Cephalic lateral line systems in the Far Eastern species of the genus Phoxinus (Cyprinidae)

The cephalic lateral line systems of seven Far Eastern Phoxinus species (P. phoxinus, P. kumgangensis, P. semotilus, P. lagowskii, P. oxycephalus, P. perenurus, and P. czekanowskii) were investigated. In this genus, the infraorbital canal is not connected with either the supraorbital canal or the preoperculomandibular canal. Phoxinus phoxinus is unique for having an underdeveloped condition, such as canal formation or remaining as uncovered. A unified supraorbital canal was observed in all species, but the infraorbital canal of both P. perenurus and P. czekanowskii was not unified into a single canal throughout their development. Unification between both sides of the supratemporal canal occurred in larger individuals of P. lagowskii, P. oxycephalus, and P. czekanowskii. The preoperculomandibular canal of P. kumgangensis, large P. lagowskii, and large P. oxycephalus was unified. The pore number of each part of the canal system also varied depending on the species. Intraspecific variations were observed between Korean and Japanese specimens of P. lagowskii in the unification of the supratemporal canal and the preoperculomandibular canal, and the number of pores of the supratemporal canal. It was inferred that the specific characteristic patterns of their cephalic lateral line systems reflected the following two factors: different environmental requirement for their microhabitat and different maximum body size.