Taxonomy and Phylogenetic Relationships of Cyprinid Fish of Genus Hemiculter (Cyprinidae, Xenocypridinae): Sharpbellies of the Species Group Hemiculter lucidus

Sculpin fishes belonging to the family Cottidae represent a large and complex group, inhabiting a wide range of freshwater, brackish-water, and marine environments. Numerous studies based on analysis of their morphology and genetic makeup frequently provided controversial results. In the present work, we sequenced complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes and fragments of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) of the fourhorn sculpin Myoxocephalus quadricornis and some related cottids to increase the power of phylogenetic and taxonomic analyses of this complex fish group. A comparison of the My. quadricornis mt genomes obtained by us with other complete mt genomes available in GenBank has revealed a surprisingly low divergence (3.06 ± 0.12%) with Megalocottus platycephalus and, at the same time, a significantly higher divergence (7.89 ± 0.16%) with the species of the genus Myoxocephalus. Correspondingly, phylogenetic analyses have shown that My. quadricornis is clustered with Me. platycephalus but not with the Myoxocephalus species. Completely consistent patterns of divergence and tree topologies have been obtained based on nuclear rDNA. Thus, the multi-gene data in the present work indicates obvious contradictions in the relationships between the Myoxocephalus and Megalocottus species studied. An extensive phylogenetic analysis has provided evidence for a closer affinity of My. quadricornis with the species of the genus Megalocottus than with the species of the genus Myoxocephalus. A recombination analysis, along with the additional GenBank data, excludes introgression and/or incorrect taxonomic identification as the possible causative factors responsible for the observed closer affinity between the two species from different genera. The above facts necessitate realignment of the genera Myoxocephalus and Megalocottus. The genetic data supports the two recognized genera, Myoxocephalus and Megalocottus, but suggests changing their compositions through transferring My. quadricornis to the genus Megalocottus. The results of the present study resolve the relationships within a complex group of sculpin fishes and show a promising approach to phylogenetic systematics (as a key organizing principle in biodiversity research) for a better understanding of the taxonomy and evolution of fishes and for supplying relevant information to address various fish biodiversity conservation and management issues.

Osteological features are important to study the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationship of fishes. Since there is no information is available about osteological features of Squalius orientalis , therefore this study was aimed to provide a detailed description of the osteological features of this species from the Urmia lake basin of Iran and comparing it with population of S. orientalis from the Caspian Sea basin. For this purpose, the specimens were collected from Zarineh River of the Urmia lake basin and cleared and stained with alizarin red S and alcian blue for osteological examinations. Finally, a detailed osteological features of this species was provided and compared with those of the Caspian Sea basin. Based on the results, having a longer pre-vomer, dorsally oriented parasphenoid alar, longer ventral blade-shaped process of the orbitosphenoid, concaved masticatory plate, pointed ascending process of the palatine, concaved posterior margin of the opercle, and a small posterior process of the cleithrum can differentiate S. orientalis of the Urmia Lake basin from those of the Caspian Sea basin. In addition, the observed osteological difference suggest that both studied populations belong to same taxon.

The Southern Ocean is experiencing complex climate change, and the Amundsen Sea is one of the regions that has responded most rapidly to climate change. Due to their role in ecosystems, environmental sensitivity and high endemism, Antarctic demersal fish are a favorable group that can act as an indicator of the response of Antarctic organisms to climate change. However, our knowledge of Antarctic fish fauna is insufficient, with knowledge gaps even in their taxonomy. This situation is greatly influenced by the limitations of traditional taxonomy and thus calls for alternative solutions such as DNA barcoding. In this study, DNA barcoding analyses of 69 fish samples obtained from the Amundsen Sea were conducted using the mitochondrial COI gene. Based on the molecular species delimitation results, 13 fish species were found to belong to two orders, six families, and 12 genera. Both the maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods showed that the phylogenetic relationships of Bathydraconidae were paraphyletic, which was consistent with previous phylogenetic research. Our research showed that the COI gene, as a DNA barcode, is not only suitable for the identification of Antarctic fish species but also reflects some phylogenetic characteristics that might provide important evidence and support for studies of Antarctic fish phylogenetic relationships. In summary, our study provides an important reference for fish diversity and taxonomy in the Amundsen Sea, which may further enhance our understanding of the biodiversity, taxonomy and biogeography of fish in this area.

Phylogenetic Relationships and Taxonomy of the Carp Fish of Genus Hemiculter (Cyprinidae, Xenocypridinae): Species of the Group H. leucisculus

Purpose : Fish species of the family Channidae, commonly known as snakeheads, represent biggest and most caught native freshwater species in Sri Lanka. Despite importance for biodiversity and fisheries in Sri Lanka, members of this family are one of the least studied on taxonomic status and geographic distribution.Research Method : As an initial step of a study to revise the taxonomy and biogeography of freshwater fish in the family Channidae based on molecular phylogenetic and morphological relationships and biogeographical affinities, authors reviewed all the available published information and examined the specimens available at the National Museum of Sri Lanka.Findings : Six valid species have been recorded; Channa ara (Deraniyagala, 1945), C. marulius (Hamilton, 1822) C. kelaartii (Gunther,1861), C. orientalis Bloch and Schneider 1801 C. punctata (Bloch, 1794) and C. striata (Bloch, 1793). Current review suggests the exiting knowledge on the phylogeny and biogeography of Channidae in Sri Lanka is far from complete, identifying specific gaps to be prioritized in future research.Limitations : Current regional studies on the family Chanidae highlight the importance of a complete systematic revision of Sri Lankan species with an integrative approach. Literature review shows the necessity of a fresh analysis on the distribution data with ecological niche modeling and molecular phylogenetic studies to understand biogeographical and evolutionary history of the family.Originality / Value : Provides a consolidated account of the current knowledge on the taxonomy and biogeography of the Sri Lankan members of the family Channidae.

A review of the anatomy, taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography of the African neoboline cyprinid fishes

When the first Indo-Pacific Fish Conference (IPFC1) was held in Sydney in 1981, there were still many problems in the generic- and species-level taxonomy of all tetraodontiform families except for the recently reviewed Triacanthodidae and Triacanthidae. The period from IPFC1 to IPFC9 (1981−2013) was a time of great progress in the taxonomy and systematics of the Tetraodontiformes: many review and revisional papers have been published for various genera and species, with descriptions of many new taxa occurring mainly on coral reefs and in tropical freshwaters; and cladistic analyses of morphological characters have been performed to clarify phylogenetic relationships of various families and molecular analyses have greatly progressed to provide detailed phylogenetic relationships of families, genera, and even species. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review on developments in the taxonomy and systematics of the Tetraodontiformes, focusing primarily on contributions since 1980 (when James C. Tyler’s monumental work was published) through the period of IPFCs, including pertinent publications before 1980. This paper recognizes 412 extant species in the 10 families of living Tetraodontiformes, with the allocation of species and genera as follows: Triacanthodidae including 23 species in 11 genera, Triacanthidae seven species in four genera, Balistidae 37 species in 12 genera, Monacanthidae 102 species in 27 genera, Aracanidae 13 species in six genera, Ostraciidae 22 species in five genera, Triodontidae monotypic, Tetraodontidae 184 species in 27 genera, Diodontidae 18 species in seven genera, and Molidae five species in three genera. Phylogenetic relationships of the families have been clarified by morphological and molecular analyses and have provided well-supported sister relationships of the families: Triacanthodidae and Triacanthidae, Balistidae and Monacanthidae, and Tetraodontidae and Diodontidae. However, there remain problems with the phylogenetic positions of the Triodontidae and Molidae due to conflicts of differing positions in morphological and molecular studies (e.g., Molidae has been placed differently among molecular studies).

The systematics and taxonomy of poeciliid fishes (guppies and allies) remain poorly understood despite the relative importance of these species as model systems in the biological sciences. This study focuses on testing the monophyly of the nominal poeciliine tribe Heterandriini and the genus Heterandria, through examination of the morphological characters on which the current classification is based. These characters include aspects of body shape (morphometrics), scale and fin-ray counts (meristics), pigmentation, the cephalic laterosensory system, and osteological features of the neurocranium, oral jaws and suspensorium, branchial basket, pectoral girdle, and the gonopodium and its supports. A Maximum Parsimony analysis was conducted of 150 characters coded for 56 poeciliid and outgroup species, including 22 of 45 heterandriin species (from the accounted in Parenti & Rauchenberger, 1989), or seven of nine heterandriin species (from the accounted in Lucinda & Reis, 2005). Multistate characters were analyzed as both unordered and ordered, and iterative a posteriori weighting was used to improve tree resolution. Tree topologies obtained from these analyses support the monophyly of the Middle American species of "Heterandria," which based on available phylogenetic information, are herein reassigned to the genus Pseudoxiphophorus. None of the characters used in previous studies to characterize the nominal taxon Heterandriini are found to be unambiguously diagnostic. Some of these characters are shared with species in other poeciliid tribes, and others are reversed within the Heterandriini. These results support the hypothesis that Pseudoxiphophorus is monophyletic, and that this clade is not the closest relative of H. formosa (the type species) from southeastern North America. Available morphological data are not sufficient to assess the phylogenetic relationships of H. formosa with respect to other members of the Heterandriini. The results further suggest that most tribe-level taxa of the Poeciliinae are not monophyletic, and that further work remains to resolve the evolutionary relationships of this group.

Here, we review and discuss the records and taxonomy of the Ypresian (Eocene) chondrichthyans from the famous Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte in northeastern Italy. Despite the outstanding diversity and the numerous studies focusing on the actinopterygian faunas from Pesciara and Monte Postale, the current knowledge about the systematics, taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of the cartilaginous fishes from these Eocene sites remains elusive and largely inadequate. The celebrated Eocene Bolca Lagerstätte has yielded several exquisitely preserved articulated remains of chondrichthyan fishes in which delicate structures and soft tissues are preserved, as well as isolated teeth. The cartilaginous fish assemblage of Bolca comprises at least 17 species-level taxa belonging to 10 families in 6 orders, including selachians (Carcharhiniformes, Lamniformes), batoids (Torpediniformes, Myliobatiformes, Rajiformes) and holocephalans (Chimaeriformes). The occurrence of holocephalans represented by an isolated fin-spine of the chimeroid Ischyodus in the Bolca assemblage is reported here for the first time and represents the first record of chimeroids in the Eocene of Italy and also southern Europe. The Bolca chondrichthyan assemblage is remarkably different from those of other contemporaneous Boreal or Tethyan deposits, suggesting that its taxonomic composition is largely influenced by the palaeoenvironmental context. However, this synoptic review also highlights the importance of detailed revisions of all chondrichthyan remains from the Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätten.

Half-fin anchovy (Setipinna tenuifilis) is one of the most important economic fishes around the world. In the present study, we determined the complete mitochondrial DNA sequence and organization of S. tenuifilis. The entire mitochondrial genome is a circular-molecule of 16,215 bp in length, which encodes 37 genes in all. These genes comprise 13 protein-coding genes (ATP6 and 8, COI–III, Cytb, ND1-6, and 4L), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), and two ribosomal RNA genes (12S and 16S rRNAs), with gene arrangement and content basically identical to those of other species of Engraulidae. The result of phylogenetic analysis strongly supported that S. tenuifilis was first clustered together with Setipinna melanochir and formed a monophyly in the genus Coilia, and then they constituted a sister-group relationship with two genus Engraulis, and Stolephorus. It concluded that the S. tenuifilis should be classified into the genus Setipinna. The present study also revealed the phylogenetic relationship of this genus at molecular levels. The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of S. tenuifilis can provide basic information for the studies on molecular taxonomy and phylogeny of teleost fishes.

There is increasing evidence that species diversity is underestimated in the current taxonomy of widespread freshwater fishes. The bagrid species T. albomarginatus s.l. is mainly distributed in the lowlands of South China, as currently identified. A total of 40 localities (including the type locality), which covers most of its known range, were sampled. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on concatenated mtDNA and nuclear genes recover nine highly supported lineages clustering into eight geographic populations. The integration of molecular evidence, morphological data, and geographic distribution demonstrates the delineation of T. albomarginatus s.l. as eight putative species. Four species, namely, T. albomarginatus, T. lani, T. analis, and T. zhangfei sp. nov. and the T. similis complex are taxonomically recognized herein. Moreover, T. zhangfei sp. nov. comprises two genetically distinct lineages with no morphological and geographical difference. This study also reveals aspects of estimation of divergence time, distribution, and ecological adaption within the T. albomarginatus group. The unraveling of the hidden species diversity of this lowland bagrid fish highlights the need for not only the molecular scrutiny of widely distributed species of South China but also the adjustment of current biodiversity conservation strategies to protect the largely overlooked diversity of fishes from low-elevation rapids.

In order to improve our understanding of the characterization of Cheilinus fasciatus mitogenome and the classification status in Labridae, the full-length mtDNA of C. fasciatus was sequenced, which is 16,872 bp in length with the higher A + T content (53%). It is composed of 37 typical vertebrate mitochondrial genes and a noncoding control region (D-loop). Except for the ND6 gene and eight tRNAs, the rest of the genes are encoded on the heavy strand (H-strand). Subsequent phylogenetic analyses support that C. fasciatus belongs to the genus Cheilinus, which is closely related to two genera (Chlorurus and Scarus). The present study will provide important information for future understanding evolutionary theory, population molecular genetics and biological taxonomy of labrid fish.

There is increasing evidence that species diversity is underestimated in the current taxonomy of widespread freshwater fishes. The bagrid species T.albomarginatus s.l. is mainly distributed in the lowlands of South China as currently identified. A total of forty localities (including the type locality), which covers most of its known range, were sampled. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on concatenated mtDNA and nuclear genes recover nine highly-supported lineages clustering into eight geographic populations. The integration of molecular evidence, morphological data and geographic distribution demonstrates the delineation of T. albomarginatus s.l. as eight putative species. Four species, namely T. albomarginatus, T. lani, T. analis and T. zhangfei sp. nov. and the T. similis complex are taxonomically recognized herein. Moreover, T. zhangfei sp. nov. comprises two genetically distinct lineages with no morphological and geographical difference. This study also reveals aspects of estimation of divergence time, distribution and ecological adaption within the T. albomarginatus group. The unraveling of the hidden species diversity of this lowland bagrid fish highlights the need for not only the molecular scrutiny of widely distributed species of South China, but also for the adjustment of current biodiversity conservation strategies to protect the largely overlooked diversity of fishes from low elevation rapids.

Three new species of Cobitis, C. fasciola sp. nov., C. crassicauda sp. nov. and C. stenocauda sp. nov. are found from the River Xinjiang and the River Le'anjiang, tributaries of Lake Poyang, belonging to the River Yangtze system, Jiangxi Province, China. These cobitid fish are described based on the morphology features such as the pigmentation pattern, shape of lamina circularis, body scales, mouth character and sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) gene, which can be used for molecular identification and diagnosis of these species. Illustrations of the morphology characters of new species are given, and phylogenetic analysis identifies deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) lineages closely related to these cobitid fish. Traditional taxonomy of cobitid fish of the subfamily Cobitinae is discussed based on the recent molecular phylogenies of these cobitid fish.

Miyamoto, M. M. (Department of Biological Sciences, Allan Hancock Foundation, University of Southern California, University Park, Los Angeles, California 90007) 1981. Congruence among character sets in phylogenetic studies of the frog genus Leptodactylus. Syst. Zool., 30:281-290.-Four species groups of the neotropical frog genus Leptodactylus are currently recognized on the bases of morphological arnd life history characteristics. The fuscus and pentadactylus groups are related as a monophyletic cluster, whereas the phylogenetic relationships of the melanonotus and ocellatus groups remain unknown. Five species representing all four species groups occur in Costa Rica. This study examined protein variability among four Costa Rican species as ascertained by electrophoretic and histochemical techniques. The presumptive genetic data were analyzed cladistically with the Wagner method. This procedure constructed a cladogram for the Costa Rican species which was congruent with the phylogenetic relationships proposed for their species groups from morphological and life history characteristics. This congruence among phylogenetic inferences based on different character sets argues for the continued recognition of species group relationships as currently viewed within the genus. [Leptodactylus; Costa Rica; phylogenetic relationships; electrophoresis, Wagner analysis; congruence.] The genus Leptodactylus (Leptodactylidae) contains approximately 30 nominal species of primarily neotropical frogs (Heyer, 1969a). Four species groups (fuscus, melanonotus, ocellatus, and pentadactylus) are currently recognized within the genus on the bases of morphological and life history characteristics (Heyer, 1969b, 1970a, 1974, 1978, 1979). Phylogenetic relationships among the species groups are represented in Figure 1 as ascertained by Heyer (1969c) from cladistic analysis of the morphological and life history data. The fuscus and pentadactylus groups are related as a monophyletic cluster, whereas the relationships of the melanonotus and ocellatus groups remain in question as reflected by the unresolved trichotomy at the base of the phylogeny. His patristic distances suggest that the melanonotus and ocellatus groups are relatively primitive and that the fuscus and pentadactylus groups are intermediate and derived, respectively, with respect to morphological and life history characteristics. Five species representing all four species groups of Leptodactylus occur in Costa Rica (Taylor, 1952; Heyer, 1970b; Savage, 1980). Leptodactylus bolivianus, L. melanonotus, and L. pentadactylus are the sole Costa Rican representatives of the ocellatus, melanonotus, and pentadactylus groups, respectively. The fuscus group is represented in Costa Rica by two species, L. fragilis and L. poecilochilus. The occurrence of taxonomically diverse species in Costa Rica provides an opportunity to test the phylogenetic relationships among the species groups of Leptodactylus. Phylogenetic relationships among the Costa Rican species must be congruent with the phylogeny recognized for their species groups if the latter are to be considered a stable and useful representation of evolutionary history within the genus. This study examines protein variability among the Costa Rican Leptodactylus (excluding L. fragilis) as ascertained by electrophoretic and histochemical techniques (Case et al., 1975; Case, 1978a, 1978b). Presumptive genetic data are analyzed with cladistic methods and these results are compared against the