Search

Thrissina supra sp. nov. is described based on 15 specimens collected from Sindh, Pakistan. The new species is closely related to Thrissina whiteheadi (Wongratana 1983), which is herein redescribed, both species having a relatively long upper jaw with the posterior tip slightly beyond the opercle posterior margin, the snout tip above the eye center level, similar numbers of gill rakers, ventral scutes, and fin rays, and the first supramaxilla absent. However, the former is characterized by higher counts of longitudinal scale rows (45–47 vs. 40–42 in T. whiteheadi), transverse scales (12 or 13 vs. 10 or 11), total gill rakers on the first, second, third, and fourth gill arches [35–39, 33–37, 22–24, and 18–22, respectively vs. 30–34 (rarely 36), 29–32 (34), 19–21 (23), and 15–18 (14, 19), respectively], and branched anal-fin rays [42–45 (rarely 40) vs. 39–42 (43)], a longer snout (3.7–4.1% SL vs. 3.1–3.6%), pelvic fin (9.0–10.4% SL vs. 7.7–9.0%), and mandible (17.3–18.3% SL vs. 15.4–17.2%), a shorter pelvic-fin insertion to anal-fin origin distance (17.0–18.8% SL vs. 19.1–24.2%), and distinct paired dark lines along the dorsum from the occiput to the caudal-fin base (vs. uniformly distributed dorsal melanophores).

Relationships between fish length and otolith length, width and mass were examined in the Australian anchovy Engraulis australis (White, 1790) recovered from the food of Gannet examined from colonies at islands of Horuhoru Rock and Mahuki Islands in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand. The relationships between otolith length- fish total length (TL), otolith-weight-TL, and otolith-width-TL were investigated by means of non-linear regression models (TL = 0.54 OL 16.86, TL = 4.39 OW 7.61 and TL = 26.19 OWe 2.2). This study characterizes the first reference available on the relationship of fish size and otolith size and weight for E. australis obtained from bird’s food in the Pacific Ocean region

The fossil otoliths of the southern USA have been known for more than 130 years and are among the richest assemblages worldwide. However, previous studies are often scattered and with outdated systematic scheme. A collection of over 25000 otoliths ranging in age from the Lutetian to the Priabonian from 47 sites in five states in the eastern and southern USA is analysed here. Combined with the earlier described material, at least 101 otolith-based taxa are documented, of which 83 are identified at species level. Fourteen of these are introduced as new species: Elopothrissus bernardlemorti sp. nov., “Muraenesox” barrytownensis sp. nov., Pseudophichthys texanus sp. nov., Paraconger wechesensis sp. nov., Neoopisthopterus weltoni sp. nov., “aff. Glyptophidium” stringeri sp. nov., Symmetrosulcus dockeryi sp. nov., Mene garviei sp. nov., “Citharus” varians sp. nov., Waitakia beelzebub sp. nov., Astroscopus compactus sp. nov., Parascombrops yanceyi sp. nov., Anisotremus rambo sp. nov., and Pagellus pamunkeyensis sp. nov. The assemblages are distinct fom contemporary European faunas by the complete lack of mesopelagic fish otoliths, and by the presence of sciaenids. Dominant taxa in the American Eocene are the Ophidiidae, Sciaenidae, Lactariidae, and Congridae. They indicate shallow-water environments for all the sampled sites. The notable abundance of those taxa suggests that they could have a higher turnover rate, and provided fundamental nutrition in the local Paleogene marine ecosystem. Further analyses of the species in the stratigraphic succession revealed that a faunal turnover between the Claiborne and Jackson seas was evident in teleosts, and it might be more widespread in other marine organisms in the region.

We record for the first time, Corica soborna Hamilton, 1822 from Godavari River, based on a single specimen collected from stream near Talai Village, Kumaram Bheem Asifabad District of Telengana State. In addition to a detailed description of its morphological characters, we also provide details on distribution, habitat and threats to the species.

Encrasicholina integra sp. nov. is described from 10 specimens collected in Manokwari, West Papua, Indonesia. The new species is most similar to Encrasicholina oligobranchus (Wongratana 1983), which is redescribed, in sharing a short upper jaw with the posterior tip just reaching to the preopercle anterior margin, the dorsal and anal fins with three unbranched rays, a bony urohyal without fleshy knobs, and similar numbers of gill rakers. However, the former is characterized by a shorter head (its length 25.9–27.2% SL vs. 28.3–29.8% in E. oligobranchus), maxilla (its length 17.1–18.3% SL vs. 19.0–20.7%), and mandible (its length 17.5–18.7% SL vs. 19.1–20.5%), in addition to a deeper body (its depth 15.1–16.4% SL vs. 13.3–15.3%) and longer pelvic fin (9.3–10.2% SL vs. 8.7–9.4%).

Dussumieria albulina (Fowler 1934), formerly regarded as a junior synonym of Dussumieria acuta Valenciennes 1847, is shown to be a valid species and is redescribed on the basis of 29 specimens, including the holotype. Although the two species resemble each other morphologically, sharing body scales with numerous longitudinal striae posteriorly, a deep body, 26 or fewer lower gill rakers on the first gill arch, and 15 or fewer branchiostegal rays, the former is distinguished by lacking parasphenoid teeth (vs. distinct conical teeth on parasphenoid in D. acuta), higher gill raker counts (total gill rakers on first gill arch 33–41 vs. 30–38), a rather slender body (20.6–24.4% SL vs. 23.4–28.2% SL in individuals of D. acuta > 75 mm SL), and melanophores scattered on the 3rd to 9th (vs. 1st to 5th) pectoral-fin rays from the uppermost ray. Analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene in both species showed them to be separated by 12% mean p-distance. A redescription of D. acuta is also provided.

Thrissina belvedere sp. nov. is described from 14 specimens collected in Ha Long Bay, northern Vietnam. The new species is closely related to Thrissina chefuensis (Gunther 1874) (redescribed herein), both species having a short upper jaw with the posterior tip slightly shortened to the posterior margin of the preopercle, an indistinct black blotch on the nape (but not on the dorsum just before the dorsal-fin origin), and similar numbers of scutes on the ventral edge of the body. However, the former is characterized by higher total gill-raker counts on the first, second, third, and fourth gill arches, and the third gill arch posterior face (59–66, 53–59, 33–37, 25–29, 7–10 respectively vs. 50–57, 44–52, 29–35, 23–27, and 5–8 in T. chefuensis), fewer branched anal-fin rays [24–27 vs. 24–30 (usually 27–29)], a deeper body (body depth 25.6–27.9% SL vs. 21.9–26.0%, the distance between the dorsal and anal fin origins 29.6–31.7% SL vs. 26.1–30.2%, and the caudal-peduncle depth 10.5–11.7% SL vs. 8.8–10.6%).

Unusual development of a filamentous extension of the lower caudal-fin lobe was observed in eight male individuals of the Lessepsian migrant fish species Nemipterus randalli, collected from Gokova Bay, south-eastern Mediterranean Sea. It is suggested that this phenotypic trait is related to the highly successful invasion of this species in the eastern Mediterranean and may be associated with a shift towards either sexual dimorphism or a change in feeding behavior in a new environment.

The knowledge of the Costa Rican freshwater fish fauna continues to grow given the discovery of new taxa, the recognition of taxa resurrected from synonymy and the corroboration of new country records and new range extensions. Moreover, recent advances in the understanding of the phylogenetic relationships and status of many supraspecific groups have led to numerous taxonomic and nomenclatural changes. Given this, the purpose of this paper is to update the known composition, distribution and clasification of the Costa Rican freshwater fish fauna taking as reference the most recent list for the country published by Angulo et al. (2013). A total of 23 new country records (i.e., species; distributed in 17 families and 21 genera), 33 new range extensions (distributed in 20 families and 30 genera) and several nomenclatural changes are reported, illustrated and discussed here. An updated and annotated checklist of the freshwater fishes of the country (including data for a total of 283 species, 13 of which are exotic, distributed in two classes, 27 orders, 55 families and 136 genera) is also provided.

Dussumieria torpedo, new species, is described from 18 specimens collected off the East African coast from Tanzania to South Africa. The new species closely resembles Dussumieria albulina in that both species have a deep body and a parasphenoid without teeth. However, D. torpedo, new species, is distinguished from D. albulina by having small pores posteriorly on the body scales (vs. numerous longitudinal striae posteriorly in D. albulina), a longer maxilla (33.4–34.9% of head length vs. 30.4–34.9% [less than 33.3% in specimens larger than 85 mm standard length]) and mandible (48.5–51.9% of head length vs. 44.8–50.6%), a greater number of pseudobranchial filaments (19–23 vs. 17–21), and indistinct melanophores scattered on the pectoral-fin rays (vs. distinct). A molecular analysis, which compared nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene of the new species with those of all other valid species of Dussumieria, revealed that D. torpedo, new species, has >9% mean p-distance divergence from its congeners.

Unidentified opistognathid. Lissner and Dorsey (1986) observed from a manned submersible a jawfish they were unable to identify at Tanner��� Cortes Bank, southern California., Published as part of Love, Milton S., Bizzarro, Joseph J., Cornthwaite, Maria, Frable, Benjamin W. & Maslenikov, Katherine P., 2021, Checklist of marine and estuarine fishes from the Alaska-Yukon Border, Beaufort Sea, to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, pp. 1-285 in Zootaxa 5053 (1) on page 150, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5053.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5578008, {"references":["Lissner, A. L. & Dorsey, J. H. (1986) Deep-water biological assemblages of a hard-bottom bank-ridge complex of the southern California continental borderland. Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences, 85, 87 - 101."]}

Despite being one of the richest Neogene deposits of marine fossil vertebrates along the Pacific coast of South America, no detailed study of bony fishes from the Bahia Inglesa Formation has been carried out. Through the revision of historical collections of the Caldera Paleontological Museum, we describe 27 fossil remains of bony fishes. Fossils described here are distributed in 13 taxa. Among these, Sardinops sp. cf. S. sagax (Clupeidae) represents the first fossil record of the genus for Chile, Labrodon sp. (Labridae) and Stelliferinae (Sciaenidae) are the first respective records for the southeast Pacific Ocean, Sarda sp. (Scombridae) represents the first fossil record for South America, Semicossyphus sp. (Labridae) and Anisotremus sp. (Haemulidae) are the first respective records for the Southern Hemisphere. Gymnosarda sp. (Scombridae) is described for the first time for the Neogene. We performed a paleobathymetric analysis of fossil fishes, including elasmobranchs, to understand the paleoenvironment followed by a similarity analysis that compares the faunal composition of the Bahia Inglesa Fm. with other fossil assemblages for the Pacific of South America. Our results show that the fish fauna from the Bahia Inglesa Fm. likely represents a depth range of 98 to 382 m with a mean depth range of 252 m in an uppermost bathyal environment. The assemblage from the Bahia Inglesa Fm. shows low taxonomic similarity levels with other Neogene geological units from the southeast Pacific Ocean. The study represents the first paleoecological and paleobiogeographic analysis of the fossil fish fauna from the Southeast Pacific. Key words. Atacama region. Clupeiformes. Eastern Pacific. Paleoenviroments. Perciformes. Ophidiiformes.

The new anchovy Stolephorus grandis n. sp., described on the basis of 10 specimens collected from Papua, Indonesia, and Australia, closely resembles Stolephorus mercurius Hata, Lavoué & Motomura, 2021, Stolephorus multibranchus Wongratana, 1987, and Stolephorus rex Jordan & Seale, 1926, all having double pigmented lines on the dorsum from the occiput to the dorsal-fin origin, a long maxilla (posterior tip just reaching or slightly beyond the posterior margin of preopercle), and lacking a predorsal scute. However, the new species clearly differs from the others in having fewer gill rakers (35–39 total gill rakers on the first gill arch in S. grandis vs. > 38 in the other species), a greater number of vertebrae (total vertebrae 42–43 vs. fewer than 41), longer caudal peduncle (21.9–23.7% SL vs. < 20.8%), and the depressed pelvic fin not reaching posteriorly to vertical through the dorsal fin-origin (vs. reaching beyond level of dorsal-fin origin).

Sardinella dayi Regan 1917, the taxonomic status of which has long been uncertain, is redescribed on the basis of 27 specimens, including the holotype. Although Whitehead (1985) regarded the nominal species as a junior synonym of Sardinella jussieui (Valenciennes 1847), the former differs from S. jussieui in having higher counts of gill rakers on the first gill arch (59–77 + 92–118 = 155–190 vs. 49–60 + 88–106 = 137–158 in S. jussieui), a longer head (26.3–29.6% SL vs. 22.7–24.9%), upper jaw (10.9–12.4% SL vs. 9.6–10.7%), and lower jaw (11.5–13.1% SL vs. 10.3–11.7%), a shorter anal-fin base (13.5–16.2% SL vs. 16.7–18.5%), and body scales with numerous pores (pores absent in S. jussieui). Redescriptions of both species are provided.

This study presents an extensive review of published and unpublished occurrence records of fish species in the Rio Negro drainage system within the Brazilian territory. The data was gathered from two main sources: 1) litterature compilations of species occurrence records, including original descriptions and revisionary studies; and 2) specimens verification at the INPA fish collection. The results reveal a rich and diversified ichthyofauna, with 1,165 species distributed in 17 orders (+ two incertae sedis), 56 families, and 389 genera. A large portion of the fish fauna (54.3% of the species) is composed of small-sized fishes < 10 cm in standard length. The main groups are Characiformes (454 species; 39.0%), Siluriformes (416; 35.7%), Gymnotiformes (105; 9.0%), and Cichliformes (102; 8.8%). The species composition differs between the main aquatic environments, such as: main channel (159 species), lakes (296), tributary rivers (596), small streams (234), seasonal beaches (186), and rapids (41). Part of the ichthyofauna is shared with adjacent basins, such as the Orinoco, rivers of the Guiana Shield, lower Solimões/Amazonas and upper Amazonas, which contributes to the remarkable ichthyofaunal diversity of the basin. A high rate of species endemism was observed in Characidae (24), Loricariidae (18), Cichlidae (18) and Callichthyidae (18), totalling 156 species (13.4%) endemic to the basin. An estimation of the species richness for the Rio Negro basin, considering 23 published references, resulted in 1,466 and 1,759 species (Jackknife 1 and 2, respectively), which seems reasonable when considering the large number of morphotypes left out of the present list and the low sampling effort in many areas of the basin. The results presented herein provide an additional tool for environmental managers and decision makers for conservation purposes of one of the richest and most well-preserved sub-basins of the Rio Amazonas system.

Thrissina cultella sp. nov., and Thrissina serena sp. nov., are described from the Bay of Bengal and northwestern Indian Ocean, respectively. Although both species resemble T. vitrirostris (Gilchrist and Thompson 1908), which is redescribed from both type and non-type specimens, in having a long upper jaw (posterior tip reaching to pectoral-fin insertion) and similar numbers of gill rakers and ventral scutes, the two new species differ in having fewer transverse scales (9–10 in both vs. 11–12 in T. vitrirostris). Thrissina cultella differs from T. serena in having a slender body [24.4–26.9% of standard length (SL) vs. 26.6–29.4% SL in T. serena], shorter head (25.2–27.1% SL vs. 26.2–27.3%) and pectoral fin (17.5–19.1% SL vs. 19.5–21.3%), and longer pelvic fin (9.3–10.5% SL vs. 7.8–8.7%).

A new sardine, Sardinellapacificasp. n., is described on the basis of 21 specimens collected from the Philippines. The new species closely resembles Sardinellafimbriata (Valenciennes, 1847), both species having lateral scales with centrally discontinuous striae, a dark spot on the dorsal-fin origin, more than 70 lower gill rakers on the first gill arch, the pelvic fin with eight rays, and 17 or 18 prepelvic and 12 or 13 postpelvic scutes. However, the new species is distinguished from the latter by lower counts of lateral scales, pseudobranchial filaments, and postpelvic scutes (38–41, 14–19 and 12–13, respectively vs. 44–46, 19–22 and 13–14), and a shorter lower jaw (10.4–11.6% of standard length vs. 11.1–12.2%). Sardinellapacificasp. n. is known only from the Philippines, whereas S.fimbriata is restricted to the Indian Ocean, although previously considered to be an Indo-West Pacific species, distributed from India to the Philippines.

The basic biology and ecology of the South African east coast round herring Etrumeus wongratanai was investigated from samples of fish collected between 2013 and 2016. This species is short-lived and reaches a maximum of 3 years of age, with rapid growth in its first year of life. It reproduces from June to December (austral summer) and condition factor was lowest in May through to August and increased from September, probably reflecting the physiological strain before and during spawning. Fish larvae were the most important food items consumed during summer, whereas eucalanid copepods were the most important prey at other times of the year. Stable-isotope data suggest that there are gradual changes in the trophic level with increasing fish size, δ15 N and δ13 C values also differed between seasons. The results obtained here are compared with those of other Etrumeus species, regionally and globally.

The new sardine Sardinella ventura n. sp. (Teleostei: Clupeiformes: Clupeidae) is described on the basis of 10 specimens collected from Mauritius. The new species is most similar to Sardinella dayi Regan 1917 in having non-deciduous scales with pores and discontinuous striae, a dark spot on the dorsal-fin origin, the pelvic fin with 8 rays, and similar number of gill rakers, in addition to very similar numbers of keeled scutes. However, the new species is distinguished from S. dayi by having a shorter caudal peduncle [6.2–7.6% SL (mean 7.0%) vs. 8.2–12.0% (9.2%) in S. dayi], larger eye [8.4–9.9% (9.0%) vs. 6.8–8.0% (7.4%)] and orbit [9.6–12.3% (10.7%) vs. 8.5–10.2% (9.3%)], longer pectoral [21.0–22.7% (21.5%) vs. 17.0–21.0% (19.8%)] and pelvic fins [12.5–13.5% (12.8%) vs. 10.4–12.2% (11.2%)], and a greater numbers of pseudobranchial filaments [17–19 (modally 17) vs. 18–22 (19)], lateral scale rows in longitudinal series [41–43 (41) vs. 38–42 (40)] and transverse scales [11 or 12 (12) vs. 11]. There were significant differences in seven meristic and 14 morphometric characters between the two species.

This checklist of the Mediterranean fishes of Israel enumerates 469 species which is an addition of 62 species since the previous checklist of 2005. This new checklist includes 58 Condrichthys and 411 Osteicthys species. Most newly-recorded species are of Red Sea origin (Lessepsian migrants)—38 species, 25 species are from previously poorly investigated habitats, mainly deep water, while two species reached the Mediterranean most likely by ballast water and two are aquaculture escapees. The dramatic increase in the number of Lessepsian migrants (an average of 2.5 species per year) is most likely due to the increased water influx between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, following the recent opening of the new parallel, 72 km, “new canal” and the enlargement of other parts of the Suez Canal.

Examination of the original descriptions and available type specimens of nominal species previously regarded as synonyms of Stolephorus indicus (van Hasselt 1823) and Stolephorus commersonnii Lacepede 1803, plus a large number of non-type specimens representing an extensive geographic range, confirmed the validity of Stolephorus balinensis (Bleeker 1849), S. commersonnii, S. indicus, Stolephorus rex Jordan and Seale 1926, and Stolephorus scitulus (Fowler 1911), in addition to three new species, Stolephorus belaerius sp. nov., Stolephorus mercurius sp. nov., and Stolephorus zephyrus sp. nov. Diagnoses and detailed color descriptions are given for all of the valid species, with neotype designations for S. balinensis, S. commersonnii, and S. indicus, and clarification of their taxonomic history. Two mitochondrial markers (cytochrome b and cytochrome oxidase I genes) enabled the reconstruction of the phylogenetic relationships of five of the species examined morphologically, the genetic distinctiveness of each being indicated by at least 2.4% mean p-distance divergence from the others in the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene.

The current status of the inland waters ichthyofauna of Turkey is revised, and an updated checklist of the freshwater fishes is presented. The latest checklist included all species listed in the available previous study that was published in 2015, which is now updated after a period of five years. We revised the validity of previously accepted species and added newly described and reported species in Turkey. Some previously erroneously reported species and not established alien fishes were excluded from this checklist. A total of 384 fish species belonging to 20 orders and 34 families have been reported in the inland waters of Turkey. Among these, 15 species (3.9%) are non-native and 208 species (54.2%) are considered as endemic to Turkey. A total of 119 species previously reported from Turkey have been excluded from Turkish ichthyofauna list, either in the present study or in previous studies.

This is an annotated checklist of the marine fish species of Lebanon (Levant coast, eastern Mediterranean). It comprises a total of 367 fish species distributed in 159 families and 27 orders, out of which 70 species are non-indigenous and 28 are recorded for the first time from Lebanon. The checklist includes all names and citations of species found in the literature, as well as references to specimens available in museum collections. It also includes an updated zoogeographic distribution and conservation status for each species. Threats were estimated based on surveys and observations made over the last two decades; broadly categorized conservation actions were also suggested.

The new anchovy Encrasicholina sigma n. sp. is described on the basis of 20 specimens collected from Sulawesi, Indonesia. Although the new species can be distinguished from all other congeners except for Encrasicholina pseudoheteroloba (Hardenberg 1933) by having a long upper jaw reaching to posterior margin of preopercle, dorsal and anal fins with two unbranched rays, an exposed bony urohyal, and spine-like scutes on the abdomen, E. sigma is distinguished from E. pseudoheteroloba by lower total gill-raker counts on the first, second, third, and fourth gill arches, and on the posterior face of the third gill arch (37–42, 31–35, 18–23, 16–20, and 4–7, respectively vs. 45–55, 34–45, 22–29, 19–25, and 4–9 in E. pseudoheteroloba) and a longer head (25.2–27.0% of SL vs. 22.8–27.5%) and shorter anal-fin base (12.9–14.8% of SL vs. 13.8–18.7%).

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-10T19:54:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-03-01 NSF Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Target enrichment of conserved nuclear loci has helped reconstruct evolutionary relationships among a wide variety of species. While there are preexisting bait sets to enrich a few hundred loci across all fishes or a thousand loci from acanthomorph fishes, no bait set exists to enrich large numbers (>1,000 loci) of ultraconserved nuclear loci from ostariophysans, the second largest actinopterygian superorder. In this study, we describe how we designed a bait set to enrich 2,708 ultracon served nuclear loci from ostariophysan fishes by combining an existing genome assembly with low coverage sequence data collected from two ostariophysan lineages. We perform a series of enrichment experiments using this bait set across the ostariophysan tree of life, from the deepest splits among the major groups (> 150 Ma) to more recent divergence events that have occurred during the last 50 million years. Our results demonstrate that the bait set we designed is useful for addressing phylogenetic questions from the origin of crown ostariophysans to more recent divergence events, and our in silico results suggest that this bait set may be useful for addressing evolutionary questions in closely related groups of fishes, like Clupeiformes. Louisiana State Univ, Dept Biol Sci, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 USA Louisiana State Univ, Museum Nat Sci, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 USA Univ Tennessee, Dept Biol Geol & Environm Sci, Chattanooga, TN 37403 USA Oregon State Univ, Dept Fisheries & Wildlife, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA Cornell Univ, Cornell Lab Ornithol, Museum Vertebrates, Ithaca, NY 14850 USA Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Morfol, BR-18618689 Botucatu, SP, Brazil Univ Louisiana Lafayette, Dept Biol, Lafayette, LA 70503 USA Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, Botucatu, SP, Brazil Univ Calif Los Angeles, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Morfol, BR-18618689 Botucatu, SP, Brazil Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, Botucatu, SP, Brazil NSF: DEB-1242267 NSF: DEB-1257898 NSF: DEB-1354149 FAPESP: 14/26508-3 FAPESP: 16/11313-8 FAPESP: 14/05051-5 FAPESP: 14/06853-8

Brevoortia Gill 1861 is a genus of the Clupeidae (Teleostei) that includes six species of fishes commonly known as menhadens in eastern North America and "savelhas" or "saracas" in southeastern South America. Species of Brevoortia are important components of the marine food web of coastal ecosystems in the Atlantic and contribute significantly to fisheries. In this study, the first phylogenetic and biogeographic hypotheses including all species of Brevoortia are presented. A total of 113 specimens were analyzed using three molecular markers (two mitochondrial: COI and 16s; and one nuclear: RAG2). Maximum Parsimony, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference were employed to estimate phylogenetic relationships. A Bayesian multispecies coalescent approach was used to estimate a dated phylogeny, which supported biogeographic analyses of ancestral geographic ranges. Results corroborate previous hypotheses that the four North Atlantic species are grouped in two clades, one composed of B. tyrannus (Latrobe, 1802) and B. patronus Goode, 1878, and the second including B. smithi Hildebrand, 1941 and B. gunteri Hildebrand, 1948. The South Atlantic B. aurea (Spix and Agassiz, 1829) and B. pectinata (Jenyns, 1842) form a third clade, which is sister to the clade composed of B. smithi and B. gunteri. The monophyly and validity of the six nominal species of Brevoortia were not supported. Results also indicate that Brevoortia originated in the North Atlantic during the middle Miocene (about 15 Mya). A cooling event of the tropical Atlantic at around 10 Mya likely facilitated the range expansion of the genus to the South Atlantic, whereas a significant warming of the tropical Atlantic waters during the late Miocene at 6-7 Mya possibly promoted the isolation between the northern and southern counterparts of that ancestral lineage. The relevance of the Florida Peninsula in association with sea level fluctuations for the diversification within Brevoortia is also discussed.

A new fish species, Stolephorus tamilensis sp. nov., is described from the East coast of India. The major distinguishing characters are 5–6 small needle-like pre-pelvic scutes on belly; maxilla tip pointed, reaching to border of operculum, concave and indented in the preoperculum; 25–28 gill rakers on lower lobe of the first branchial arch; dorsal fin without spine; 17–19 anal-fin rays. Moreover, S. tamilensis sp. nov. present higher average genetic divergence values at mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and 16S rDNA loci in comparison with congeners. Also, nucleotide diagnostic characters exclusive to S. tamilensis are identified. Neighbor-joining analysis revealed close relation between S. tamilensis and S. andhraensis.

The sex determination system of Atlantic herring Clupea harengus L., a commercially important fish, was investigated. Low coverage whole-genome sequencing of 48 females and 55 males and a genome-wide association study revealed two regions on chromosomes 8 and 21 associated with sex. The genotyping data of the single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with sex showed that 99.4% of the available female genotypes were homozygous, whereas 68.6% of the available male genotypes were heterozygous. This is close to the theoretical expectation of homo/heterozygous distribution at low sequencing coverage when the males are factually heterozygous. This suggested a male heterogametic sex determination system in C. harengus, consistent with other species within the Clupeiformes group. There were 76 protein coding genes on the sex regions but none of these genes were previously reported master sex regulation genes, or obviously related to sex determination. However, many of these genes are expressed in testis or ovary in other species, but the exact genes controlling sex determination in C. harengus could not be identified.

The new anchovy Stolephorus babarani n. sp. is described on the basis of 26 specimens collected from Panay Island, central Philippines. The new species closely resembles Stolephorus bataviensis Hardenberg 1933 and Stolephorus baweanensis Hardenberg 1933, all these species having a long upper jaw (posterior tip extending beyond posterior margin of preopercle), and numerous dusky spots on the suborbital area (in adults), snout and lower jaw tip. However, the new species differs from S. bataviensis by usually having the posterior tip of the depressed pelvic fin not reaching to vertical through the dorsal-fin origin (vs. extending beyond vertical through dorsal-fin origin), a shorter head (23.9–25.5% of standard length vs. 25.3–28.0%), and a greater distance between the dorsal-fin origin and pectoral-fin insertion (D–P1; 133.9–151.8% of head length vs. 109.9–136.3%). Stolephorus babarani is distinguished from S. baweanensis by having a shorter snout (3.6–3.9% of standard length vs. 3.8–4.6%). Moreover, the new species can be distinguished from S. bataviensis and S. baweanensis by higher gill raker counts on the first and second gill arches (16–18 + 21–23 and 10–13 + 18–21, respectively, vs. 14–17 + 19–22 and 9–12 + 17–20 in S. bataviensis and 14–17 + 19–22 and 9–12 + 17–21 in S. baweanensis). Stolephorus babarani is separated by 5.3% and 10.7% mean p-distances in the mitochondrial COI from S. baweanensis and S. bataviensis, respectively.

The influence of salinity and temperature on larval fish assemblages, as well as, temporal and vertical patterns on larval fish assemblages off the inlet of the Presidio River, southeast coast of the Gulf of California were evaluated. Samplings for ichthyoplankton and environmental parameter measurements were carried out at three depths, in five sampling sites, during September and December 1994, and April and June 1995. Anchovies and herrings (Clupeiformes) were the most abundant larval fish accounting for 77% of the total abundance. A significant relationship between salinity and the abundance of larval herrings (Opisthonema medirastre and O. dovii) and between the water temperature and the abundance of the weakfish (Cynoscion reticulatus) was found. Anchovies (Anchoa lucida, A. walkeri, and A. nasus) were present in all sampled months, while O. medirastre and O. dovii occurred in December and June, and C. reticulatus in September. Larvae of pelagic fish were more abundant near the surface, while larvae of demersal fish were more abundant near the bottom. The present study, by emphasising the importance of considering temporal and vertical changes in larval fish assemblages in coastal environments with ecological and economic importance, will be useful for designing more efficient sampling programs. Resumen Se evaluó la influencia de la salinidad y la temperatura, así como patrones temporales y verticales en la comunidad de larvas de peces enfrente del río Presidio, costa sudeste del Golfo de California. Los muestreos de ictioplancton y las mediciones de los parámetros ambientales fueron realizados a tres profundidades, en cinco sitios de muestreo, durante septiembre y diciembre de 1994, y abril y junio de 1995. Las anchoas y sardinas (Clupeiformes) fueron las larvas de peces más abundantes representando el 77% de la abundancia total. Se encontró una relación significativa entre la salinidad y la abundancia de larvas de sardinas (Opisthonema medirastre and O. dovii), y entre la temperatura del agua y la abundancia de la corvina rayada (Cynoscion reticulatus). Las anchoas (Anchoa lucida, A. walkeri y A. nasus) estuvieron presentes en todos los meses muestreados, mientras que O. medirastre y O. dovii ocurrieron en diciembre y junio, y C. reticulatus en septiembre. Las larvas de peces pelágicos fueron más abundantes cerca de la superficie, mientras que las larvas de peces demersales fueron más abundantes cerca del fondo. El presente estudio, al enfatizar la importancia de considerar los cambios temporales y verticales en el ensamblaje de larvas de peces en ambientes costeros con importancia ecológica y económica, será útil para diseñar programas de muestreo más eficientes.

Stolephorus insignus sp. nov. is described from 10 specimens from Taiwan, the Philippines, and the Moluccas, Indonesia. The new species is closely related to S. apiensis (Jordan and Seale 1906), which is redescribed, both species having a long upper jaw with the posterior tip slightly short of or just reaching to the posterior border of the preopercle; no predorsal scutes; the posterior preopercular border rounded and convex; the posterior tip of the depressed pelvic fin extending beyond a vertical through the dorsal-fin origin; no dark lines on the dorsum; and no black spots below the eye and lower-jaw tip. However, the new species is distinguished from S. apiensis in having lower total gill-raker counts on the first, second, third, and fourth gill arches (46–49, 36–41, 24–27, and 18–22, respectively, vs. 48–53, 40–47, 24–29, and 19–22), a deeper body (19.5–21.1% SL vs. 17.0–20.0%), shorter anal-fin base (19.0–20.1% SL vs. 20.2–23.3%), longer caudal peduncle (18.4–19.8% SL vs. 14.4–18.3%), and pairs of distinct dark patches on the parietal and occipital regions (patches obscure in S. apiensis).

Shads of the genus Alosa are essential to commercial fisheries across North America and Europe, but in some areas their species boundaries remain controversial. Traditional morphology-based taxonomy of Alosa spp. has relied heavily on the number of gill rakers and body proportions, but these can be highly variable. We use mitochondrial (mt)DNA (coI and cytb) and genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) along with morphological characters to assess differentiation among endemic Ponto-Caspian shads in the Sea of Azov. Morphological species assignments based on gill-raker number were not congruent with genetic lineages shown by mtDNA and SNPs. Iterative analysis revealed that genetic lineages were associated with sampling location and several other morphometric traits (caudal peduncle depth, pre-anal length and head length). Phylogenetic analysis of the genus placed Ponto-Caspian Alosa spp. in the same evolutionary lineage as endangered Alosa spp. endemic to Greece, highlighting the importance of these findings to conservation management. We conclude that gill-raker number is not reliable for delimiting species of Alosa. This taxonomic uncertainty should be addressed by examining type material to provide a robust integrative classification for these commercially important fishes.

This study records the occurrence of a hermaphrodite individual of the apapá Pellona flavipinnis captured in a floodplain area of the Amazon River. Histology of the left gonad revealed the presence of testicular germ cells (spermatocytes and spermatozoa) in the cranial portion and mature ovarian cells (primary and vitellogenic oocytes) in the caudal portion, separated by connective tissue. This is the first record of a hermaphrodite fish of the family Pristigasteridae, order Clupeiformes.

A fish fossil found from the Miocene Bessho Formation near Amikake, Sakaki Town, Hanishina County in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan is described as a new species of the genus Clupea, C. macrocephala of the family Clupeidae of Clupeiformes. This new species differs from other species of the genus in having a large head about 3.4 times in the standard length versus more than 4 times in other species. Clupea macrocephala sp. nov. is closer to Clupea pallasii than Clupea harengus in the number of vertebrae. Presence of the fossil herrings of the genus Clupea in the deposits of Pacific basin implies that the origin of this genus, probably, was in the Pacific Ocean in the Miocene.

This study was conducted in Ruhul Beel, Pabna, northern area of Bangladesh to know the availability of different fish species. Samples were collected fortnightly from the fishermen catch captured in different points of the Beel during January to December, 2013. During this study a total of 37 fish species under 9 orders and 19 families were recorded from the study area. Cypriniformes was the most dominant order constituting 32.43% of the total fish populations followed by the Siluriformes (27.02%), Perciformes (21.62%), Channiformes (5.4%) and Clupeiformes (2.7%). On the contrary, Beloniformes, Cyprinodontiformes, Osteoglossiformes and Tetraodontiformes were the least numerous orders constituting only 2.71% each of the total fish populations. Among the available fish species, 37.84% were very rare, 35.14% were rare, and 21.61% were found throughout the year in a small amount while only 5.41% were available throughout the year in a large amount. About half of the fish species available in the Ruhul Beel is threatened to extinct according to IUCN Bangladesh. The results of this study will provide important baseline data on availability of fish species, which will be helpful for the sustainable management and conservation of fisheries diversity in the Ruhul Beel as well as in the open water- bodies of Bangladesh.J. bio-sci. 25: 39-44, 2017

Anchoviella hernanni sp. nov. is described from the upper Amazon River basin, in tributaries of the Maranon, Ucayali and Madre de Dios river drainages that drain the Peruvian Andes. The new taxon can be distinguished from all congeners except Anchoviella jamesi, Anchoviella manamensis and Anchoviella perezi, by having 12-15 gill rakers in the lower branch of the first gill arch (v·16-35) and from those species by the distance between verticals through the posterior margin of the orbit to the posterior margin of the upper jaw 9·5-14·8% head length; LH (v. up to 6·0% LH ). An updated identification key of all freshwater species of Anchoviella and morphological comparisons between all species of the genus occurring in Peru are provided.

Stolephorus continentalis sp. nov. is described from 36 specimens from Hong Kong and northern Vietnam. The new species is closely related to the endemic Chinese anchovy S. chinensis (Gunther 1880), which is redescribed with a lectotype designated, with both species having a long upper jaw with the posterior tip just reaching to the posterior border of the preopercle; no predorsal scute; the posterior preopercular border rounded, convex; the posterior tip of the depressed pelvic fin not reaching to vertical through dorsal-fin origin; a pair of dark patches behind the occiput without a following pair of dark lines; and no black spots below the eye and lower-jaw tip. However, the new species is distinguished from S. chinensis in having higher total gill-raker counts on the first, second, third, and fourth gill arches (43–48, 33–40, 23–26, and 18–21, respectively vs. 35–41, 29–34, 19–24, and 16–19), and longer pectoral (16.5–19.2 % SL vs. 15.8–16.4 %) and pelvic fins (9.1–11.6 % SL vs. 8.2–8.3 %). Examination of the specimens previously considered as S. chinensis from Southeast Asia revealed that they differed from true S. chinensis and S. continentalis in having eight transverse scales (vs. 10 in the latter two species). The applicable scientific name for the Southeast Asian species is suggested here as Stolephorus oceanicus Hardenberg 1933.

Stable isotope ratios of C and N in the bone tissue of three different skeletal elements (angular, cleithrum and vertebra) of three fish species from different evolutionary lineages (Clupeiformes, Atheriniformes and Notothenioidei) were determined before (δ13 Cbulk and δ15 Nbulk ) and after demineralization and delipidation (δ13 Cdml and δ15 Ndml ). One of the species had cellular bone and the other two had acellular bone. Results revealed that δ15 N and δ13 C values from different skeletal elements were interchangeable in species with acellular bone, but caution was needed in species with cellular bone, as δ15 N values varied among skeletal elements. Furthermore, δ15 Nbulk values were significantly lower than δ15 Ndml values in the three species, thus suggesting that they are not comparable. This difference is probably because δ15 Nbulk refers to total bone protein and δ15 Ndml to collagen only.

This note demonstrates the use of a DNA barcoding methodology in confirming new occurrence records of Pellona castelnaeana and Pellona flavipinnis in the Branco River sub-basin. The DNA barcode result was verified by identification based on morphological characters of both species. Thus, these records increase the species’ ranges by more than 600 km in the Amazon and show evidence of high genetic variability in P. flavipinnis.

A single specimen of Encrasicholina macrocephala Hata & Motomura, 2015 (58.7 mm in standard length), collectedin Somalia in 1986, is the first record of the species from Somalian waters. This species is otherwise known only fromthe type specimens, collected in Djibouti and Oman.

Freshwater fish evolved from anadromous ancestors can be found in almost all continents. The roles of paleogeographic events and nature selection in speciation process often are under focus of research. We studied genetic diversity of anadromous and resident tapertail anchovies (Coilia nasus species complex) in the Yangtze River Basin using 4,434 nuclear loci, and tested the history of freshwater invasion of C. nasus. We found that both C. brachygnathus and C. nasus were valid species, but the resident C. nasus taihuensis and the anadromous C. nasus were not different genetically based on Bayes factor species delimitation (BFD*). Maximum likelihood tree, Network, PCA and STRUCTURE analyses all corroborated the results of BFD*. Two independent freshwater invasion events of C. nasus were supported, with the first event occurring around 4.07 Ma and the second happened around 3.2 Ka. The time of the two freshwater invasions is consistent with different paleogeographic events. Estimation showed that gene flow was higher within ecotypes than between different ecotypes. F‐DIST analyses identified 120 disruptive outliers by comparing C. brachygnathus to anadromous C. nasus, and 21 disruptive outliers by comparing resident C. nasus to anadromous C. nasus. Nine outliers were found to be common between the two comparisons, indicating that independent freshwater invasion of C. nasus might involve similar molecular pathways. The results of this study suggest that adaptation to landlocked freshwater environment of migratory fish can evolve multiple times independently, and morphology of landlocked ecotypes may cause confusion in their taxonomy., We studied genetic diversity of anadromous and resident tapertail anchovies (Coilia nasus species complex) in the Yangtze River Basin using 4,434 nuclear loci, and found that both C. brachygnathus and C. nasus were valid species, but the resident C. nasus taihuensis and the anadromous C. nasus were not different genetically. Two independent freshwater invasion events of C. nasus were supported, with the first event occurring around 4.07 Ma and the second happening around 3.2 Ka.

This study investigates the published literature and incorporates our field data from 1997 to September 2018 to generate an inventory report of primary freshwater fishes for Perak State in Malaysia. We critically examined and enumerated 186 species from 2 classes, 16 orders, 43 families and 114 genera in 57 localities. A total of 173 fish species (91.4%) are native to Perak and 17 species (8.6%) are non-native. The provisional checklist presented herein is conservative and excludes doubtful inventory records that lack synthesis and traceability. We encountered seven taxonomic discrepancies and we also could not confidently identify eight species. These are explicitly discussed to inform future workers.