DOCSLIB.ORG

Mass Occurrence of Snake Pipefish: Result of a Change in Climate? ICES

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Mass Occurrence of Snake Pipefish: Result of a Change in Climate? ICES ICES CM2006/C:17 Mass occurrence of snake pipefish: result of a change in climate? Cindy J.G. van Damme & A.S. (Bram) Couperus IMARES, P.O. Box 68, 1970 AB IJmuiden, the Netherlands Abstract In 2004 a sudden mass occurrence of snake pipefish Entelurus aequoreus appeared in the North-eastern Atlantic and has been increasing since. Before 2004 snake pipefish was mainly found in coastal areas and occasionally in oceanic waters. Indices (numbers of fish caught per hour) from inshore surveys remain at the same level, while the indices from surveys conducted in deeper offshore areas show a very strong increase since 2004. The length distributions of all surveys differ significantly from each other. Coastal snake pipefishes are larger compared to pelagic specimens. Although the outward appearance of the coastal pipefishes seems different from the pelagic specimens, no differences were found when comparing taxonomic features. The mean numbers of rings and fin rays are well within the ranges mentioned for snake pipefish. Apart from appearance the habitat is different for the two types of snake pipefish. The oceanic form lives free in the water column while the coastal form is found among sea weeds or in sea grass beds. Although food is available in high quantities, the oceanic specimens of snake pipefish are much leaner than the coastal specimens. While the snout length would make the species more suitable for preying on less mobile prey, the stomach contents of the oceanic snake pipefishes revealed remains of relatively small calanoids (mean length 2.4 mm). The calanoid population has recently changed and is nowadays dominated by the smaller Calanus helgolandicus. Here we put forward the hypothesis that the sudden appearance of the snake pipefish in the deeper waters is a result of the change in the average lengths of calanoids which in turn is caused by changes in the hydroclimatic environment. The mass occurrence of the snake pipefish is affecting the whole ecosystem. Seabirds are feeding their chicks with them and they are also found in stomachs of fish and sea mammals. Keywords: snake pipefish, Entelurus aequoreus, climatic change, distribution, Atlantic Contact author: Cindy van Damme: IMARES, P.O. Box 68, 1970 AB IJmuiden, the Netherlands [tel: +31 255 564716, fax: +31 255 564644, e-mail: [email protected]]. Introduction Pipefish (Syngnathidae) are marine fish that mostly inhabit inshore waters (Dawson 1986). The snake pipefish (Entelurus aequoreus) is a species that can be found both in- and offshore and in oceanic waters, though a review of the literature shows that there is some doubt whether it is an in- or offshore species. At the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century snake pipefish is mostly described as an offshore fish found in deep Atlantic waters (Couch 1877; Holt and Byrne 1904; Holt and Byrne 1906). Couch (1877) 1 ICES CM2006/C:17 even gives ‘ocean pipefish’ as a synonym for Entelurus aequoreus. Some authors state that there are two types of Entelurus; the larger oceanic and the smaller coastal form (Fries et al. 1895; Duncker 1915).Others even describe them as two separate species; E. aequoreus that can be found in offshore and oceanic waters and E. anguineus which is found inshore (Yarrel 1839; Moreau 1881). For some authors snake pipefish is an inshore fish (Day 1884; Ehrenbaum 1909; Poll 1947). In more recent fish guides snake pipefish is described as a species that can be found in deeper coastal waters amongst large seaweeds (Wheeler 1969; Nijssen and De Groot 1980; Dawson 1986; Muus et al. 1999) and most refer to the above references for the oceanic occurrence. This is because in the second half of the last century only captures of snake pipefish in coastal waters have been reported (Minchin and Molloy 1976; Briggs and McCurdy 1978; Andrews and Wheeler 1985). Since 2004 high numbers of oceanic snake pipefish have been reported from pelagic cruises and these have been rising ever since. In this paper we put forward the hypothesis that the sudden appearance and mass occurrence of the snake pipefish in deeper oceanic waters is a result of the change in the calanoid population which in turn is caused by changes in the hydroclimatic environment. Methods Data on snake pipefish from international pelagic and demersal Atlantic and North Sea surveys, International Bottom Trawl Survey (IBTS), Sole Net Survey (SNS), Demersal Fish Survey (DFS), Herring Acoustic Survey (HERAS; Dutch participation), Blue Whiting Survey (BWHTS; Dutch participation: from 2004 onwards) and Atlanto-Scandian Herring Survey (ASH; European participation: from 2004 onwards), are used for the calculation of numbers present and length-frequency distributions. BWHTS and ASH are pelagic surveys carried out in the deeper waters of the North-eastern Atlantic in winter and spring, while HERAS is a pelagic survey carried out in the deeper waters of the North Sea in summer. IBTS is a demersal North Sea survey from which we only used the data from quarter 1, while SNS and DFS are bottom trawl autumn surveys in the North Sea coastal zone. Since 2004 snake pipefish have been collected for analyses during these surveys. Snake pipefish, were counted and total length of each individual fish and total weight of all snake pipefish were measured. Pipefish were either frozen for later analyses in the laboratory or stored in 4% formaldehyde solution for stomach content analyses. Parameters measured in the laboratory were total length, total weight, head length, snout length (from tip of the snout to the vent), sex, trunk rings, tail rings, subdorsal rings (as described by Dawson (1986)), dorsal fin rays and whether a brood pouch was present or not. The gastro intestinal tract was dissected from the fish and cut open length ways. Since it was difficult to determine fullness of the stomach, it was recorded as filled or empty. When possible remains were identified to family level and length measured. Results The pelagic surveys are hydro acoustic single species surveys, targeting herring and blue whiting. As a consequence catch data of other species are not readily available. However in cruise reports from these surveys (unpublished data IMARES) it is reported that in 2004 snake pipefish suddenly appeared in the catches and in later years numbers increased. 2 ICES CM2006/C:17 Figure 1 shows the presence of snake pipefish in the three demersal surveys. In 1983, 1989 and 1999 low numbers of snake pipefish were recorded during the IBTS survey. Also in 2002 and 2003 snake pipefish were occasionally caught. Since 2004 numbers have been increasing, from 0.005 in 2003 to 5.1 pipefish per hour in 2006. In the coastal SNS and DFS surveys snake pipefish have always been present in small numbers (Fig. 1), and no increase is seen in the last three years. Figure 2 a-d show the length distributions of the different surveys. Length distributions of all surveys differ significantly from each other (P<0.0001). Comparison within the coastal surveys or demersal or pelagic survey shows also a significant difference in length distribution (P<0.0001). Mean lengths of the snake pipefish in the Atlantic BWHTS and ASH are smallest (Table 1). While snake pipefish caught in the coastal zone (SNS/DFS) are larger than those caught in the deeper North Sea (IBTS/HERAS). Numbers in the DFS and SNS survey are very low. For BWHTS and ASH surveys it was possible to compare length distributions of the last years. There is a significant (P< 0.0001) difference between the years, with the largest fish caught in 2006 (Table 2). Length distributions of BWHTS and ASH are clearly bimodal (Fig. 2c-d). The distribution of IBTS is also slightly bimodal but not as clear as in the two other surveys. During the HERAS survey snake pipefish were separated based on sex. Female snake pipefish are significantly (P<0.001) larger than males (Fig. 3a-b & Table 3). The bimodality in the BWHTS, ASH and IBTS is probably also due to differences in sex, rather than to different year classes. The appearance of the coastal and oceanic specimens of snake pipefish is different (Fig. 4). The oceanic form is much leaner and less brightly coloured compared tot the coastal form. The snake pipefish caught in the ocean are lean, almost only scales and bones, and look like they are starving. The coastal specimens are really fat, in that there is no lose skin and the coloration is really bright. The specimens caught in the deeper North Sea are intermediate between the oceanic and coastal appearance. They are not as lean as the oceanic ones, but do show loose skin and colouration is brighter than but not as bright as the coastal form. However when counting the rings on the body and dorsal fin rays of the pipefish no difference is found between the oceanic, intermediate and coastal specimens. And the mean numbers of rings and fin rays are well within the ranges mentioned for snake pipefish (Table 4). Also no differences are found in the ring and fin ray counts between both sexes. In both the coastal and pelagic specimens mature fish were found and males had brood pouches filled with eggs, suggesting this is one species Entelurus aequoreus with different appearance in different environments. The diet of snake pipefish proved difficult to assess. A few had empty stomachs. Most of the stomach contents were too far digested and impossible to identify (Table 5). What could be identified were remains of calanoid copepods, though it was not possible to identify these to species level. The mean length of these copepods was 2.4 mm (Table 5).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Article Evolutionary Dynamics of the OR Gene Repertoire in Teleost Fishes
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.09.434524; this version posted March 10, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. Article Evolutionary dynamics of the OR gene repertoire in teleost fishes: evidence of an association with changes in olfactory epithelium shape Maxime Policarpo1, Katherine E Bemis2, James C Tyler3, Cushla J Metcalfe4, Patrick Laurenti5, Jean-Christophe Sandoz1, Sylvie Rétaux6 and Didier Casane*,1,7 1 Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France. 2 NOAA National Systematics Laboratory, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560, U.S.A. 3Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 20560, U.S.A. 4 Independent Researcher, PO Box 21, Nambour QLD 4560, Australia. 5 Université de Paris, Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Energies de Demain, Paris, France 6 Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, 91190, Gif-sur- Yvette, France. 7 Université de Paris, UFR Sciences du Vivant, F-75013 Paris, France. * Corresponding author: e-mail: [email protected]. !1 bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.09.434524; this version posted March 10, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. Abstract Teleost fishes perceive their environment through a range of sensory modalities, among which olfaction often plays an important role.
    [Show full text]
  • Creatures of Mystery: Global Research on Syngnathidae Fishes
    Creatures of Mystery: Global Research on Syngnathidae Fishes Meeting Schedule for SyngBio 2021 (Time Zone: UTC+8, Beijing, China) (Continually updating) We are delighted to have you join us for the SyngBio2021 meeting! We believe we have a dynamic and broad program, with contributed work from at least 15 countries and 5 continents, and fantastic invited speakers! 1 / 7 17 May, Monday Time and Duration Agenda Location 09:00am- Ramada Hotel Meeting on-site Registration 17 May 12:00am (Guangzhou) Morning 03:00pm- Ramada Hotel Meeting on-site Registration 06:00pm (Guangzhou) 18 May, Tuesday Opening Ceremony - In-person & Online Online Zoom ID: to be updated Moderator: Qiang Lin Time and Duration Agenda Person Qiang Lin, Chairman 09:00am- Announcing the beginning of ceremony of the Conference 09:10am (China) Director of the South 09:10am- China Sea Institute Welcome and Announcement 09:20am of Oceanology (China) 09:20am- Amanda C.J. Vincent To be updated 09:50am (Canada) 18 May 09:50am- Morning Photos & Coffee break 10:20am 10:20am- Plenary speech: Global Syngnathiformes Genome Project Qiang Lin 10:30am (GSGP) (China) 10:30am- Camilla Whittington Plenary speech: To be updated 11:00am (USA) 11:00am- Josefin Stiller Plenary speech: To be updated 11:30am (Denmark) 11:30am- Development of seahorse brood pouch in the aspect of Mari Kawaguchi 12:00am neofunctionalization of the genes (Japan) 2 / 7 Session (Syngnathid Conservation) - In-person & Online Online Zoom ID: to be updated Suggested Moderator: Louw Claassens & Xiong Zhang Time and Duration
    [Show full text]
  • First Record of Shanny Lipophrys Pholis (Blenniidae) in Germany
    Bulletin of Fish Biology Volume 19 30.04.2021 111-116 First record of shanny Lipophrys pholis (Blenniidae) in Germany Erstnachweis des Schans Lipophrys pholis (Blenniidae) für Deutschland Heiko Brunken & René Sonntag Hochschule Bremen, Fakultät 5 Natur und Technik, Neustadtswall 30, D-28199 Bremen, Germany, [email protected], [email protected] Summary: In 2016 and 2017, adult and juvenile specimens of Lipophrys pholis (family Blenniidae) were re- corded in rocky tidepools of Helgoland as a fi rst record for Germany. The species, which is more common in south-western areas of the North Sea, shows tendencies to spread into the German Bight, which can be interpreted as an indication of a climate-induced range expansion. Key words: Lipophrys pholis, fi rst record, Helgoland (Germany) Zusammenfassung: Im Felswatt von Helgoland wurden in den Jahren 2016 und 2017 adulte und juvenile Exemplare des Schans (Schleimlerche) Lipophrys pholis (Familie Blenniidae) als Erstnachweis für Deutschland in steinigen Gezeitentümpeln nachgewiesen. Die eher in südwestlichen Bereichen der Nordsee verbreitete Art zeigt Ausbreitungstendenzen in die Deutsche Bucht, was als Hinweis auf eine klimabedingte Arealer- weiterung gedeutet werden kann. Schlüsselwörter: Lipophrys pholis, Erstnachweis , Helgoland (Germany) 1. Introduction Baltic Sea”, but without further details. In the “Red List of Cyclostomes and Marine Fishes of The shanny Lipophrys pholis is the most common the German Wadden Sea and North Sea Area” of the two blenny species (Bleniidae) found L. pholis is only listed as “non-endangered stray in the North Sea and is considered reason- visitor” (FRICKE et al. 1995). In the current “Red ably common there, mostly in British coastal List and Check List of Established Fishes and waters.
    [Show full text]
  • Reproductive Biology of the Opossum Pipefish, Microphis Brachyurus Lineatus, in Tecolutla Estuary, Veracruz, Mexico
    Gulf and Caribbean Research Volume 16 Issue 1 January 2004 Reproductive Biology of the Opossum Pipefish, Microphis brachyurus lineatus, in Tecolutla Estuary, Veracruz, Mexico Martha Edith Miranda-Marure Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico Jose Antonio Martinez-Perez Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico Nancy J. Brown-Peterson University of Southern Mississippi, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/gcr Part of the Marine Biology Commons Recommended Citation Miranda-Marure, M. E., J. A. Martinez-Perez and N. J. Brown-Peterson. 2004. Reproductive Biology of the Opossum Pipefish, Microphis brachyurus lineatus, in Tecolutla Estuary, Veracruz, Mexico. Gulf and Caribbean Research 16 (1): 101-108. Retrieved from https://aquila.usm.edu/gcr/vol16/iss1/17 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18785/gcr.1601.17 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Gulf and Caribbean Research by an authorized editor of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Gulf and Caribbean Research Vol 16, 101–108, 2004 Manuscript received September 25, 2003; accepted December 12, 2003 REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY OF THE OPOSSUM PIPEFISH, MICROPHIS BRACHYURUS LINEATUS, IN TECOLUTLA ESTUARY, VERACRUZ, MEXICO Martha Edith Miranda-Marure, José Antonio Martínez-Pérez, and Nancy J. Brown-Peterson1 Laboratorio de Zoología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala. Av., de los Barrios No.1, Los Reyes Iztacala, Tlalnepantla, Estado de México, C.P. 05490 Mexico 1Department of Coastal Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, 703 East Beach Drive, Ocean Springs, MS 39564 USA ABSTRACT The reproductive biology of the opossum pipefish, Microphis brachyurus lineatus, was investigated in Tecolutla estuary, Veracruz, Mexico, to determine sex ratio, size at maturity, gonadal and brood pouch histology, reproductive seasonality, and fecundity of this little-known syngnathid.
    [Show full text]
  • The Genome of the Gulf Pipefish Enables Understanding of Evolutionary Innovations C
    Small et al. Genome Biology (2016) 17:258 DOI 10.1186/s13059-016-1126-6 RESEARCH Open Access The genome of the Gulf pipefish enables understanding of evolutionary innovations C. M. Small1†, S. Bassham1†, J. Catchen1,2†, A. Amores3, A. M. Fuiten1, R. S. Brown1,4, A. G. Jones5 and W. A. Cresko1* Abstract Background: Evolutionary origins of derived morphologies ultimately stem from changes in protein structure, gene regulation, and gene content. A well-assembled, annotated reference genome is a central resource for pursuing these molecular phenomena underlying phenotypic evolution. We explored the genome of the Gulf pipefish (Syngnathus scovelli), which belongs to family Syngnathidae (pipefishes, seahorses, and seadragons). These fishes have dramatically derived bodies and a remarkable novelty among vertebrates, the male brood pouch. Results: We produce a reference genome, condensed into chromosomes, for the Gulf pipefish. Gene losses and other changes have occurred in pipefish hox and dlx clusters and in the tbx and pitx gene families, candidate mechanisms for the evolution of syngnathid traits, including an elongated axis and the loss of ribs, pelvic fins, and teeth. We measure gene expression changes in pregnant versus non-pregnant brood pouch tissue and characterize the genomic organization of duplicated metalloprotease genes (patristacins) recruited into the function of this novel structure. Phylogenetic inference using ultraconserved sequences provides an alternative hypothesis for the relationship between orders Syngnathiformes and Scombriformes. Comparisons of chromosome structure among percomorphs show that chromosome number in a pipefish ancestor became reduced via chromosomal fusions. Conclusions: The collected findings from this first syngnathid reference genome open a window into the genomic underpinnings of highly derived morphologies, demonstrating that de novo production of high quality and useful reference genomes is within reach of even small research groups.
    [Show full text]
  • Humboldt Bay Fishes
    Humboldt Bay Fishes ><((((º>`·._ .·´¯`·. _ .·´¯`·. ><((((º> ·´¯`·._.·´¯`·.. ><((((º>`·._ .·´¯`·. _ .·´¯`·. ><((((º> Acknowledgements The Humboldt Bay Harbor District would like to offer our sincere thanks and appreciation to the authors and photographers who have allowed us to use their work in this report. Photography and Illustrations We would like to thank the photographers and illustrators who have so graciously donated the use of their images for this publication. Andrey Dolgor Dan Gotshall Polar Research Institute of Marine Sea Challengers, Inc. Fisheries And Oceanography [email protected] [email protected] Michael Lanboeuf Milton Love [email protected] Marine Science Institute [email protected] Stephen Metherell Jacques Moreau [email protected] [email protected] Bernd Ueberschaer Clinton Bauder [email protected] [email protected] Fish descriptions contained in this report are from: Froese, R. and Pauly, D. Editors. 2003 FishBase. Worldwide Web electronic publication. http://www.fishbase.org/ 13 August 2003 Photographer Fish Photographer Bauder, Clinton wolf-eel Gotshall, Daniel W scalyhead sculpin Bauder, Clinton blackeye goby Gotshall, Daniel W speckled sanddab Bauder, Clinton spotted cusk-eel Gotshall, Daniel W. bocaccio Bauder, Clinton tube-snout Gotshall, Daniel W. brown rockfish Gotshall, Daniel W. yellowtail rockfish Flescher, Don american shad Gotshall, Daniel W. dover sole Flescher, Don stripped bass Gotshall, Daniel W. pacific sanddab Gotshall, Daniel W. kelp greenling Garcia-Franco, Mauricio louvar
    [Show full text]
  • Marine Protected Species Identification Guide
    Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Marine protected species identification guide June 2021 Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 129, June 2021. Prepared by K. Travaille and M. Hourston Cover: Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). Photo: Matthew Pember. Illustrations © R.Swainston/www.anima.net.au Bird images donated by Important disclaimer The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Gordon Stephenson House 140 William Street PERTH WA 6000 Telephone: (08) 6551 4444 Website: dpird.wa.gov.au ABN: 18 951 343 745 ISSN: 1447 - 2058 (Print) ISBN: 978-1-877098-22-2 (Print) ISSN: 2206 - 0928 (Online) ISBN: 978-1-877098-23-9 (Online) Copyright © State of Western Australia (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development), 2021. ii Marine protected species ID guide Contents About this guide �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������1 Protected species legislation and international agreements 3 Reporting interactions ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������4 Marine mammals �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������5 Relative size of cetaceans �������������������������������������������������������������������������5
    [Show full text]
  • Biodiversity of Arctic Marine Fishes: Taxonomy and Zoogeography
    Mar Biodiv DOI 10.1007/s12526-010-0070-z ARCTIC OCEAN DIVERSITY SYNTHESIS Biodiversity of arctic marine fishes: taxonomy and zoogeography Catherine W. Mecklenburg & Peter Rask Møller & Dirk Steinke Received: 3 June 2010 /Revised: 23 September 2010 /Accepted: 1 November 2010 # Senckenberg, Gesellschaft für Naturforschung and Springer 2010 Abstract Taxonomic and distributional information on each Six families in Cottoidei with 72 species and five in fish species found in arctic marine waters is reviewed, and a Zoarcoidei with 55 species account for more than half list of families and species with commentary on distributional (52.5%) the species. This study produced CO1 sequences for records is presented. The list incorporates results from 106 of the 242 species. Sequence variability in the barcode examination of museum collections of arctic marine fishes region permits discrimination of all species. The average dating back to the 1830s. It also incorporates results from sequence variation within species was 0.3% (range 0–3.5%), DNA barcoding, used to complement morphological charac- while the average genetic distance between congeners was ters in evaluating problematic taxa and to assist in identifica- 4.7% (range 3.7–13.3%). The CO1 sequences support tion of specimens collected in recent expeditions. Barcoding taxonomic separation of some species, such as Osmerus results are depicted in a neighbor-joining tree of 880 CO1 dentex and O. mordax and Liparis bathyarcticus and L. (cytochrome c oxidase 1 gene) sequences distributed among gibbus; and synonymy of others, like Myoxocephalus 165 species from the arctic region and adjacent waters, and verrucosus in M. scorpius and Gymnelus knipowitschi in discussed in the family reviews.
    [Show full text]
  • (Teleostei: Syngnathidae: Hippocampinae) from The
    Disponible en ligne sur www.sciencedirect.com Annales de Paléontologie 98 (2012) 131–151 Original article The first known fossil record of pygmy pipehorses (Teleostei: Syngnathidae: Hippocampinae) from the Miocene Coprolitic Horizon, Tunjice Hills, Slovenia La première découverte de fossiles d’hippocampes « pygmy pipehorses » (Teleostei : Syngnathidae : Hippocampinae) de l’Horizon Coprolithique du Miocène des collines de Tunjice, Slovénie a,∗ b Jure Zaloharˇ , Tomazˇ Hitij a Department of Geology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Aˇskerˇceva 12, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia b Dental School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Hrvatski trg 6, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Available online 27 March 2012 Abstract The first known fossil record of pygmy pipehorses is described. The fossils were collected in the Middle Miocene (Sarmatian) beds of the Coprolitic Horizon in the Tunjice Hills, Slovenia. They belong to a new genus and species Hippotropiscis frenki, which was similar to the extant representatives of Acentronura, Amphelikturus, Idiotropiscis, and Kyonemichthys genera. Hippotropiscis frenki lived among seagrasses and macroalgae and probably also on a mud and silt bottom in the temperate shallow coastal waters of the western part of the Central Paratethys Sea. The high coronet on the head, the ridge system and the high angle at which the head is angled ventrad indicate that Hippotropiscis is most related to Idiotropiscis and Hippocampus (seahorses) and probably separated from the main seahorse lineage later than Idiotropiscis. © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved. Keywords: Seahorses; Slovenia; Coprolitic Horizon; Sarmatian; Miocene Résumé L’article décrit la première découverte connue de fossiles d’hippocampes « pygmy pipehorses ». Les fos- siles ont été trouvés dans les plages du Miocène moyen (Sarmatien) de l’horizon coprolithique dans les collines de Tunjice, en Slovénie.
    [Show full text]
  • Marine Fishes from Galicia (NW Spain): an Updated Checklist
    1 2 Marine fishes from Galicia (NW Spain): an updated checklist 3 4 5 RAFAEL BAÑON1, DAVID VILLEGAS-RÍOS2, ALBERTO SERRANO3, 6 GONZALO MUCIENTES2,4 & JUAN CARLOS ARRONTE3 7 8 9 10 1 Servizo de Planificación, Dirección Xeral de Recursos Mariños, Consellería de Pesca 11 e Asuntos Marítimos, Rúa do Valiño 63-65, 15703 Santiago de Compostela, Spain. E- 12 mail: [email protected] 13 2 CSIC. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas. Eduardo Cabello 6, 36208 Vigo 14 (Pontevedra), Spain. E-mail: [email protected] (D. V-R); [email protected] 15 (G.M.). 16 3 Instituto Español de Oceanografía, C.O. de Santander, Santander, Spain. E-mail: 17 [email protected] (A.S); [email protected] (J.-C. A). 18 4Centro Tecnológico del Mar, CETMAR. Eduardo Cabello s.n., 36208. Vigo 19 (Pontevedra), Spain. 20 21 Abstract 22 23 An annotated checklist of the marine fishes from Galician waters is presented. The list 24 is based on historical literature records and new revisions. The ichthyofauna list is 25 composed by 397 species very diversified in 2 superclass, 3 class, 35 orders, 139 1 1 families and 288 genus. The order Perciformes is the most diverse one with 37 families, 2 91 genus and 135 species. Gobiidae (19 species) and Sparidae (19 species) are the 3 richest families. Biogeographically, the Lusitanian group includes 203 species (51.1%), 4 followed by 149 species of the Atlantic (37.5%), then 28 of the Boreal (7.1%), and 17 5 of the African (4.3%) groups. We have recognized 41 new records, and 3 other records 6 have been identified as doubtful.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rise of Seahorses
    Just like seahorses, they have a prehen - sile tail that they use to hold onto vege - tation, a tough exoskeleton consisting of bony rings, and fused jaws used to suck in small prey items. Like male seahorses, their males have a brood pouch in which they fertilise the eggs they collect from the females and in which they then brood their young. There is only one major difference – they do not swim upright. Aptly named “pygmy pipehorses” to Seahorses are the only bony fishes that permanently swim upright. Photo: Robert Harcourt reflect that they look like a cross between a pipefish and a seahorse, the significance of these small fishes as a surviving evolu - tionary link between pipefishes and seahorses has largely been overlooked. The pygmy pipehorses themselves can The Rise of be divided into two major groups that seem to reflect different stages of evolu - tion on the way to the seahorse. One occurs in the Indo-West Pacific (genus Seahorses Acentronura ) and the Caribbean (genus Amphelikturus ), and its species look like BY PETER TESKE and LUCIANO BEHEREGARAY short pipefishes. The other group (Idiotropiscis ) has so far only been found in temperate Australian waters and, with Genetic data indicate that tectonic changes in Australasia and the the exception of an upright posture, its associated formation of vast seagrass meadows may have driven three species resemble seahorses to even the evolution of upright posture in seahorses. the tiniest detail, even having a distinct neck region and a coronet (the crest or eahorses (genus Hippocampus) are transitional forms, suggesting that keel that seahorses have on top of their unique among the bony fishes as seahorses must have evolved earlier.
    [Show full text]
  • Musculoskeletal Structure of the Feeding System and Implications of Snout Elongation in Hippocampus Reidi and Dunckerocampus Dactyliophorus
    Journal of Fish Biology (2011) 78, 1799–1823 doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2011.02957.x, available online at wileyonlinelibrary.com Musculoskeletal structure of the feeding system and implications of snout elongation in Hippocampus reidi and Dunckerocampus dactyliophorus H. Leysen*†, J. Christiaens*, B. De Kegel*, M. N. Boone‡, L. Van Hoorebeke‡ and D. Adriaens* *Research Group Evolutionary Morphology of Vertebrates, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Gent, Belgium and ‡UGCT, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Proeftuinstraat 86, B-9000 Gent, Belgium A thorough morphological description of the feeding apparatus in Hippocampus reidi, a long-snouted seahorse, and Dunckerocampus dactyliophorus, an extremely long-snouted pipefish, revealed spe- cialized features that might be associated with the fast and powerful suction feeding, like the two ligamentous connections between the lower jaw and the hyoid, the saddle joint of the latter with the suspensorium and the vertebro-pectoral fusion that articulates on three points with the cranium. Despite the conserved morphology of the feeding apparatus, it was found that in H. reidi the orien- tation of the occipital joint is ventrocaudal, the sternohyoideus and epaxial muscles are more bulky and both have a short tendon. In D. dactyliophorus, on the other hand, the protractor hyoidei muscle is enclosed by the mandibulo-hyoid ligament, the sternohyoideus and epaxial tendons are long and a sesamoid bone is present in the latter. These features were compared to other syngnathid species with different snout lengths to evaluate the implications of snout elongation on the musculoskeletal structure of the cranium. The arched path of the adductor mandibulae and the greater rigidity of the lower jaw might be related to elongation of the snout, as it yields an increased mechanical advantage of the lower jaw system and a reduced torque between the elements of the lower jaw during protractor hyoidei muscle contraction, respectively.
    [Show full text]