


Vol 56, No 1 (2016)
- Year: 2016
- Articles: 18
- URL: https://journal-vniispk.ru/0032-9452/issue/view/10121
Article
First data on the biology of Hadropareia middendorffii (Perciformes, Zoarcidae) in the Tauysk Bay, the Sea of Okhotsk
Abstract
Data of long-term studies (1997–2013) on biology of Hadropareia middendorffii from different areas of Tauysk Bay, the Sea of Okhotsk are generalized. This species is widespread over the entire northern coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, and it prefers sandy-pebbly grounds. Maximum sizes and age comprise 267 mm, 73 g, and 7+; in catches, individuals with a length of 9.1–12.0 cm, weight 0.1–10.0 g, at an age of 1+ to 3+ dominate. In general size–age characteristics of females and males as a whole are rather similar, and sex ratio is nearly equal. Hadropareia middendorffii spawns from the second half of June to the first 10-day period of August; its fecundity varies within 67–219 eggs.



State of steroid secretory cells and concentration of gonadal steroid hormones in the blood plasma of Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii and sterlet A. ruthenus (Acipenseridae) during sex differentiation
Abstract
Results of studying steroid secretory cells in gonads and the level of estradiol-17β and testosterone in the blood plasma of young Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii and sterlet A. ruthenus, aged 8.5 and 9.5 months, respectively, is studied. During sex differentiation, the steroid secretory activity in females is intensified first in the stroma of gonads and then, after the formation of oocytes during the previtellogenesis period, it is shifted to the follicle theca. The development of oocytes is accompanied by a decrease in the concentration of testosterone and an increase in the concentration of estradiol-17β. In males, the intensification of the activity of steroid secretory cells, which was indirectly determined by the state of organoids, is accompanied by an increase in the concentration of testosterone in blood plasma.



Cryptic species of Ponto-Caspian bighead goby of the genus Ponticola (Gobiidae)
Abstract
Based on karyological data, the validity of the species Ponticola iljini is re-established; its distribution is limited to the coast of the Mangyshlak Peninsula. The morphological characteristics and the basic color pattern of P. iljini are very similar to P. kessleri from the Black Sea basin and P. gorlap which inhabits the northern, western, and southern Caspian Sea. These three allopatric species have ctenoid scales to varying degrees on the crown and nape (100% presence in P. kessleri and complete absence in P. iljini), and there are small differences in the shape of the head, the thickness of the caudal peduncle, and in the form of otoliths; at the same time, they are clearly differentiated by the number of chromosomes and the presence of marker submetacentric chromosomes in P. iljini. In the phylogenetic tree based on the variation of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene in the main species of Ponto-Caspian gobies, P. iljini, P. gorlap, and P. kessleri form independent phyletic lineages within a clade of the genus Ponticola. Redescription of the species P. iljini is provided; the possible causes of the identified intraspecific variation in the shape of the otoliths and temporal bounderies of the beginning of divergence of the considered three cryptic species, as well as isolating barriers that led to allopatric speciation, are discussed.



Revision of the genus Melamphaes (Melamphaidae). 5. Oligo-raker species: M. indicus, M. eurous, and M. typhlops
Abstract
Three oligo-raker species (⩽19 rakers on the first gill arch) of the genus Melamphaes out of the “M. typhlops” group are considered. The validity of M. indicus Ebeling is restored. This species inhabits equatorial and tropical waters of the Indian Ocean and the western part of the Pacific Ocean. M. eurous sp. n., which is related to M. indicus, is described from equatorial waters of the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean. M. typhlops (Lowe) inhabiting the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean, from the equatorial zone about to 45° N, is redescribed.



Revalidation of the Eggvin lumpsucker Eumicrotremus eggvinii (Cyclopteridae) and its new finding near Franz Josef Land (Barents Sea)
Abstract
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.



Differentiation of three species of the genus Upeneus (Mullidae) based on otolith shape analysis
Abstract
The shapes of sagittae are compared in three related species of the genus Upeneus (U. tragula, U. margarethae, and U. sundaicus) from North Vietnam (Ha Long Bay). Morphological parameters of otoliths (length, width, perimeter, and area), shape indices (length–width and squared perimeter-area ratios, form factor, roundness, rectangularity, and ellipticity), and elliptic Fourier descriptors are used for the comparative analysis. The three species differ in the coefficients of linear equations approximating relationships between the morphological parameters of otoliths and body length of the fish as well as in shape indices. Based on elliptic Fourier analysis and multivariate statistics (principal component and canonical discriminant analyses), U. sundaicus differs from U. tragula and U. margarethae, and the two latter species are closely related to each other.



Intraspecies structure of beaked redfish Sebastes mentella of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans
Abstract
On the basis of the results of complex interdisciplinary investigations of the population composition and structure of the beaked redfish Sebastes mentella of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, its three populations are discerned relatively isolated from each other by the system of permanent marine currents—North Atlantic, Flemish-Cape, and Norway-Barents Sea. The population structure of the species in the southern part of its area corresponds to the model of a local stock. Interaction of the North Atlantic and the Norway-Barents Sea populations well correspond to the model of fluctuating stocks. Redfish aggregations in different biotopes (mesobenthal and mesopelagial) are intrapopulational epigenetic groups. In the period of warm and anomalously warm years, a part of mature specimens from the pelagial of the North Irminger Sea make an irreversible migration to the southern part of the Norwegian Sea and form there mixed aggregations of fish from the North Atlantic and Norway-Barents Sea populations. With consideration of the effect of climatic–oceanological processes, a principally new scheme is elaborated describing the process of seasonal migrations of redfish in the mesobenthal and mesopelagial. The previous views on direction of return migrations of redfish of the Norway-Barents Sea population are reconsidered. Juveniles from the western part of the Barents Sea and Spitsbergen not only supplement the demersal aggregations but also migrate to the pelagial of the Norwegian Sea.



Ichthyofauna of Russian exclusive economic zone of the Bering Sea: 2. Ecological and zoogeographical characteristics
Abstract
The ecological and zoogeographical characteristics of 344 species of Pisces and fish-like species comprising the ichthyofauna of the Bering Sea (Russian Exclusive Economic Zone) are presented for the study period of 1995−2012 (original studies) and those for previous findings in this area. The benthic species (elittoral, mesobenthic, and sublittoral; 216 species, or 62.8%) dominate if one takes into account the biotopic characteristics of the species; the majority belongs to the wide-boreal Pacific, wide-boreal Asiatic, and arcticboreal species (255 species, or 74.1%) by the zoogeographic characteristics. The comparative analysis of the fish communities of the western Bering Sea evidences to the significant changes of the ichthyofauna within the depth southwards Navarin Cape. Arctic-boreal species can be considered as a specific faunistic “margin” between the northern and the southern ichthyofauna of the western Bering Sea due to their eurybiont characteristics.



Feeding of pelagic fish in waters of Mauritania: 2. Representatives of Families Carangidae, Scombridae, Pomatomidae, and Trichiuridae
Abstract
Feeding peculiarities of mass pelagic ichtyophagous fish from the Canary upwelling waters and frontal zones of Mauritania have been investigated: vadigo Campogramma glaycos, false scad Caranx rhonchus, bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix, Atlantic bonito Sarda sarda, West African Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus tritor, large-eyed hairtail Trichiurus lepturus and pompano Trachinotus ovatus. These species feed on epipelagic fish living or forming temporary agglomerations at the depths up to 200–250 m from the surface.



Food and feeding habits of black scorpionfish, Scorpaena porcus (Osteichthyes: Scorpaenidae) from the northern coast of Tunisia (Central Mediterranean)
Abstract
Food and feeding habits of black scorpionfish Scorpaena porcus Linnaeus, 1758 were carried out from 715 specimens collected off Ras Jebel, city located in northern Tunisia. Diet was studied in relation to fish size, sexes and seasons. The relationship total length (TL) versus total body mass (TBM) showed a positive allometry, suggesting that S. porcus found favourable environmental parameters and available preys in its habitat. Vacuity index (VI) values were high for the total sample and also related to size classes, sexes, and seasons. Stomach contents of S. porcus revealed a very large diversity of preys; a total of 79 taxa were recorded, 3 osteichthyan, 69 crustacean, 2 annelid and 2 gastropod species, while angiosperma, alga, were rare. Crustaceans were the most abundantly found followed by osteichthyes. The troph value of S. porcus from the north-eastern coast of Tunisian reached 3.48 ± 0.58. S. porcus did not display significant changes in the diet related to sizes and/or seasons. S. porcus should be included among the carnivorous species which play a major role in regulation of marine food webs.



Specific biological features and genetic variation of Chinese sleeper Perccottus glenii (Odontobutidae) in aquatic bodies of Tyumen oblast
Abstract
Specific biological features, morphology, and genetic variation of an invasive species, the Chinese sleeper Perccottus glenii, in several lake and river ecosystems of the Tyumen oblast have been studied. This species displays relatively high rate of linear and weight growths. The main feed of the Chinese sleeper in both the river and lake ecosystems is the chironomid larvae. The diet is richer in the river ecosystem; predation plays an important role; and cannibalism is observed. As has been shown, the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the Chinese sleeper infestations with local helminth species are by one order of magnitude lower as compared with the native fish species. A significant infestation rate is observed only for Nippotaenia mogurndae, a parasite specific for the Chinese sleeper. The population of this introduced species displays a high genetic variation for DNA markers. The rate of polymorphic ISSR bands is 73% and Nei’s genetic diversity is 0.26. The Chinese sleeper populations in the not directly connected river and lake (distance, 90 km) display a genetic identity of 99.5%, suggesting the absence of genetic differentiation of local populations, explainable by their recent origin from a single source of invasion. Morphological differences of the Chinese sleeper in different ecosystems appear on the same genetic basis and suggest a wide reaction norm characteristic of this species, underlying its ecological plasticity.



Evaluation of buoyancy dynamics in the early ontogenesis of climbing perch Anabas testudineus (Anabantidae)
Abstract
The paper puts forward a new approach to estimation of buoyancy of hydrobionts using dispersion of various densities. The technique was applied to evaluate buoyancy variations in climbing perch Anabas testudineus at its early ontogeny. It was found that positive buoyancy characteristic of eggs and early stage larvae does not remain longer than the first eighty hours of development. Besides, this period is marked by significant fluctuations in buoyancy. The maximum buoyancy was recorded at the time of hatching of the embryos, which occurs at the age of approximately thirty hours. At ninety hours the buoyancy of larvae becomes negative. Later, it goes up somewhat, and the individual differences become more important in its dynamics pattern. Some individuals are neutrally buoyant, though no return to positive buoyancy was observed. The estimates obtained by the author create a foundation for further morphofunctional analysis of the hydrostatically significant structures in the early development of the climbing perch.



Effect of pH on the proteinase activities in the intestine mucosa, chyme, and enteral microbiota in the piscivorous fish differing in their ecological traits
Abstract
The effect of pH on the activity of proteinases of intestine mucosa, chyme, and enteral microbiota was studied in three piscivorous fish species of the Rybinsk Reservoir differing in their ecological traits: pike Esox lucius, burbot Lota lota, and zander Sander lucioperca. In all fish species, studied pH of ten is optimal for the functioning of proteinases of intestine mucosa; in chyme proteinases, optimal pH values vary from six to ten. Optimal pH for functioning of proteinases of enteral microbiota is seven for zander and pike; pH of nine, for burbot. High activity of chyme and microbiota proteinases within the diapason of pH values of six to nine is a characteristic of burbot. Relative activity of proteinases of intestine mucosa in all fish species is not more than 15% of the maximal activity; that of chyme and enteral microbiota is lower than 40% in zander, close to 50% in burbot, and 80 and 50%, respectively, in pike. It is suggested that diversity of the patterns of pH-dependence of enteral microbiota proteinases relates to the specificity of microbiota in various ecological zones of the reservoir (littoral, sublittoral, and bathyal).



Brief Communications
Preliminary annotated list of species of the family Chaetodontidae (Actinopterygii) from Ly Son Islands (South China Sea, Central Vietnam)
Abstract
Butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae) from the reefs of Ly Son Archipelago (northern Central Vietnam) are reviewed. In total, 16 species of chaetodontids from three genera (Chaetodon, Forcipiger, and Heniochus) are found. All species are documented by underwater photos, and they have not been registered off Ly Son Islands before. A comparison of chaetodontid faunas off Ly Son, Cu Lao Cham, and Paracel islands; in the Gulf of Tonkin; and in southern Central Vietnam is conducted.



Siganidae, a new family of fishes for the Russian fauna
Abstract
A representative of the family Siganidae, Mottled spinefoot (Siganus fuscescens), has been found for the first time in Russian waters. It is a Pacific, subtropical-equatorial, and Asian wide-ranging species: from the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and Japan to Papua New Guinea and Australia. In September 2013, it was collected in Far Eastern State Marine Reserve, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, near Ostrovok Fal’shivyi Cape (42°26′ N, 130°47′ E).






Population Characteristic of the Volga zander Sander volgense (Percidae) in the Kuibyshev reservoir
Abstract
The analysis of the size composition, age structure, linear growth, and fecundity of the Volga zander Sander volgense has been performed in the Kuibyshev reservoir. To date, the growth rates of the species have decreased slightly compared to the 1970s. Over the period from 2000 to 2013, catch volumes of Volga zander tended to increase.



Photopreferendum of migratory and nonmigratory larvae of European river lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis
Abstract
In the light gradient installation, the larvae of European river lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis of 0+ age, migrating downstream (downstream migrants), are distributed predominantly over the zone of dusk illumination (150–1 lx) and less so over the daylight zone (2500–150 lx) and night illumination zone (<1 lx). In 0+ larvae that passed over to the sedentary lifestyle, the photopreferendum changes: they avoid the dusk and daytime illumination and prefer nighttime illumination. Such photopreferendum is retained in later larvae of lamprey (1+ and older).


