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.     

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.     

Length–weight relationships of three carangid fish species Alepes vari (Cuvier, 1833), Uraspis uraspis (Günther, 1860) and Carangiodes oblongus (Cuvier, 1833) from the Bay of Bengal coast,Bangladesh

Length–weight relationships (LWRs) were determined for three Carangid fish, [Alepes vari (Cuvier, 1833), Uraspis uraspis (Günther, 1860) and Carangiodes oblongus (Cuvier, 1833)] inhabiting in the Bay of Bengal coast, Bangladesh. A total of 147 individuals of three species were sampled from four different sampling points of the Bay of Bengal coast, Bangladesh and examined from April 2017 to October 2017. Fishermen operated beach seine nets (mesh size BSN, 30 mm) and drift gillnet (10.5 cm) twice in each sampling campaign to catch the studied species. The calculated value for parameter “b” of LWRs were 3.003, 2.945 and 2.980 for A. vari, U.uraspis and C. oblongus, respectively.     

Neobrachiella kabatai n. sp. (Copepoda: Lernaeopodidae) parasitic on Isacia conceptionis (Cuvier) (Osteichthyes: Pomadasyidae) from Peruvian waters

Neobrachiella kabatai n. sp., parasitic on the pomadasyid fish Isacia conceptionis (Cuvier) from the Peruvian central coast, is described and illustrated. The new species differs from other species of Neobrachiella in a combination of characters, including the number of trunk posterior processes and the trunkcephalothorax length ratio.     

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)...     

Darwin,Cuvier and Geoffroy: comments and questions

In writing, in the Origin of Species, of 'two great laws' on which organic beings are formed, 'Unity of Type' and 'Conditions of Existence', Darwin was referring to the famous opposition between Cuvier and Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, first stated publicly in the spring of 1830. After a brief statement of the chief points at issue in the debate, I raise the question of Darwin's attitude to the disagreement and the views of the two protagonists. There are numerous earlier, and some later, references to Cuvier and Geoffroy in the Darwin archives, notebooks, marginalia and correspondence. An examination of these materials suggests a shift in Darwin's sympathies, from Geoffroy to Cuvier. However, some of Geoffroy's principles are retained, and, in adopting Cuvier's phrase 'conditions of existence', Darwin partly alters its meaning. Finally, since originally, and in its adoption by such writers as Whewell and Owen, the expression 'conditions of existence' was interpreted as entailing design or final cause, I consider the vexed question of Darwin's attitude to teleology.     

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 .     

Some observations on the biology of Cirrhinus reba (Cuvier)

Some observations on the biology of Cirrhinus reba (Cuvier) from Muzaffarnagar (U.P., India) have been made during the period July 1966 to June 1969. In C. reba both males and females mature simultaneously. The gonads attain the maximum weight in June and minimum in November. There is a definite seasonal cycle in relative condition. The relative condition in both male and female is highest in June preceeding the period of breeding. It is the gonad weight which influences the fluctuations of the relative condition. The visceral weight does not exert any significant effect on it. It is found possible to determine the spawning season and its extent, from the seasonal fluctuations of the relative condition. The present studies have also thrown light on the maturation and spawning habits of C. reba . The fish has only one spawning season of short duration, running from July to early September. In a mature ovary, the mature ova form only one mode which is sharply distinguished from the immature stock.     

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...     

Contribution to a revision of Floscularia Cuvier, 1798 (Rotifera: Monogononta): notes on some Neotropical taxa

The taxonomy of some Neotropical representatives of the genusFloscularia Cuvier, 1798 (Rotifera: Monogononta) is discussed, basedon SEM studies of trophi and external morphology. Flosculariaarmata n.sp. and F. bifida n. sp. are described, and F. conifera (Hudson, 1886) is restored at full species rank. Ahypothesis on the functional relevance of differences in trophimorphology for niche segregation is formulated.     

Host specificity of Lepeophtheirus crassus (Wilson and Bere) (Copepoda: Caligidae) parasitic on the marlin sucker Remora osteochir (Cuvier) in the Atlantic Ocean

Three species of remoras--Remora brachyptera (Lowe), Remora osteochir (Cuvier), and Remora remora (Linnaeus)--were collected from 4 species of billfishes--Istiophorus platypterus (Shaw), Makaira nigricans Lacepéde, Tetrapturus albidus Poey, and Tetrapturus pfluegeri Robins and de Sylva--on board a Japanese long-liner Shoyo Maru during her cruise in 2002 across the Atlantic. However, only the marlin sucker (R. osteochir) was found to carry a parasitic copepod, Lepeophtheirus crassus (Wilson and Bere, 1936). Although 12 species of parasitic copepods have been reported from billfishes around the world ocean, none of them is L. crassus. Thus, L. crassus is considered a parasite specific to the marlin sucker.     

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).     

Age-linked changes in salinity tolerance of larval spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus, Cuvier)

Acute salinity tolerance limits for the estuarine spawning spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus (Cuvier). were evaluated by examining 18 h survival of larvae in an extensive range of salinity treatments (0 to 56 ppt). Larvae from eggs spawned in two different salinities (24 and 32 ppt) as well as larvae acclimated in hypersaline and brackish waters were compared. Both upper and lower salinity tolerance limits showed an age-linked pattern, decreasing to a minimum tolerance range (6.4 to 42.5 ppt) at age 3 days after hatching (at 28 o C) and increasing to the widest range tolerated (1.9 to 49.8 ppt) on the last day tested (age 9 days). Acclimation to hyposaline conditions was demonstrated by larvae spawned at 32 ppt although significant hypersaline acclimation could not be demonstrated. Altered upper limits to the range tolerated by larvae from different spawning salinities indicated parental and/or early acclimation effects are important. Consistently greater vulnerability to both hyper- and hyposaline conditions at age 3 days after hatching was observed in all tests conducted. Exposures related to the onset of feeding at this time are likely explanations for this reduced tolerance.     

Hepatocyte nuclear size and nutritional condition of larval pejerrey, Odontesthes bonariensis (Cuvier et Valenciennes)

This paper presents evidence that the size of the nuclei of parenchymal cells of the liver is correlated with the nutritional status of first-feeding pejerrey larvae, Odontesthes bonariensis (Cuvier et Valenciennes). Kariometry revealed that larvae which successfully began exogenous feeding maintained the large nuclear sizes attained during the period of endogenous feeding. In contrast, nuclei of fasted larvae shrank gradually and lowest values were attained before starvation death. The degree of shrinkage seemed to be dependent on rearing temperature; reduction in nuclear area was faster and more pronounced at higher temperatures. In addition, mean hepatocyte nuclear areas of larger as well as of triploid fish are presented. The results suggest that hepatocyte nuclear size might constitute an alternative indicator for the identification of starving condition in field larval specimens.     

Taxonomic revision of the South American fish genus Chalceus Cuvier (Teleostei: Ostariophysi: Characiformes) with the description of three new species

The Neotropical characid fishes of the genus Chalceus Cuvier, 1817, are reviewed. In total, five species are recognized (including three new species). Chalceus epakros sp. nov. is the most widespread geographically, occurring in many rivers of the Amazon basin, the Río Orinoco and in the Essequibo River drainage in Guyana. Chalceus guaporensis sp. nov. is restricted to the upper Rio Madeira, Rio Guaporé and Río Madre de Dios, of Brazil, Bolivia and Peru, respectively. Chalceus spilogyros sp. nov. occurs only in the Rio Trombetas, lower Rio Tapajós and lower Rio Madeira drainages. Chalceus macrolepidotus Cuvier occurs in the Rio Negro drainage, middle and lower Río Orinoco basin and in the rivers of the Atlantic slopes of the Guianas, and Chalceus erythrurus Cope in the Rio Amazonas and Rio Solimões to Río Ucayali drainage in Peru. Chalceus ararapeera Cuvier & Valenciennes and Creagrutus pellegrini Puyo are considered synonyms of C. macrolepidotus , and Pellegrinina heterolepis Fowler is placed into the synonymy of C. erythrurus . Characters pertaining to the monophyly of Chalceus are discussed and a key to species is presented.  © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2004, 140 , 103−135.     

Effect of temperature on the filtration rate and percentage of assimilation ofSalpa fusiformis Cuvier (Tunicata: Thaliacea)

The effect of temperature on filtration and ingestion rates ofSalpa fusiformis Cuvier was determined over the temperature range 13–22°C at a constant algal concentration. Filtration and ingestion rates increased with temperature up to an optimum (19.7 to 20.2°C) beyond which they decreased. Food assimilation for this salp species was determined while fed onPhaeodactylum tricornutum Bohlin orHymenomonas elongata Stein at different algal concentrations. The percent assimilation varied between 28 and 39% (mean: 32%) with the diatomP. tricornutum as food, and between 39 to 81% (mean: 64%) with the flagellateH. elongata. Assimilation did not seem to depend on the algal concentration but it was greater with the flagellate than with the diatom, the latter having a higher ash content.     

Growth of the tambaqui Colossoma macropomum (Cuvier) (Characiformes: Characidae): which is the best model?

In order to decide which is the best growth model for the tambaqui Colossoma macropomum Cuvier, 1818, we utilized 249 and 256 length-at-age ring readings in otholiths and scales respectively, for the same sample of individuals. The Schnute model was utilized and it is concluded that the Von Bertalanffy model is the most adequate for these data, because it proved highly stable for the data set, and only slightly sensitive to the initial values of the estimated parameters. The phi values estimated from five different data sources presented a CV = 4.78%. The numerical discrepancies between these values are of not much concern due to the high negative correlation between k and Linfinity viz, so that when one of them increases, the other decreases and the final result in phi remains nearly unchanged.     

Hystological analysis of ovarian development of the characiform Oligosarcus hepsetus (Cuvier, 1829) in a Brazilian reservoir.

A histological analysis was performed of the ovarian development of Oligosarcus hepsetus (Cuvier, 1829), a medium-sized carnivorous Characiform species in the Lajes reservoir, Brazil. A total of 125 fishes, collected monthly between April 2001 and June 2002 were examined by routine macroscopic and histological techniques. Eight phases of the oocyte development were described, and 4 stages and 4 substages of gonadal development were proposed. Spawning in reservoirs, similarly to that in rivers, is in batches, which favors juvenile survival and suggests that the impoundment of this area did not influence the reproductive strategy of this very successful species in a dammed environment.     

Length‐weight relationships of Secutor interruptus (Valencennes, 1835) and Opisthopterus tardoore (Cuvier, 1829) from the South China Sea,Sarawak

Length–weight relationships for two fish species Secutor interruptus (Valencennes, 1835) (2.3–5.0 cm in size) and Opisthopterus tardoore (Cuvier, 1829) (9.2–15.6 cm in size) were determined. Samplings were conducted at Bintulu coast, South China Sea, Sarawak from September to October 2016 using a pull net having different mesh size from 6 inch at the mouth, 4 inch at the bag area, 2 inch at the panel and 1.5 inch at the cod end. The estimated growth coefficient (b) was 2.96 for S. interruptus and 3.11 for O. tardoore. No information regarding length‐weight relationships was reported previously in FishBase for either S. interruptus or O. tardoore.