Molecular genetic and karyological analysis of antlered sculpins of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Enophrys diceraus</Emphasis> group (Cottidae)

Molecular genetic and karyological analyses of antlered sculpin, Enophrys diceraus, from the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk were carried out. The karyotype of this species was studied for the first time. On the basis of karyological analysis, it was established that E. diceraus from the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk was polymorphic in terms of the number of chromosomes and their morphology (2n = 36, 35, and 37, NF = 40). It was suggested that the karyotype with 35 chromosomes could have been produced as a result of Robertsonian translocation; the karyotype with 37 chromosomes could have been produced by crossing of individuals with different number of chromosomes. On the basis of the molecular genetic analysis of the mitochondrial COI and 16S rRNA genes, considerable differences between E. diceraus from the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk corresponding to the level of interspecies genetic variability were established. It is concluded that E. diceraus from the Sea of Japan belongs to another species, most likely, E. namiyei.     

The biogeochemical background and trace metal accumulation by brown algae of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fucus</Emphasis> in coastal waters of the Sea of Japan,the Sea of Okhotsk,and the White Sea

The ranges of background concentrations of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, and Cd in Fucus algae from the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the White Sea were determined. The lower background threshold of element concentration was calculated as Me₁₅–2MAD₁₅, the upper background threshold was determined as Me+2MAD. The upper background threshold of the metal contents in Fucus algae can be used as the maximum permissible regional concentration in assessing pollution levels of marine habitats. Comparison of the Me₁₅–2MAD₁₅ values showed that Fucus algae of the White Sea had increased Mn and decreased Cd concentrations compared to those in Pacific algae. The concentrations of Zn were higher in Fucus algae of the Sea of Japan than in macrophytes from the White Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk. The background concentration range of Fe in Fucus algae of the Sea of Japan was much narrower compared to that in their counterparts from the White Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk. The background metal concentrations in Fucus algae are specific to a sea region; their variations are connected not only with the trace element contents in abiotic components of the environment, but also with the functioning of coastal ecosystems.     

The karyotype of the great sculpin, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Myoxocephalus polyacanthocephalus</Emphasis> (Pallas, 1814) (Pisces: Cottidae), from the Russian part of the species range

The karyotype of the great sculpin, Myoxocephalus polyacanthocephalus (Pallas, 1814) (Pisces: Cottidae) from the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan has been studied for the first time. The karyotype is stable; it consists of 40 chromosomes (4 metacentric, 2 submeta-subtelocentric, 20 subtelocentric, and 14 acrocentric chromosomes); the number of chromosomal arms is 44 + 2. Nucleolar organizer regions (NOR) are found in the telomeric region of the arm in one homologue of a pair of small metacentric chromosomes, using the Ag-NOR banding technique. A comparative analysis of the karyotype of M. polyacanthocephalus and the karyotypes of other Myoxocephalus species (M. stelleri, M. brandtii, M. jaok, M. ochotensis, and M. scorpius) has been carried out based on the main karyotype characters, as well as on the number and localization of NORs. The identified differences make it possible to differentiate the studied species, whereas the general traits indicate their taxonomic proximity.     

Microsatellite Variability of Pacific Herring <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clupea pallasii</Emphasis> Valenciennes, 1847 from the Sea of Okhotsk and Bering Sea

The genetic variability of ten microsatellite loci was examined in samples of the herring from the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea. All loci were polymorphic; the expected heterozygosity estimates varied in the range of 0.3–94.3% (mean 66.7%). The degree of genetic differentiation of the herring was statistically significant (θ = 1.38%). The level of pairwise genetic differentiation F_ST was–0.002–0.046; R_ST was–0.003–0.166. Genetic differentiation of the herring from the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea correlated with the spatial-geographic structure of the species in the studied range on the basis of F_ST (P = 0.001).     

Steroid compounds from two pacific starfish of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Evasterias</Emphasis>

Three new steroid glycosides (evasteriosides C, D, and E) along with six known compounds were isolated from two Pacific starfish of the genus Evasterias. Evasterioside C from E. retiferacollected from the Sea of Japan was identified as (20R, 22E)-3-O-(β-D-xylopyranosyl)-24-nor-5α-cholest-22-ene-3β,6β,15α,26-pentaol 26-sulfate sodium salt. The structures of evasteriosides D and E from E. echinosoma (collected from the Gulf of Shelichov, the Sea of Okhotsk) were established as (20R, 24S)-24-O-(β-D-glucopyranosyl)-5α-cholestane-3β,6α,8,15β,24-pentaol and (20R,24S)-3,24-di-O-(β-D-xylopyranosyl)-cholest-4-ene-3β,6β,8,15α,24-pentaol, respectively. In addition, the known compounds pycnopodiosides A and C, luridoside A, 5α-cholestane-3β,6α,8,15β,16β,26-hexaol. 5α-Cholestane-3β,6α,8,15β,24-pentaol 24-sulfate sodium saltand marthasterone sulfate sodium salt were identified in E. echinosoma. The structures of the isolated compounds were established on the basis of spectroscopic analyses, using 1D and 2D NMR techniques, mass spectrometry, and some chemical transformations.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila suzukii</Emphasis> in Southern Neotropical Region: Current Status and Future Perspectives

Non-native insect pests are often responsible for important damage to native and agricultural plant hosts. Since Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae) has become an important pest in North America and Europe (i.e., in 2008), the global production of soft thin-skinned fruits has faced severe production losses. In the southern Neotropical region, however, the first record of D. suzukii occurred in 2013 in the south of Brazil. It has also been recorded in Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile. Despite its recent occurrence in the southern Neotropical region, the fast dispersion of D. suzukii has inspired local research efforts in an attempt to mitigate the consequences of this insect pest invasion. In this forum, we explore the current status of D. suzukii in southern Neotropical regions, discussing its future perspectives. Additionally, we attempt to draft activities and a research agenda that may help to mitigate the losses caused by D. suzukii in native and commercial soft-skinned fruits produced in this region. Currently, D. suzukii appears to be well established in the south of Brazil, but considering the entire southern Neotropical region, the invasion panorama is still underinvestigated. The lack of studies and regulatory actions against D. suzukii has contributed to the invasion success of this species in this region. Considering several peculiarities of both the pest biology and the environmental of this region, the authors advocate for the need of intensive and integrative studies toward the development and implementation of area-wide integrated pest management programs against D. suzukii in the southern Neotropical region.     

Population Structure of Pacific Cod <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gadus macrocephalus</Emphasis> in the Southern Part of the Range Based on the Microsatellite Analyses

The population structure of Pacific cod Gadus macrocephalus in the southern part of the range and adjacent regions is studied on the basis of the results of microsatellite analyses. Collected data indicate heterogeneity of this species population within the studied area. According to the obtained F_ST values, Pacific cod from the waters of the Republic of Korea (Yellow Sea side) and northwestern part of the Sea of Okhotsk significantly differ from all other studied regions (Table 4). Significant differentiation was also revealed between samples from the waters of the Tatar Strait and all other regions except for South Kurils Pacific cod (both Sea of Okhotsk and Pacific Ocean sides). These two latter sample collections were similar to each other as well. A low level of differentiation was also shown for the Peter the Great Bay and the East Sea/Sea of Japan waters of the Republic of Korea.     

Molecular-Genetic,Karyological, and Morphological Variability of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hadropareia middendorffii</Emphasis> Schmidt, 1904 and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Magadanichthys skopetsi</Emphasis> (Shinohara,Nazarkin et Chereshnev, 2004) (Actinopterygii: Zoarcidae)

The suggestion that the fish specimens caught in the littoral zone off Nedorazumeniya Island, Taui Bay, Sea of Okhotsk, belong to the eelpout species Magadanichthys skopetsi [23] and Hadropareia middendorffii Schmidt, 1904 has been confirmed by the analysis of their molecular-genetic and morphological characters. Their karyotypes have been studied for the first time: M. skopetsi, 2n = 48 (2 meta-, 26 subtelo-, and 20 acrocentric chromosomes), NF = 50; H. middendorffii, 2n = 48 (2 meta-, 36 subtelo-, and 10 acrocentric chromosomes), NF = 50. As a result of a comprehensive study, the levels of interspecific differentiation of these species has been established, the degree of intraspecific variability has been determined, and the lack of the population-geographical subdivision of H. middendorffii has been shown.     

Preadaptation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Formica aquilonia</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Formica lugubris</Emphasis> ants (Hymenoptera,Formicidae) to low wintering temperatures in Northeast Asia

The ants Formica aquilonia and F. lugubris which inhabit the entire forest zone of the North Palaearctic and are absent from the basins of the Yana, Indigirka, and Kolyma rivers were found in the coastal area of the Sea of Okhotsk. A possible climatic conditionality of their occurrence in the Northeast is considered based on the data on the biotopic distribution of ants, the temperature causation of their overwintering, and cold hardiness. On the Sea of Okhotsk coast, these ants overwinter at a depth of 40–200 cm in the soil. During winter, the minimum soil temperature at a depth of 40 cm under the anthill was ?5°C. The supercooling temperature of F. aquilonia was not lower than ?20.2 ± 0.5°C, that of F. lugubris, not lower than ?19.6 ± 0.4°C. Half of F. aquilonia individuals did not survive the daily exposure at ?13°C, F. lugubris, at ?16°C. These two cold-resistant species could inhabit some biotopes of the Kolyma River basin, similar to F. exsecta, F. lemani, and F. sanguinea, but they are absent there for some reasons that are not related to the temperature. A similar cold hardiness is characteristic of F. aquilonia in Estonia (Maavara, 1971, 1985), where it represents a side effect of diapause, since excessive cold hardiness has no adaptive significance for insects overwintering in the non-freezing soils of Estonia. Colonization of Siberia by ant species turned out to be possible only due to the existing cold hardiness, i.e. preadaptation to low temperature. On the Sea of Okhotsk coast, cold hardiness of the ants is non-adaptive due to the relatively mild conditions during winter.     

Summer-autumn ichthyoplankton of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan and special traits of feeding of fish larvae and fry in 2003–2004

In summer-autumn of 2003–2004, the ichthyoplankton of the Sea of Okhotsk comprised 35 species. In this period the most widely distributed and numerous were larvae of the lord Hemilepidotus gilberti, the Pacific stout sand lance Ammodytes hexapterus, and the Sakhalin dab Limanda sakhalinensis. The maximum catches of fish larvae were attributed to coastal waters off eastern Sakhalin and to the shelf of the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk. In November of 2003, the ichthyoplankton of the Sea of Japan was represented by fish larvae belonging mainly to the boreal ichthyocomplex. The catches consisted predominantly of larvae of the arabesque greenling Pleurogrammus azonus, the ronquil Bathymaster derjugini, and the rockfish Sebastes owstoni. Fish larvae and fry in the northwestern part of the Sea of Japan were caught principally within 43°–45° N and 137°–139° E above the depth 1500–2000 m. The food spectrum of fish larvae in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan comprised over 20 plankters of various size belonging to seven taxa. Irrespective of fish species, the food items common of all fish were copepods Pseudocalanus minutus and Oithona similis. The daily rations were calculated for mass species (Hemilepidotus gilberti, Ammodytes hexapterus, Hexagrammos stelleri, Pleurogrammus azonus, Bathymaster derjugini, and Sebastes owstoni). The larvae of all considered species in the Sea of Japan and in the Sea of Okhotsk fed predominantly in the light period of the day.     

An Annotated List of Cartilaginous Fishes (Chondrichthyes: Elasmobranchii,Holocephali) of the Coastal Waters of Sakhalin Island and the Adjacent Southern Part of the Sea of Okhotsk

An annotated list of cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes: Elasmobranchii, Holocephali) is given for the first time in the 200-year history of studying the ichthyofauna of Sakhalin Island and adjacent waters of the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk (including the coast of Hokkaido Island) and the northern Sea of Japan. The list includes 43 species in two classes, eight orders, 16 families, and 25 genera. Information on nature conservation status, English and Latin names, depths of habitat, and distribution within the coastal waters of Sakhalin are presented. For a number of species caught off the coast of Sakhalin and in the adjacent waters, information is provided on collection specimens confirming their presence in the region under study. For a number of species of the Rajiformes order (Arctoraja parmifera, A. smirnovi, A. simoterus), the modern ranges and taxonomic status are being refined in the light of new data. The taxonomic status of the so-called “disputed” taxa is discussed as well as the validity of the species considered in the Bathyraja matsubarai complex. Based on the study of the collections, Arctoraja simoterus, previously unknown in the waters of Russia, as well as Myliobatis tobijei, caught in the Bering Sea, has been discovered, which significantly expands the range of this species to the north.     

Serological Detection of Causative Agents of Infectious and Invasive Diseases in the Beluga Whale <Emphasis Type="Italic">Delphinapterus leucas</Emphasis> (Pallas, 1776) (Cetacea: Monodontidae) from Sakhalinsky Bay

Serological detection of some pathogens in the beluga whale Delphinapterus leucas population from Sakhalinsky Bay of the Sea of Okhotsk (Sakhalin–Amur beluga whale stock) was performed in 2013–2014 after the largest recorded flood of the Amur River (among observations since 1896). The percent of this population that is immune to the causative agents of clonorchosis was 25.6%; toxoplasmosis, 11.5%; brucellosis, 38.5%; tuberculosis, 30.8%; cetacean morbillivirus infection, 16.7%; and to alpha and gamma herpes viruses each, 21.8%.     

Two new complete mitochondrial genomes of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dorcus</Emphasis> stag beetles (Coleoptera,Lucanidae)

The systematics of Dorcus MacLeay has been a long-standing debate. Mitochondrial genomes were widely used to deeply understand the phylogeny of problematic taxa in virtue of their genetic importance and comprehensiveness. To provide more useful genetic data for resolving the systematic disputation of Dorcus stag beetles. The complete mitochondrial genomes of Dorcus hopei and Dorcus seguyi were obtained using the next generation sequencing. Characteristics of the two genomes are explicated through comparing their genome organization and base composition, protein-coding genes and codon usage, intergenic spacers and non-coding region, transfer and ribosomal RNA genes and control region. Phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed using Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses based on the concatenated nucleotide sequences of 13 PCGs from 9 stag beetles and 3 scarab beetles. The complete mitogenomes of D. hopei and D. seguyi was 16,026 bp/17,955 bp long, respectively. A tandem repeat with the length of 940 bp was presented in the A+T-rich region in D. hopei. An unexpected non-coding region of 332 bp was located between nad2 and trnW in D. seguyi. The phylogenetic analyses robustly supported that D. hopei formed a branch with the generic type of D. parallelipipedus. Whereas D. seguyi was not covered in the branch of (D. hopei?+?D. parallelipipedus), but was sister to them. The results indicated that D. hopei should be a good member of Dorcus MacLeay. The taxonomic status of D. seguyi remained to be studied furtherly.     

Reproductive Isolation Among <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila arizonae</Emphasis> from Geographically Isolated Regions of North America

A long-standing goal of speciation research is to describe how reproductive isolating barriers develop, when they arise along the ‘speciation continuum’, and to measure the strength with which they restrict gene flow. Drosophila arizonae and D. mojavensis are a recently diverged sister species pair distributed from the southwestern United States through southern Mexico. While incipient speciation in D. mojavensis has been studied for decades, relatively little attention has been directed toward D. arizonae, despite the fact that previous studies have revealed evidence for significant genetic differentiation among populations separated by geographic barriers. Here, we examine the potential for both pre- and post-mating reproductive isolation in D. arizonae from geographically isolated parts of North America. We find evidence for strong premating isolation between flies from northern mainland Mexico and southern mainland Mexico, but no evidence for postmating isolation in any cross. This study highlights the utility of the D. arizonae system for further investigation into the early evolution of premating isolation, and reinforces the potential of the D. arizonae/D. mojavensis system as a whole for studying the evolution of reproductive isolation at a range of divergence times.     

Morphological peculiarities of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fragilidium mexicanum</Emphasis> Balech, 1988 (Dinophyta) from the Far-Eastern Seas of Russia

The vegetative cells of Fragilidium mexicanum Balech are recorded from the Far Eastern seas of Russia (Sea of Japan and Sea of Okhotsk) for the first time. Morphological study of both cultured and wild cells of F. mexicanum showed that the shape of the cell and the first (1″) and second (2″) precingular plates, the direction of the slot in plate 1″, and the shape of the anterior sulcul plate (S.a.) vary greatly. These features bear similarity to those of F. mexicanum, as well as a closely related species, F. subglobosum. The most conservative characters distinguishing the two species are the shape and size of the first and seventh postcingular plates and the shape of the posterior sulcal plate.     

Relationships among several species of the subfamily Gymnelinae (Zoarcidae) inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequence analysis

Nucleotide sequences of the mtDNA COI and cytochrome b genes were determined in Magadanichthys skopetsi, a member of the new monotypic genus Magadanichthys, endemic to the northern coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. Comparison of this species with other representatives of the subfamily Gymnelinae (family Zoarcidae) revealed high genetic similarity of M. skopetsi to Hadropareia middendorffii and considerable differences between these species and Gymnelopsis ochotensis.     

Distribution and some biological features of the Pacific sand lance <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ammodytes hexapterus</Emphasis> (Ammodytidae) in waters off Kamchatka in the Sea of Okhotsk

Data on the spatiotemporal distribution, size-age structure, individual fecundity, and food composition of the Pacific sand lance Ammodytes hexapterus in waters off Kamchatka in the Sea of Okhotsk in the summer months are provided. It is shown that, on the western Kamchatka shelf, this species is found uniformly at depths smaller than 100 m in the range of temperatures from ?0.83 to 9.45°C. Maximum catches (more than one to three thousand individuals per hour of trawling) are constantly recorded locally in the central part of the shelf (52°–56°N) in a comparatively narrow range of depths 20–60 m at temperatures of 1.5–8.0°C, mainly on sandy and sandy-pebbly grounds, which is related to a specific behavioral feature of A. hexapterus such as burrowing itself into the ground. It was established that in waters off Kamchatka in the Sea of Okhotsk, maximum sizes of A. hexapterus are 27 cm and 54 g (although its individuals with a length of 18–24 cm and a body weight of 20–40 g occur more frequently in catches); individual fecundity varies from 9.9 to 59.9 (on average, 29.7) thousand eggs. It was shown that, in waters off Kamchatka in the Sea of Okhotsk, unlike other habitats, the main food items of A. hexapterus (more than 95% by weight), besides copepods, are pelagic tunicates Oikopleura sp. and larval decapods at the megalope stage. With an increase in the size of A. hexapterus, the proportion of the former in its food decreases and, of the latter, increases.     

Three new <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penicillium</Emphasis> species from marine subaqueous soils

During investigation of the mycobiota in the Sea of Okhotsk, three new Penicillium species were isolated from subaqueous soils collected in the Sakhalin Gulf and in the northeastern part of the Sakhalin shelf, near the Piltun Bay. According to Raper and Thom’s classification, the newly described species P. piltunense, P. ochotense, and P. attenuatum belong to subsection Divaricata. Two analyses were performed to reveal the phylogenetic relationships of the putative new species with other Penicillium species. Phylogenetically, the new species are related to the members of the P. canescens group and share some morphological and physiological features with them. However, they differ in having a larger colony diameter that makes them similar to P. atrovenetum, P. coralligerum, and P. antarcticum. A detailed analysis based on ITS, combined β-tubulin and calmodulin datasets, and morphological features revealed that the new species formed a distinct group inside the P. atrovenetum subclade. Moreover, P. attenuatum differs from the other two species macro- and micromorphologically and may represent a distinct phylogenetic lineage.     

Genetic diversity of Asian chum salmon <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oncorhynchus keta</Emphasis> (Salmonidae,Salmoniformes) and the dynamics of gene pools in Sakhalin populations under artificial reproduction

The estimates of genetic diversity in populations of chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta from different regions of Sakhalin Island, Iturup Island, and the Anadyr’ River were obtained on the basis of analysis of allozyme variability. These estimates together with our published earlier data on chum salmon from the Amur River basin and the rivers of the northern coast of the Sea of Okhotsk demonstrate pronounced regional genetic differentiation in the Asian part of the fish range. The intraregional level of interpopulation genetic diversity was maximum on Sakhalin Island (G _ST = 6.6%) and was small on Iturup Island (G _ST = 0.9%) and the northern coast of the Sea of Okhotsk (G _ST = 0.6%). Interpopulation genetic diversity of Sakhalin chum salmon was almost commensurable to the diversity of the whole pool of studied Asian populations (G _ST = 7.6%) and would be presented more completely in baselines assigned for genetic identification of mixed stocks. It was demonstrated that the character and degree of genetic differentiation between populations of chum salmon from the main hatcheries situated in different regions of the Sakhalin oblast and connected to one another by numerous transplantations of fertilized eggs did not change significantly during an approximately 20-year period of our observation, and this fact suggests low efficiency of such transplantations.     

Mitochondrial Lineages of the Beluga Whale <Emphasis Type="Italic">Delphinapterus leucas</Emphasis> in the Russian Arctic

The data on mtDNA sequences of the beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) from the central Eastern Arctic as well as coastal waters of the Chukchi Peninsula and different parts of the White Sea are presented and analyzed for the first time. Certain sequences found in the region form a separate phylogenetic clade. The distinctness of composition of maternal lineages found for the White Sea is noted. However, the set of sequences found in the Russian Arctic in whole cannot be characterized as region-specific.