On catches of low-latitude fish at Sakhalin coast in summer 2014

In summer 2014, catches of three tropical and subtropical fish species were registered at Sakhalin coast. The Japanese sea bass Lateolabrax japonicus was detected at Sakhalin coast for the first time, while the Japanese amberjack Seriola quinqueradiata was first detected in the Sea of Okhotsk waters sweeping the Sakhalin coast. The catch of the great white shark Carcharodon carcharias is the second confirmed case of this fish occurrence near the Sakhalin coast for the last 10 years.     

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.     

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.     

New and rare snailfishes (Liparidae,Scorpaeniformes) with the description of four new species from the Southern Hemisphere and tropical east Pacific

New and rare liparid fishes (Liparidae, Scorpaeniformes) are found and described. Careproctus armatus Andriashev, 1991 sampled off the South Sandwich Islands (at a depth 2281–2369 m); it is the second record of the species. Four species are collected in the vicinity of the South Shetland Islands: Careproctus parini Andriashev et Prirodina, 1990 (off King George Island, 573–861 m), Paraliparis meganchus Andriashev, 1982 (off Elephant Island, 559 m), P. monoporus Andriashev et Neyelov, 1979 (off Elephant Island, 559 m) and Paraliparis specimens, most similar to P. tompkinsae Andriashev, 1992 (off King George Island, 766–861 m). Paraliparis charcoti Duhamel, 1992 recorded at the eastern part of the Weddell Sea (475–633 m). Paraliparis, most similar to P. tetrapteryx Andriashev et Neelov, 1979, found in the Southwestern Atlantic (1200 m). Four new species are described. Paraliparis porcus sp. nov. based on one male SL 85 mm from off the South Shetland Islands (Elephant Island, 332–374 m). Paraliparis acutidens sp. nov. described from the juvenile SL 115 mm, sampled in the western part of the Scotia Sea (3721–3723 m). Paraliparis kocki sp. nov. known from 3 adults caught in the depression of the Bransfield Strait (1914–1920 m), isolated from the Weddell Sea by shallower waters. The only specimen of the Paraliparis mexicanus sp. nov. collected in the tropical Pacific off Mexico at depth not more than 900 m.     

Morphological variability,chromosome polymorphism,and problems of identifying individual species of gobies of the group <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ponticola</Emphasis> (Gobiidae) and assessing taxonomic relations of local populations

In connection with the problems of identification of certain species of the genus Ponticola, and especially their juveniles, morphological and genetic studies of gobies collected in the northwestern part of the Black Sea basin were carried out using literature data and museum collections. Karyological data indicate a distinct species status of western (P. odessicus) and eastern (P. eurycephalus) mushroom gobies; the range of the latter includes not only the Sea of Azov but also waters of the Black Sea coast of the Crimean Peninsula; these conclusions are supported by preliminary molecular genetic studies. Based on the obtained results of intraspecific morphological variability of species, we propose morphological characteristics for identification of adult P. syrman and P. odessicus, as well as a specific set of characteristics to identify juvenile (body length less than 50 mm) P. syrman, P. kessleri, and P. odessicus. We reveal differences in the karyotype structure of P. syrman from populations of the Sasyk Lake and the Don River, which do not differ in terms of external morphological characteristics and variability of cytochrome b haplotypes. The need for further research of phylogeography and morphological and karyological variability of P. syrman sensu lato is assumed.     

Morphometric Differences between Two Smelt Species, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hypomesus japonicus</Emphasis> (Brevoort, 1856) and <Emphasis Type="Italic">H. nipponensis</Emphasis> (McAllister, 1963) (Pisces: Osmeridae) from The Northwestern Part of the Sea of Japan

Two smelt species that inhabit the northwest of the Sea of Japan, Hypomesus japonicus and H. nipponensis (family Osmeridae), which are both currently referred to as Japanese smelt, have been studied in order to clarify the taxonomic value of morphometric characters. Variations between individuals of these species have been revealed using a multivariate analysis of their morphometric characters and indices. The results of the analysis show that H. japonicus is distinguished from H. nipponensis both by the previously known characters (the eye diameter is smaller and the vertical through the beginning of the dorsal fin is closer to the head than that through the beginning of the pelvic fins) and by a greater height of the dorsal and adipose fins in the former species as defined in the paper. Within the species H. japonicus, the individuals sampled from Olga Bay are most similar morphologically to those from the coastal waters off the village of Terney. In contrast, the individuals of this species from the coastal waters off Russky Island and from Olga Bay manifest the greatest differences.     

Phylogeography of mitochondrial DNA in South Asian Dolly Varden char <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salvelinus curilus</Emphasis> Pallas, 1814 (Salmoniformes,Salmonidae): Mediated gene introgression?

In 41 individuals of South Asian Dolly Varden char Salvelinus curilus, nucleotide sequences of tRNA-Pro gene fragment (27 bp) and mtDNA control region (483–484 bp) were analyzed. The fish were collected in 20 localities covering virtually the whole range of the species: Kuril Islands, Sakhalin Island, and Primorye. In addition, six individuals of three other char species (S. albus, S. malma, and S. leucomaenis), which are closely related to S. curilus and inhabit the Russian Far East, were examined. In all, we detected 12 different variants of mtDNA haplotypes that formed three distinct groups differing in 14–20 nucleotide positions. The first group consisted of six haplotypes found in S. curilus in Kuril Islands, Sakhalin, and Primorye (mtDNA phylogroup OKHOTSKIA). The second group comprised four haplotypes representing the mtDNA phylogroup BERING, which had been described earlier (Brunner et al, 2001); they were found in S. curilus in Kuril Islands and Sakhalin, as well as in S. albus and S. malma in Kamchatka and northern Kurils. The third group included two haplotypes detected in S. leucomaenis. The existence of two mtDNA lineages (OKHOTSKIA and BERING) in S. curilus from Kurils and Sakhalin was explained by hybridization and mtDNA transfer from S. malma to S. curilus. The absence of the BERING haplotypes in S. curilus from Primorye water reservoirs is related to the physical isolation of the Sea of Okhotsk and Sea of Japan basins in past epochs. On the basis of comparing phylogenetic trees, constructed from the data on allozyme and mtDNA variation, we suggest that in this case, a mediated transfer of mtDNA in Alpinoid chars → S. malma → S. curilus chain could occur.     

Findings of new and rare fish species in the coastal zone of the Crimea (the Black Sea)

Characteristics of seven Atlantic-Mediterranean fish species are provided. Of them, four (gobies—yellow-headed Gobius xanthocephalus and red-mouthed G. cruentatus, incognito blenny Parablennius incognitus, and greater pipefish Syngnathus acus) were either first found in the Black Sea coastal zone of the Crimea, or their findings were doubted, and three species (thin-lipped grey mullet Liza ramada, European barracuda Sphyraena sphyraena, and Black Sea salmon Salmo trutta labrax) are very rare. Over the last decade, the authors recorded 15 fish species; of them, seven Atlantic-Mediterranean species have dispersed along the Crimean coasts by now, one endemic of the far eastern seas (chameleon goby Tridentiger trigonocephalus) has naturalized in Sevastopol Bay, four invading species, freshwater by origin, permanently occur in the estuary zones of the peninsula; the remaining three species are known from single findings and apparently belong to the category of accidental fish. An increase in the species composition of ichthyofauna off the Black Sea coasts of the Crimea results from the on-going process of mediterranization—the invasion in the estuary of freshwater tolerant species at the expense of accidental species that penetrated here either independently or with ballast waters.     

Reproductive conditions of walleye pollock <Emphasis Type="Italic">Theragra chalcogramma</Emphasis> (Gadidae) off the northeastern coast of Sakhalin Island,Sea of Okhotsk

The spatial distribution of eggs and larvae of the walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma is considered in respect to dynamics of oceanologic processes, nutrients, chlorophyll а and zooplankton off the northeastern coast of Sakhalin Island in spring 2012. It is shown that the effect of severe temperature regime in the near-bottom horizons in the western Sea of Okhotsk during the spawning period of walleye pollock becomes milder due to specific features of water dynamics. The egg distribution is determined by mesoscale eddies in the region. The species survival depends on the effect of such environmental factors as freshwater discharge from the Amur River, eddy structure in waters of the Sea of Okhotsk, and dynamics of phytoplankton and zooplankton development.     

Origin of juvenile chum salmon <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oncorhynchus keta</Emphasis> (Salmonidae) in the Sea of Okhotsk coastal waters off South Sakhalin

Based on the data of the analysis of distribution of juvenile chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta that were marked at salmon hatcheries in the southern part of the Sakhalin Island and Japan it has been established that their stocks in the Sea of Okhotsk coastal waters off South Sakhalin and Japan are of mixed origin. One part of the stock is composed of juveniles from hatcheries located in the southern part of Sakhalin, and the other part is composed of migrants from the waters adjacent to Japan. The first part is formed by juveniles both from hatcheries on the Sea of Okhotsk and Sea of Japan coasts of South Sakhalin. The second part is formed by juveniles reared at hatcheries in all regions of Japan: the Pacific and Sea of Okhotsk coasts of Honshu and Hokkaido, and from the Sea of Okhotsk coast of Hokkaido and Izmena (Nemuro) Strait. In July, in the Sea of Okhotsk coastal waters off South Sakhalin, the length and weight of most juvenile chum salmon of Japanese origin exceed 10 cm and 10 g, and juveniles of Sakhalin origin are always smaller than 10 cm and 10 g, which makes it possible to differentiate juveniles in trawl catches.     

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.     

Revalidation of the Eggvin lumpsucker <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eumicrotremus eggvinii</Emphasis> (Cyclopteridae) and its new finding near Franz Josef Land (Barents Sea)

The species status of a rare species Eumicrotremus eggvinii from the family Cyclopteridae has been revalidated. Some authors considered its specimens as males of close species E. spinosus. In the Zoological Institute collection, males of E. spinosus that are morphologically similar with females of this species have been found. This is evidence of absence of sexual dimorphism in E. spinosus. In new samplings from waters of the Franz Josef Land archipelago (Barents Sea), a specimen of E. eggvinii was found and described. The opinion of some authors that individuals of E. eggvinii represent males of E. spinosus is refuted. A new finding widens the species area to the northeastern limits of the Barents Sea. The number and character of distribution of bone plaques remain reliable taxonomic characters.     

A new invasive species of buprestid beetles in the Russian fauna: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lamprodila</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Palmar</Emphasis>) <Emphasis Type="Italic">festiva</Emphasis> (L.) (Coleoptera,Buprestidae), a pest of Cupressaceae

The buprestid beetle Lamprodila (Palmar) festiva (L.) (Coleoptera, Buprestidae, Poecilonoini), an invasive pest of cultivated Cupressaceae such as Thuja, Chamaecyparis, Cupressus, and Juniperus in the Greater Sochi area (the Russian Black Sea coast), is recorded for the first time for Russia and the former USSR. Data on the systematic position, diagnostic characters, distribution, host plants, biology of the new pest, and its damage to urban plantations are discussed. Recent records of this species in the new areas of Central and Eastern Europe as well as on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus suggest expansion of its range during the recent decades.     

A record of the Far Eastern crane fly <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tipula</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Platytipula</Emphasis>) <Emphasis Type="Italic">moiwana</Emphasis> (Diptera,Tipulidae) in Moscow

The crane fly Tipula (Platytipula) moiwana (Matsumura, 1916) occurs in the southern Russian Far East, including Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands, in Japan (Hokkaido), and in northeastern China. Recently this species was found in Moscow. The reason for the appearance of this species in Moscow is unknown.     

On the morphology of the early life history stages of lanternfish genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Triphoturus</Emphasis> (Myctophidae) and distribution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">T. oculeum</Emphasis> larvae in southeastern waters of the Pacific Ocean

Results of comparative analysis of specific features of morphology of larval lanternfishes of the Indo-Pacific genus Triphoturus based on materials from the southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean, northwestern Pacific, South China Sea, and the western part of the Indian Ocean, as well as on published data, are provided. Noticeable differences are shown in specific features of pigmentation of larval T. nigrescens (sensu Hulley, 1986) from different parts of the vast range of this species, that may be accounted for by its individual and/or geographic variation and by the collective pattern of this taxon. It is stated that it is necessary to use genetic data for the verification of the taxonomic status of the representatives of the genus. Morphological evidence in favor of the species isolation of T. oculeum and T. microchir based on larval materials is presented. The presence of three morphologically different forms of larval Triphoturus from the eastern Pacific differing in the pattern of body pigmentation that are identified with three nominal species of the genus Triphoturus—T. nigrescens, T. mexicanus, and T. oculeum—is confirmed. The study of specific features of distribution of larvae of these species in southeastern waters of the Pacific Ocean based on our own and published materials revealed the presence of larval T. mexicanus and T. oculeum off Peru, which is supported by data on the presence of adult individuals of both species here.     

Evolutionary diversification of Western Atlantic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bathygobius</Emphasis> species based on cytogenetic,morphologic and DNA barcode data

A number of fish groups, such as Gobiidae, are highly diversified and taxonomically complex. Extensive efforts are necessary to elucidate their cryptic diversity, since questions often arise about the phylogenetic aspects of new species. Clarifications about the diversity and phylogeny of the Bathygobius species from the southwestern Atlantic are particularly needed. Evidence has been accumulating on the Brazilian coast regarding the possible presence of new species while doubts remain about the taxonomic status of others. The taxonomic identification of some species of Bathygobius has been problematic, given their generally conservative external morphology, and several species are recognized as cryptic. This situation hinders understanding the real diversity in this taxon. Taken together, genetic, cytogenetic and morphometric analyses have been effective in identifying new species of this genus. Here we describe the karyotypic features and morphological patterns of three Western South Atlantic species of Bathygobius. Furthermore, its cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene sequences were compared with those of species from Central America, North America and the Caribbean. The broad analyses performed demonstrated an unsuspected diversity, leading to the identification of an un-described new species (Bathygobius sp.2) and the geographic redefinition of another, Bathygobius sp.1, undoubtedly a branch of B. geminatus, hitherto inaccurately identified as B. mystacium on the coast of Brazil.