Structure and composition of teleost scales from snakehead Channa argus (Cantor) (Perciformes: Channidae)

The structure of teleost scales from snakehead Channa argus was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TG), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX), Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Thermal treatment of fish scales indicates that the fibrillary plate is partially calcified. SEM shows two kinds of scale denticles, arranged along the circuli in the anterior field and the lateral fields, respectively. TEM indicates the stratum laxum with abundant fibrils, chromatophores and capillary blood vessels within the scale covering, and shows the fibrillary plate as an 'orthogonal plywood structure' of stratified lamellae, consisting of 80–100 nm diameter collagen fibres co-aligned in individual lamellae and alternated by c. 90° of the fibre alignment between adjacent lamellae. EDAX, FTIR and XRD show that the mineral phase of the scales is a carbonated hydroxyapatite with a Ca:P molar ratio of 1·85.     

Scale morphological variation across the flank in four Tonguefishes species collected from the Gulf of Oman (Pleuronectiforms; Cynoglossidae)

The scale morphology of pleuronectiforms in the Gulf of Oman remains insufficiently known. This study used light microscopy and morphological analysis to examine scale variation across the flank of four Tonguefishes species; Cynoglossus arel, C. bilineatus, C. lingua, and C. puncticeps. Scales were extracted from six flank regions, three on the eyed and blind sides, respectively. The most differentiated species was C. arel, which showed significant differences in four size variables in five regions. In Cynoglossus arel and C. lingua, the scales of the eyed side were ctenoid, and those scales from the blind side were cycloid; C. puncticeps have ctenoid scales on both flank sides and C. bilineatus has cycloid scales on both sides. All species' scales on the blind side have fewer ctenial spines (except in C. bilineatus). This study indicated that scale morphology demonstrated considerable variation among the flank regions of the examined species. As a result, the scales from the head and the trunk regions of the eyed side and the scales from the head region of the blind side have a good power of species separation in this family.     

Experimental removal of piscivorous groupers of the genus Cephalopholis (Serranidae) from coral habitats in the Gulf of Aqaba (Red-Sea)

Synopsis Elimination of adult groupers (Cephalopholis spp.) from various reef formations in the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) resulted in replenishment by other predatory fishes of different taxa and only partly (21.6%) by species of the same genus. Three years later, the initial population composition had not been restored. Recolonization by juvenile groupers presumably settling from the plankton was only 11.3%. Censuses of the typical piscine prey of groupers, before and 36 months after the removal of Cephalopholis, showed virtually no change in abundace and species composition.     

Paranthias furcifer (Perciformes: Serranidae), a new alien fish in the Mediterranean Sea

A specimen of a creole fish Paranthias furcifer (285 mm total length) was captured in Marina Bay (Croatian coast) in the eastern Adriatic Sea. This is the first Mediterranean record of this species. The possible modes of introduction of species are discussed.     

Morphology of the digestive tract of the Whitemouth croaker Micropogonias furnieri (Desmarest, 1823) (Perciformes: Sciaenidae)

Studies have shown the feeding diversity of teleostean fish, which is conditioned by environmental characteristics or the biology of the different species. Analysis on the morphology of the digestive system (DS) of fish made it possible for researchers to know the food regimen of several species at different stages of life. On the other hand, it is known that food habits may lead to morphological changes in the DS the same way that different food habits may be imposed by morphological limitations of this system. Among the species of greater commercial importance in Brazil, Micropogonias furnieri is highly representative of fish in south‐eastern Brazil. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyse the morphology of the DS of M. furnieri. Results on the morphology of the DS observed in this study were similar to the patterns determined for the morphology of teleostean fish. In this study, it was observed that the DS of the Whitemouth croaker is directly related with the shape of the peritoneal cavity; these fish showed oesophagus, stomach, pyloric caeca and intestines. The pyloric caeca showed morphological adaptations in relation to sexual maturation, with well‐developed caeca found in sexually mature animals.     

A revision of the black-and-white Snappers,genusMacolor (Perciformes: Lutjanidae)

Macolor macularis Fowler was described on the basis of adult specimens of two distinct species of the genus. Since the holotype is presumed to be lost and it is impossible to check its validity, one of the 25 paratypes is designated as the neotype ofM. macularis to set the name as a valid species. The two species are redescribed and compared with each other.Macolor macularis differs fromM. niger in the number of anal soft rays (10 versus 11) and gill rakers (110–122 versus 89–107), extent of the exposed portion of the maxillary bone (more exposed inM. niger), length of pelvic fin (long and pointed in young versus not elongate at any size), and coloration on body and fins in adult (blue spots on head and fins versus almost uniformly black).Macolor macularis is distributed in the western Pacific, from northern Australia to Iriomote-jima, Ryukyu Islands.     

Two new blood flukes (Digenea: Sanguinicolidae) from Epinephelinae (Perciformes: Serranidae) of the Pacific Ocean

Pearsonellum pygmaeus n. sp. is described from Cromileptes altivelis (Serranidae), the Barramundi Cod, from Heron Island (southern Great Barrier Reef) and Lizard Island (northern Great Barrier Reef). This new species differs from Pearsonellum corventum (type and only species) in the combination of smaller overall body size, the relative distance of the brain from the anterior end, the relative lengths of both the oesophagus and the testis, the degree to which the testis extends outside the intercaecal field, the shape of the testis, the shape and size of the ovary and the extent to which the uterus loops around the ovary. There are in addition, 20 base pair differences between the ITS2 rDNA sequence of P. pygmaeus n. sp. and that of P. corventum. Three new host records for P. corventum are reported. Adelomyllos teenae n. g., n. sp. is described from Epinephelus coioides (Serranidae), the Estuary Cod, from Moreton Bay, southeast Queensland. The new genus differs from the 22 other sanguinicolid genera in the combined possession of two testes, a cirrus-sac, separate genital pores, a post-ovarian uterus and an H-shaped intestine. A. teenae n. sp. is the third sanguinicolid described from the Epinephelinae. Sanguinicolids have now been reported from 11 species of Serranidae.     

Pseudorhabdosynochus kasetsartensis n. sp. (Monogenea: Diplectanidae) from the cloudy grouper Epinephelus erythrurus (Valenciennes) (Perciformes: Serranidae) in the lower Gulf of Thailand

Systematic Parasitology - Pseudorhabdosynochus kasetsartensis n. sp. is described from the gills of the cloudy grouper Epinephelus erythrurus (Valenciennes) caught in the lower Gulf of Thailand....     

Comparative morphology and evolutionary aspects of the reflective under wing scale-pattern in Fritillary butterflies (Nymphalidae: Argynnini)

The wing scale ultrastructure of the reflective under wing pattern found in many Argynnini butterflies are examined for all recognised genera and subgenera and compared to that of some basal Heliconiini. A true reflective pattern probably evolved once within the Argynnini. But the phylogenetic information in these structures is limited due to a high degree of homoplasy in the scale ultrastructure related to the reflective patterns. The degree of specialisation is also homoplastic. The general morphological modification responsible for the reflective patterns seems to be a “closing” of the large windows, which generally occupy most of the inter-ridge space on the abwing surface in the scales of higher Lepidoptera. The fact that the Argynnis niobe morphs with a silvery pattern have scales with ‘closed windows’ whereas the Argynnis niobe morphs without a silvery pattern have typical non-reflective scales with very large windows supports this conclusion.The degrees of modification of the scales, including whether both cover and ground scales or only cover scales are modified, are to some extent correlated to the degree of reflectiveness in the wing pattern. Boloria eunomia has, as the only species, more modified ground scales than cover scales.     

Scale morphology and squamation patterns in cichlids (Teleostei, Perciformes): A comparative study

Problems in cichlid systematics call for new characteristics to be exploited. Scale surface morphology and squamation patterns could provide novel and useful information. A comparative study comprising 105 African, 10 American, and eight outgroup species was conducted to identify the most useful scale and squamation characters within the family and to clarify their phylogenetic significance. A great number of obviously genetically fixed characters were established. At least IS scale granulation types could be identified, proving to be ofparticular value for systematic purposes. Squamation patterns on the head, breast and fins were also found to be of interest in this context. Different character states are described and their distribution is reviewed, together with a discussion of their plesiomorphic status. From the results it can be concluded that for the Cichlidae scale and squamation studies can be valuable tools in investigating phylogenetic relationships.     

Habitat use and its implications to functional morphology: niche partitioning and the evolution of locomotory morphology in Lake Tanganyikan cichlids (Perciformes: Cichlidae)

Animal locomotory morphology, i.e. morphological features involved in locomotion, is under the influence of a diverse set of ecological and behavioral factors. In teleost fish, habitat choice and foraging strategy are major determinants of locomotory morphology. In this study, we assess the influence of habitat use and foraging strategy on important locomotory traits, namely the size of the pectoral and caudal fins and the weight of the pectoral fin muscles, as applied to one of the most astonishing cases of adaptive radiation: the species flock of cichlid fishes in East African Lake Tanganyika. We also examine the course of niche partitioning along two main habitat axes, the benthic vs. limnetic and the sandy vs. rocky substrate axis. The results are then compared with available data on the cichlid adaptive radiation of neighbouring Lake Malawi. We find that pectoral fin size and muscle weight correlate with habitat use within the water column, as well as with substrate composition and foraging strategies. Niche partitioning along the benthic–limnetic axis in Lake Tanganyikan cichlids seems to follow a similar course as in Lake Malawi, while the course of habitat use with respect to substrate composition appears to differ between the cichlid assemblages of these two lakes.     

Prosorhynchine trematodes (Digenea: Bucephalidae) from epinephelines (Perciformes: Serranidae) on the Great Barrier Reef,Australia

Six new species of bucephalid trematodes from the prosorhynchine bucephalid genera Prosorhynchus Odhner, 1905 and Neidhartia Nagaty, 1937 are reported from the epinepheline genera Cephalopholis, Cromileptes, Epinephelus and Variola on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Two species of Prosorhynchus and one of Neidhartia are reported from Epinephelus spp., P. jexi n. sp. from E. quoyanus, P. lafii n. sp. from E. fuscoguttatus and N. epinepheli n. sp. from E. maculatus. The other three new species are P. robertsthomsoni n. sp. from Cephalopholis argus, C. cyanostigma and C. miniata, P. conorjonesi n. sp. from Cromileptes altivelis, and P. milleri n. sp. from Variola louti. Extensive examinations of other piscivorous fish species from the Great Barrier Reef have not revealed these six bucephalid species, which appear to be restricted at least to the host genera from which they are reported here.     

Illustrated key for the Chilean fishes of the family Serranidae (Teleostei: Perciformes)

A taxonomic key for identification of fish species of the family Serranidae of Chile, grouped in the subfamilies Epinephelinae, Serraninae and Anthiinae is presented. Basic data about the taxonomic of the group to facilitate the identification is given. In each specific case, the geographical distribution is showed. Reduced illustrations for the currently 13 serranid species considered in the Chilean ichthyofauna are included.     

Molecular phylogeny of three mudskippers (Gobiidae) from the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman (Makran)

Presented is a phylogenetic reconstruction of mudskippers using sequences of the mitochondrial COI and cytb genes. The phylogeny combines the sequences of 12 species from GenBank with those of three species (Boleophthalmus dussumieri, Periophthalmus waltoni and Scartelaos tenuis) collected from the coastal area of the Persian Gulf and Oman (Makran) Sea and sequenced for the first time. Based on the Maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods, Periophthalmus forms a separate clade that is the sister lineage to a group formed by all remaining genera. The subfamilies Oxudercinae and Amblyopinae established on the basis of morphological characters have been shown to be paraphyletic and their use as taxonomic units is no longer recommended. The evolution of Periophthalmus waltoni, Periophthalmus barbarous and Boleophthalmus dussumieri is discussed based on molecular phylogenetic reconstruction.