Metazoan parasites on the gills of the skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis (Osteichthyes: Scombridae) from the Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean Sea)

The gills of 31 skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis (L.) caught in the Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean Sea) were examined for metazoan parasites, and the gills of 4 specimens from the Balearic Sea (also western Mediterranean Sea) were analysed for comparative purposes. Nine -species of parasites were found, including 8 didymozoid trematodes (Atalostrophion cf. bio-varium, Didymocylindrus filiformis, Didymocylindrus simplex, Didymocystis reniformis, Didymoproblema fusiforme, Didymozoon longicolle, Koellikeria sp. and Lobatozoum multisacculatum) and 1 caligid copepod (Caligus bonito). Koellikeria sp. and L. multisacculatum were not recorded in the Balearic Sea. Most of the parasites (79.2% of all specimens) were didymozoids. Didymozoon longicolle was the dominant species; A. cf. biovarium, D. simplex, D. fusiforme and L. multisacculatum are reported from the Mediterranean Sea for the first time. No correlation was found between the intensity of infection of any parasite species and host size or sex. Most of the parasites, particularly didymozoids, showed a high site-specificity. Significant differences were found between the parasite assemblages of K. pelamis from the Alboran Sea and from the Atlantic Ocean. D. fusiforme, D. longicolle and L. multisacculatum are suggested as potential tags to follow skipjack tuna migrations between the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.     

Redescription of Monhystrella parvella (Filipjev) comb.n. (Nematoda, Monhysteridae)

The type of material of Monhystrella parvella (Filipjev, 1931) comb.n. from Abyssinia (Ethiopia) is redescribed and figured in detail. Data on the genital system and the ontogeny of this species are given. Monhystera filiformis sensu Gerlach, 1951 nec Bastian, 1865 of the Black Sea at Pomorie (Bulgaria) is synonymised with M. parvella . The Black Sea specimens have a shorter pharynx, a longer tail and differ also from the Abyssinian specimens in the shape of the tail and the spinneret outlet.     

中国近海海牛亚目(软体动物)的区系分析

中国近海共有海牛亚目(Doridacea)软体动物136种,隶属于23科49属,主要分布在浙江以南的热带、亚热带海区,有些种类向北可以分布到黄、渤海,少数种类仅分布于黄、渤海,属于印度-西太平洋区的中国-日本亚区。     

Linnaeus' Neptunea (Mollusca: Gastropoda)

Three species of the arcto-boreal, large gastropod Neptunea , described by Linnaeus in 1758 and 1771, occur in large numbers over wide areas of the inshore North Atlantic and adjacent Arctic seas and are conspicuous among Pliocene and Pleistocene molluscs in the Icelandic, North Sea, and western Mediterranean basins. Selections of lectotypes for these species from shells in the collection of the Linnean Society of London, and designations of their type localities, establish the identity of Linnaeus' neptunes and more accurately determine their geographic and geologic distribution. The geographic range of Neptunea (Neptunea) antiqua (L.), the type species, now extends from southern Norway to the northern Biscay coast of France and from the westernmost Baltic Sea to southwestern Ireland; this species also occurs in Pliocene-Holocene marine deposits in West and East Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, England and France. Its type locality is determined to be the North Sea. N. (Neptunea) despecta (L.) lives in the eastern Canadian Arctic, off southern Greenland, the Barents Sea, and North Atlantic as far south as Massachusetts and Portugal; it also occurs in Pliocene-Holocene strata of eastern Canada, east-central Greenland, Norway (including Svalbard), the Soviet Union, Sweden and England. Its type locality is determined to be the postglacial deposits at Uddevalla in southwestern Sweden. N. (Sulcosipho) contraria (L.) now extends from the southern Biscay coast of France to Cape Spartel, Morocco; this species also occurs in Pleistocene and lower Holocene sequences of the western Mediterranean. Its type locality is determined to be Vigo Bay, Spain. A closely related fossil species, N. (S.) angulata (S. V. Wood), occurs in Pliocene and Pleistocene deposits of the North Sea basin.     

Peltidiidae (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from the Weddell Sea (Antarctica)

Alteutha polarsternae sp.n. is described and Eupelte villosa (Brady, 1910) is redescribed in detail. The distribution of both these species in the Weddell Sea is recorded.     

Microplankton respiration (ETS) in two areas of the Northern Adriatic (Mediterranean Sea)

Respiratory rates in two areas of the North Adriatic Sea were studied in the context of a PRISMA II Project, with the aim of quantifying the oxidative processes occurring in the frontal system caused by strong riverine discharge. In the northern area, higher respiratory rates and seasonal variations occurred with respect to the southern area. On average, respiratory activity sustained the oxidation of 66.9 nM C h(-1) inside the front and 24.4 nM C h(-1) outside the front. In conclusion, organic matter oxidation inside the front resulted 2.7 times higher than outside the front. Oxidative metabolism in the Northern Adriatic Sea appears mainly governed by river inputs.     

Zenopsis conchifera (Lowe, 1852) (Pisces, Actinopterygii, Zeidae): a new alien fish in the Mediterranean Sea

The first documented occurrence of a silvery John dory, Zenopsis conchifera , in the Mediterranean Sea is reported. A female (645 mm total length, 3296 g body mass) of Z. conchifera was caught in July 2006 by a commercial bottom trawler off the northern Tunisian coast (central Mediterranean Sea).     

Genetic structuring of European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) populations through mitochondrial DNA sequences

Mitochondrial DNA sequence variation in 655?bpfragments of the cytochrome oxidase c subunit I gene, known as the DNA barcode, of European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) was evaluated by analyzing 1529 individuals representing 16 populations from the Black Sea, through the Marmara Sea and the Aegean Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. A total of 19 (2.9%) variable sites were found among individuals, and these defined 10 genetically diverged populations with an overall mean distance of 1.2%. The highest nucleotide divergence was found between samples of eastern Mediterranean and northern Aegean (2.2%). Evolutionary history analysis among 16 populations clustered the Mediterranean Sea clades in one main branch and the other clades in another branch. Diverging pattern of the European anchovy populations correlated with geographic dispersion supports the genetic structuring through the Black Sea-Marmara Sea-Aegean Sea-Mediterranean Sea quad.     

New data on distribution of Norwegian (Atlantic) pollock Theragra finnmarchica (Gadidae) in the Barents Sea

New data have been acquired on the biology, morphological features and distribution of Norwegian (Atlantic) pollock Theragra finnmarchica in the Barents Sea. Two individuals of this rare species gadoid (Gadidae) were caught in June and July 2012 in the south-eastern part of the Barents Sea, indicating a wider distribution area of this species than previously thought. It has been confirmed that a number of morphological features of Norwegian pollock is different from T. chalcogramma, and that it feeds on macroplankton (Euphausiidae, Hyperiidae).     

Diversity of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (cyanobacterium) populations along a Baltic Sea salinity gradient

Colony-forming cyanobacteria of the genus Aphanizomenon form massive blooms in the brackish water of the Baltic Sea during the warmest summer months. There have been recent suggestions claiming that the Baltic Sea Aphanizomenon species may be different from Aphanizomenon flos-aquae found in lakes. In this study, we examined variability in the morphology and 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of A. flos-aquae populations along a salinity gradient from a string of lakes to a fjord-like extension of the Baltic Sea to the open Baltic Sea. Morphological differences among the populations were negligible. We found that the Baltic Sea was dominated (25 out of 27 sequences) by one ITS1-S (shorter band of ITS 1 [ITS1]) genotype, which also was found in the lakes. The lake populations of A. flos-aquae tended to be genetically more diverse than the Baltic Sea populations. Since the lake ITS1-S genotypes of A. flos-aquae are continuously introduced to the Baltic Sea via inflowing waters, it seems that only one ITS1 genotype is able to persist in the Baltic Sea populations. The results suggest that one of the ITS1-S genotypes found in the lakes is better adapted to the conditions of the Baltic Sea and that natural selection removes most of the lake genotypes from the Baltic Sea A. flos-aquae populations.     

Geographic variations of the mottled skate,Beringraja pulchra (Liu, 1932) (Rajidae) in the Yellow and East seas based on molecular and morphometric data

In order to prove the fisheries‐related hypothesis of the presence of two local populations of the mottled skate, Beringraja pulchra in the Yellow Sea (Sensu Jo et al., 2011 ), the geographic variations of 90 individuals (in molecule) and 129 individuals (in morphology) were investigated. The skates were collected from the middle Yellow Sea (Daechungdo), southern Yellow Sea (Heuksando), and the middle East Sea (Ulleungdo) using gill nets, bottom trawls and longlines. Comparing 471 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtDNA COI) sequences, only three haplotypes (BR1–BR3) were found. The Daechungdo and Heuksando individuals displayed all three haplotypes, whereas the Ulleungdo individuals displayed a single haplotype (BR3). Pairwise fixation indices (FST) showed that the Daechungdo and Heuksando individuals were not genetically distinguishable (with a value of ?0.0344), whereas the Ulleungdo individuals were clearly distinct from both the Daechungdo and Heuksando individuals (with values of 0.6875 and 0.6871, respectively). Similar to the molecular result, a canonical discriminant analysis based on seven morphometric characters showed that the Ulleungdo individuals had positive values on the first axis, whereas those from the other two locations had negative values, slightly differentiating the two populations (East Sea population vs Yellow Sea population). This study is the first to identify two populations of mottled skate in the northwest Pacific.     

Assemblages of sea stars (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) and brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) in the Weddell Sea (Antarctica) and off Northeast Greenland (Arctic): a comparison of diversity and abundance

Composition and distribution of asteroid and ophiuroid assemblages were investigated by means of Agassiz trawl catches at 34 stations in 220- to 1,200-m depth in the Weddell Sea and at 17 stations in 90- and 830-m depth off Northeast Greenland. A total of 86 species (48 sea stars, 38 brittle stars) were identified in the Weddell Sea whereas off Northeast Greenland a total of 26 species (16 sea stars, 10 brittle stars) were recorded. In both study areas, brittle stars were numerically more important than sea stars, and abundances generally decreased with water depths. Multivariate analyses revealed a conspicuous depth zonation of sea and brittle stars off Greenland. Very high abundances of Ophiocten sericeum and Ophiura robusta characterized the assemblages on shallow shelf banks whereas in greater depths Ophiopleura borealis, Ophioscolex glacialis and Ophiacantha bidentata became dominant, albeit at significantly lower densities. Mass occurrences of brittle stars, such as those recorded on Greenlandic shelf banks, have not been discovered in the Weddell Sea, where distinct assemblages were discriminated in deep shelf trenches as well as on the eastern and southern shelf. Ophioplocus incipiens, Ophiurolepis martensi and Ophiurolepis brevirima were the most prominent species on the eastern shelf. Ophiacantha antarctica, Ophiurolepis gelida and Ophionotus victoriae on the southern shelf, and Ophiosparte gigas as well as the asteriod Hymenaster sp., in the shelf trenches. Overall, the Weddell Sea housed conspicuously more asterozoan species than the waters off Greenland. Higher species diversity was also evident at both a regional and local scale, especially for the eastern Weddell Sea shelf. However, because many species from the Weddell Sea are closely related, the Weddell Sea assemblages were not significantly different from the Greenland ones in terms of taxonomic diversity and distinctness. Received: 29 April 1996/Accepted: 10 June 1996     

The distribution,morphology, and taxonomic position of Psychrolutes pustulosus (Schmidt, 1937) (Scorpaeniformes: Psychrolutidae)

The external morphology, osteology, and distribution of a rare fish species Psychrolutes pustulosus (Scorpaeniformes: Psychrolutidae) is examined based on an extensive material for the first time. P. pustulosus shows an extreme degree of reduction of the skeleton among the Psychrolutidae. The comparative morphological analysis confirms the placement of this species in the genus Psychrolutes rather than in Gilbertidia. The new data show that P. pustulosus is widespread in the Sea of Okhotsk. The occurrence of this species in the Sea of Japan (Tatar Strait, Peter the Great Bay) is recorded for the first time. Reports on the findings of P. pustulosus in the Bering Sea are erroneous.     

Paralytic shellfish toxin profiles of different geographic populations of Gymnodinium catenatum (Dinophyceae) in Korean coastal waters

Paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin profiles of dinoflagellate cultures of Gymnodinium catenatum Graham from the Yellow and South Seas in Korea were investigated by high performance liquid chromatography fluorometric detection. Strains from the Yellow Sea had predominantly carbamate toxins, while strains from Sujeongri and Chindong in the South Sea contained the N‐sulfocarbamoyl toxins, Cl,2, as major components including the presence of GTX5 and dcSTX in some strains. Toxin profiles from St. Deukryang Bay strains (South Sea) showed both characteristics of those in the South Sea and those in the Yellow Sea. Thirty strains could be divided into three groups based on cluster analysis of toxin compositions. Group I (Yellow Sea strains) was distinguished from Group II (Sujeongri and Chindong strains) by the absence of GTX5 and dcSTX. Group III comprised Deukryang Bay strains. In conclusion, the Yellow Sea and the South Sea were found to have different dinoflagellate populations with different toxin compositions.     

Orientation anomalies (reversal) of the four-spotted megrim (Lepidorhombus boscii) in the Aegean Sea

Reversal occurred in four out of 15 325 specimens (0·026%) of four-spotted megrim Lepido-rhombus bascii caught in the Aegean Sea.     

Diversity of Aphanizomenonflos-aquae (Cyanobacterium) Populations along a Baltic Sea Salinity Gradient

Colony-forming cyanobacteria of the genus Aphanizomenon form massive blooms in the brackish water of the Baltic Sea during the warmest summer months. There have been recent suggestions claiming that the Baltic Sea Aphanizomenon species may be different from Aphanizomenon flos-aquae found in lakes. In this study, we examined variability in the morphology and 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of A. flos-aquae populations along a salinity gradient from a string of lakes to a fjord-like extension of the Baltic Sea to the open Baltic Sea. Morphological differences among the populations were negligible. We found that the Baltic Sea was dominated (25 out of 27 sequences) by one ITS1-S (shorter band of ITS 1 [ITS1]) genotype, which also was found in the lakes. The lake populations of A. flos-aquae tended to be genetically more diverse than the Baltic Sea populations. Since the lake ITS1-S genotypes of A. flos-aquae are continuously introduced to the Baltic Sea via inflowing waters, it seems that only one ITS1 genotype is able to persist in the Baltic Sea populations. The results suggest that one of the ITS1-S genotypes found in the lakes is better adapted to the conditions of the Baltic Sea and that natural selection removes most of the lake genotypes from the Baltic Sea A. flos-aquae populations.     

黄海和东海小黄鱼遗传多样性的RAPD分析

小黄鱼（Pseudosciaena polyactis）是我国近海重要经济鱼类之一。本文分析了采自黄海和东海5个海区共计48个个体小黄鱼的随机扩增DNA多态性（RAPD）。从40个10 bp引物中选取20个用于群体遗传多样性分析,共检测出145个位点,其中132个（91.03%） 显多态性。用Shannon多样性指数量化的平均遗传多态度为1.93（1.50～2.44）,群体内和群体间的遗传变异比例分别为69%和31%;群体间的平均遗传相似度和遗传距离分别为0.9139和0.0861。用非加权配对算数平均法（UPGMA）聚类分析的结果表明,所分析的5个群体可分为3个地理群系,从分子水平上支持了过去有关学者把黄海和东海的小黄鱼划分为北、中、南3个地理群系的观点。     

Chromosomal Variability in Chironomus plumosus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Diptera,Chironomidae) from a Coastal Lagoon of the Baltic Sea (Curonian Lagoon)

Entomological Review - Chromosomal variability of Chironomus plumosus (Linnaeus, 1758) population from the coastal Curonian Lagoon of the Baltic Sea was studied. The karyotype pool comprises 19...     

Genetic differentiation of Mediterranean horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus) populations as revealed by mtDNA PCR-RFLP analysis

The genetic population structure of Mediterranean horse mackerel, Trachurus mediterraneus , from seven locations throughout the Black, Marmara, Aegean and eastern Mediterranean seas was investigated using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the mtDNA 16S rDNA region. An approximately 2000-bp segment was screened in 280 individuals using six restriction enzymes, resulting in 10 composite haplotypes. The most common haplotype was present in 56.42% individuals; the next most frequent haplotype was present in 22.85% individuals. Average haplotype diversity within samples was moderate (0.38), and nucleotide diversity was low (0.00435). Mean nucleotide divergence for the seven sampling sites was 0.0028. Nucleotide divergence among samples was moderate, with the highest value detected between the Aegean Sea (Izmir) and the eastern Black Sea (Trabzon) populations (0.007055), and the lowest (−0.000043) between the Marmara Sea (Adalar) and the western Black Sea (Sile) populations. In Monte Carlo pairwise comparisons of haplotype frequencies, the Sinop from the middle Black Sea, Trabzon from the eastern Black Sea, and Iskenderun Bay from the north-eastern Mediterranean Sea exhibited highly significant (P   <   0.001) geographical differentiation from each other and from all other populations. Mantel's test indicated that the nucleotide divergence among populations of T. mediterraneus was not significantly associated with their geographical isolation ( r  = −0.2963; P   >   0.05). Consequently, the mtDNA 16S rDNA region provided evidence for the existence of three distinct T. mediterraneus populations (Sinop, Trabzon and Iskenderun Bay) in the Black and north-eastern Mediterranean seas.     

Redescriptions of Aphanurus stossichii (Monticelli, 1891) and A. virgula Looss, 1907 (Digenea: Hemiuridae)

Aphanurus stossichii (Monticelli, 1891) is redescribed from Boops boops (L.) from various localities in the NE Atlantic region (off Spain), the Mediterranean (off Spain and Turkey) and the Black Sea (off Bulgaria). The material from the Atlantic coast of Spain showed differences in egg-size and shape and a characteristic ornamentation of the anterior third of the hermaphroditic duct. A comparison with samples from B. boops collected off Antalya (Turkey) and off the Bulgarian Black Sea coast revealed a considerable size variation and confirmed the presence of tubercles in the terminal part of the hermaphroditic duct. A. virgula Looss, 1907, previously considered a synonym of A. stossichii, is redescribed on the basis of voucher material from Engraulis encrasicolus ponticus Alexandrov collected off the Bulgarian Black Sea coast and previously identified as A. stossichii. A. virgula can be distinguished from A. stossichii by its smaller size and substantially lower range limits for all metrical features, the more posterior position of the base of sinus-sac, and the eggs being less numerous and larger in relation to the size of the body and gonads.