvier and Hydrocynus brevis Günther in Lake Kainji, Nigeria

The diets and modes of feeding of Hydrocynus forskahlii Cuvier and Hydrocynus brevis Günther are described. Both species are mainly piscivorous in Lake Kainji. H. forskahlii feeds largely upon small clupeids though very large specimens prey more heavily upon the characid Alestes baremose. H. brevis preys upon a wide variety of species by swallowing them whole but also attacks large fish and bites pieces from them. Sexual dimorphism in H. brevis is described. The effects of predation upon the fish stock of Lake Kainji by Hydrocynus species are discussed.     

A key to the species of Mugilidae (Pisces) in the Northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, with explanatory notes

A key is given for identifying the eight species of Mugilidae of the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean. The use of Risso's names for four species is justified and explained and recognition is given to Tortonese's discovery that Mugil capurrii (Perugia) is a senior synonym of M. monodi Chabanaud. The relationship of Liza saliens to certain species of West and southern Africa is held to be additional support for the recognition of Protomugil Popov as a subgenus of Liza including these species. Chelon Röse, with type-species Mugil chelo Cuvier (= Chelon labrosus (Risso)), is recognized, following Jordan & Evermann (1917) and Schultz (1946), but its limits are differently conceived so as to include Crenimugil Schultz rather than Liza Jordan & Swain. The latter is held to comprise about 30 Old World species. The status of Chelon bispinosus (Bowdich) is discussed, with its bearing on possible population-differences in C. labrosus and the relationship of this species with C. crenilabis. The identity of Liza seheli (Forskål) is discussed and reasons are given for disagreeing with Wimpenny and others in applying this name to the species found at both ends of the Suez Canal zone. The latter is L. carinata (Ehrenberg in Cuvier & Valenciennes). Myxus maroccensis Mohr is believed to be a young Liza ramada.     

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.     

Eleven new Colobomatus species (Copepoda: Philichthyidae) from marine fishes

A survey of 79 fish species revealed 16 species of Colobomatus of which 11 are new and described below. The first ten new species were from Australian fish and the eleventh from a South African fish.The following species are described: Colobomatus cresseyi n. sp. from the eastern river garfish Hyporhamphus regularis ardelio (Whitley) and the snub-nosed garfish Arrhamphus sclerolepis krefftii (Stein-dachner); C. nanus n. sp. from the trumpeter Pelates quadrilineatus (Bloch); C. lesteri n. sp. from the common silver-belly Gerres ovatus (Günther); C. sewelli n. sp. from the seven-fingers tassel-fish Polynemus heptadactylus Cuvier; C. hispidus n. sp. from the blotched javelin-fish Pomadasys maculatus (Bloch); C. ornatus n. sp. from the whiptail Pentapodus setosus (Cuvier & Valenciennes); C. cribbi n. sp. from the barred-faced spine-cheek Scolopsis taeniopterus (Kuhl & van Hasselt); C. rothae n. sp. from the dusky flathead Platycephalus fuscus (Cuvier & Valenciennes) and the bar-tailed flathead P. indicus (L.); C. gietzelae n. sp. from the thread-fin silver-belly Gerres punctatus (Cuvier & Valenciennes); C. creeveyae n. sp. from the white trevally Pseudocarynx dentex (Bloch & Schneider); and C. mackayi n. sp. from an African haemulid, Pomadasys striatus (Gilchrist & Thompson). Colobomatus mylionus Fukui, 1965, is redescribed from the silver bream Acanthopagrus australis (Günther).Details of the mouthparts of C. kyphosus Sekerak, 1970, are given for the first time. This is a relatively plesiomorphic member of the genus (West, unpublished data), and its morphology assists in the interpretation of the appendages of the Australian species.Revised diagnoses for the family Philichthyidae Vogt and the genus Colobomatus hesse, 1873 are given. These incorporate the genus Colobomatoides Essafi & Raibaut, 1980 and the new Colobomatus species described herein respectively.     

Chromodorid opisthobranch Mollusca from East Africa and the tropical West Pacific

Six species of Hypselodoris and three species of Chromodoris axe described from the coast of East Africa. Three species of Hypselodoris and one species of Chromodoris are new species. Two species of Chromodoris from the tropical West Pacific are also described. The eleven species fall into three groups of similarly coloured species.
Hypselodoris nigrostriata and a new species of Hypselodoris are compared with H. infucata, H. festiva, H. obscura and two unnamed species from the literature. It is concluded that all these are distinct species.
H. nigrolineata and two new species, are compared with H. lineata and H. hilaris and all are considered distinct.
H. regina, Chromodoris quadricolor, C. africana, C. elisabethina, C. magnified and a new species of Chromodoris, are compared with C. westraliensis and two unnamed species from the literature. All these species are considered distinct.
All other names for forms falling into these three colour groups are considered synonyms of one or other of the above named species. Full synonymies are given.     

Phylogeny of Hypselodoris (Nudibranchia: Chromodorididae) with a review of the monophyletic clade of Indo-Pacific species, including descriptions of twelve new species

This work provides an account of the systematics and phylogeny of Hypselodoris . Aspects of the morphology of 42 species are described and the systematic status of an additional 11 species is discussed. Twelve new species are described: Hypselodoris alboterminata, H. bertschi, H. bollandi, H. fucata, H. iacula, H. insulana, H. krakatoa, H. paulinae, H. reidi, H. rudmani, H. violabranchia and H. zephyra. A phylogenetic analysis supports the monophyly of Hypselodoris and Risbecia . Two distinct clades of Hypselodoris are present. One contains species from the Atlantic and eastern Pacific while the other contains species limited to the Indo-Pacific tropics and adjacent temperate regions. Species from the Atlantic and eastern Pacific are bluish in body colour and have a plesiomorphically large receptaculum seminis while Indo-Pacific taxa are variably coloured and all have a minute receptaculum seminis. The distribution and size of mantle glands provides a wealth of morphological characters. With few exceptions, mantle glands vary in closely related species and are important for distinguishing members of smaller clades. Mantle gland distribution is therefore useful in identifying preserved material that is difficult to identify to species in the absence of the pigment of living specimens. Similar colour patterns found in sympatric species of Hypselodoris appear to be a result of both common descent and convergence between less closely related lineages. Biogeographic distributions of sister taxa provide several examples of vicariance. Examination of these cases shows that no single vicariant pattern is present, but vicariance appears to occur at the margins of the Indo-Pacific rather than centrally. Some vicariance occurs even within archipelagos such as the Hawaiian Islands. These cases largely refute the generality of the hypothesis of Springer (1982), that Pacific Plate and Australasian Plate endemic sister taxa should predominate.     

Phylogeography and genetic structure of Hibiscus tiliaceus--speciation of a pantropical plant with sea-drifted seeds

Phylogenetic relationships and the spatial genetic structure of a pantropical plant with sea-drifted seeds, Hibiscus tiliaceus L., and its allied species were investigated. The combined distribution range of these species is over almost the entire littoral area of the tropics worldwide, which might result from the dispersal of their sea-drifted seeds and from recurrent speciation in local populations. A phylogenetic tree constructed using the nucleotide sequences of a c. 7500-bp portion of chloroplast DNA suggested the possibility that recurrent speciation from H. tiliaceus has given rise to all of its allied species. Three major sequence haplotypes of H. tiliaceus had wide and overlapping distributions throughout the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions. This distribution pattern was also confirmed by PCR-SSCP (polymerase chain reaction amplification with single-strand conformation polymorphism) and PCR-SSP (PCR amplification with sequence specific primers) analyses performed on more than 1100 samples from 65 populations worldwide. Statistical analysis using F(ST) and analysis of molecular variance did not show significant genetic differentiation among the H. tiliaceus populations in the three oceanic regions. The results reported here suggested substantial gene flow occurred between populations in the different oceanic regions due to sea-drifted seeds. A strong genetic difference between the Pacific and Atlantic populations of Hibiscus pernambucensis Arruda was observed, which indicates that gene flow in this species between the two regions has been prevented. The wide and dominant distribution of a haplotype shared by H. pernambucensis and H. tiliaceus in the Atlantic region suggests significant introgression between the two species in this region.     

Biogeographical Division of the North Pacific Sublittoral and Upper Bathyal Zones by the Fauna of Mysidacea and Anomura (Crustacea)

A biogeographical analysis of the North Pacific temperate waters is made on the basis of the distribution of 88 species of Mysidacea (Crustacea) and 111 species of Anomura (Crustacea: Decapoda: Reptantia) inhabiting depths from 0 to 1000–12000 m. At depths from 0 to 180–200 m and from 180–200 to 1000–1200 m, division by mysid fauna is made separately; division according to anomurans is unified. Original schemes of faunistic zonation of the North Pacific are given. The influence of abiotic factors, primarily temperature, on the formation of distribution ranges of Pacific boreal species is examined.     

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.     

Hyalomma (Hyalommina) arabica: nymphal and larval identity and spiny mouse hosts in Saudi Arabia (Acarina: Ixodoidea: Ixodidae)

Nymphal and larval Hyalomma (Hyalommina) arabica Pegram, Hoogstraal, and Wassef, 1982, described herein, closely resemble those of Hyalomma (Hyalommina) rhipicephaloides Neumann, differing chiefly in body size (both stages), nymphal basis capituli and scutal proportional dimensions, and distinctness of larval coxal spurs. Females of these species are also structurally similar but males differ in major critical characters. Nymphs and larvae of both species parasitize the spiny mouse (Acomys spp.), but immatures of the third African- Arabian species of this subgenus, Hyalomma (Hyalommina) punt Hoogstraal, Kaiser, and Pedersen, are unknown. Hyalomma (Hyalommina) arabica occurs in valleys and hills of western Saudi Arabia and western Yemen; H. (H.) rhipicephaloides in the Red Sea and Dead Sea areas; and H. (H.) punt in northeastern Somalia and eastern Ethiopia. The ibex (Capra ibex nubiana Cuvier) is probably the original host of adult H. (H.) arabica and H. (H.) rhipicephaloides; the related domestic goat is an important host of adults of the 3 species, which also parasitize domestic sheep. Gazelles are recorded hosts of adults of H. (H.) rhipicephaloides and H. (H.) punt and the latter is also recorded from goats, sheep, camels and cattle.     

The evolutionary history of seahorses (Syngnathidae: Hippocampus): molecular data suggest a West Pacific origin and two invasions of the Atlantic Ocean

Sequence data derived from four markers (the nuclear RP1 and Aldolase and the mitochondrial 16S rRNA and cytochrome b genes) were used to determine the phylogenetic relationships among 32 species belonging to the genus Hippocampus. There were marked differences in the rate of evolution among these gene fragments, with Aldolase evolving the slowest and the mtDNA cytochrome b gene the fastest. The RP1 gene recovered the highest number of nodes supported by >70% bootstrap values from parsimony analysis and >95% posterior probabilities from Bayesian inference. The combined analysis based on 2317 nucleotides resulted in the most robust phylogeny. A distinct phylogenetic split was identified between the pygmy seahorse, Hippocampus bargibanti, and a clade including all other species. Three species from the western Pacific Ocean included in our study, namely H. bargibanti, H. breviceps, and H. abdominalis occupy basal positions in the phylogeny. This and the high species richness in the region suggests that the genus evolved somewhere in the West Pacific. There is also fairly strong molecular support for the remaining species being subdivided into three main evolutionary lineages: two West Pacific clades and a clade of species present in both the Indo-Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean. The phylogeny obtained herein suggests at least two independent colonization events of the Atlantic Ocean, once before the closure of the Tethyan seaway, and once afterwards.     

Advances in our understanding of the global diversity and distribution of Hematodinium spp. - significant pathogens of commercially exploited crustaceans

Hematodinium species are parasitic dinoflagellates known to infect a growing number of marine crustacean genera from around the world, many of which support important commercial fisheries. Affected hosts undergo dramatic pathological alterations to their organs, tissues and hemolymph. There are no known control measures for this disease. Economically important wild fished hosts known to be susceptible to Hematodinium spp. include Tanner crabs Chionoecetes bairdi and snow crabs Chionoecetes opilio in the Northeast Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, blue crabs Callinectes sapidus from the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, and Norway lobsters Nephrops norvegicus and Edible crabs Cancer pagurus from European waters. In recent years, several farmed aquatic crustaceans in China have also been negatively impacted by Hematodinium-associated diseases, likely representing an emerging issue for that expanding industry. Molecular sequence data indicates that there are two species, Hematodinium perezi, and a second species, currently unnamed, infecting hosts from the Northern Hemisphere. Three subtly different H. perezi genotypes have been identified infecting hosts from different geographical locations: the English Channel, the eastern seaboard of the United States and Gulf of Mexico, and eastern China. Genotypic variability between isolates of the Hematodinium sp. infecting hosts from the North Atlantic and North Pacific has also been reported, though it is unclear whether there is any correlation with host or location. Identification of Hematodinium species (and genotypes of H. perezi) is largely dependent upon geographical location, rather than host species. However this is not exclusive, as both Hematodinium species can be found infecting multiple species from same location, as is the case in the English Channel.