Mullus Research Articles

First Evidence of Potential Microplastic Ingestion of Yellow Striped Goat Fish Upeneus vitattus (Forsskal, 1775) Caught in Malita, Davao Occidental, Philippines

Microplastic (MP) study in the Philippines is gaining attention because of the recent trends in macro-microplastic study worldwide and there is already a call for research to help the degrading marine environment in the country. No study in Malita, Davao Occidental was conducted to document microplastic contamination. To address this gap, 30 goat fishes collected in 6 sampling stations were dissected and microplastic were extracted, counted, and characterized. Results revealed that 96.67% of samples were contaminated with microplastic. In terms of microplastic type, fiber was most dominant than fragments, in microplastic hue, color black was the most common and microplastic with size ranging from 50 to 500µm were usually observed. Comparable amount of microplastic was obtained in fish guts across stations (P>0.05) which means that fish ingestion of microplastic were evident in the area. Based on Correlation, the length (r2=0.13), wet weight (r2=0.17) and gut wet weight (r2=0.29) of the fish does not tell the amount of microplastic ingested by each yellow stripped goat fish since there is a weak relationship between the two parameters. The result suggests, Malita’s seawater is already polluted with microplastic and demersal fishes that practice high site fidelity were very susceptible to microplastic ingestion. A stronger solid waste management policy must be implemented and activities such coastal clean ups and information drives must be initiated by all stakeholders. Further, microplastic investigation in seawater and sediments must be conducted to have a more detailed study of the whole extent of microplastic contamination in Malita, Davao Occidental.

Occurrence of longfin goatfish Upeneus supravittatus (Uiblein and Heemstra, 2010) along Chennai coast, south India

Goatfishes (Family: Mullidae) are commercially important fishery resource along the Chennai coast, south-eastern India.Species-level identification of goatfishes is a challenge, particularly in the ‘vittatus’ group, as there is severe overlapof taxonomic characteristics. In 2010, Uiblein and Heemstra revised the Family Mullidae and reported the occurrenceof Upeneus supravittatus along the Indian coast. They also remarked that U. supravittatus has been misidentified asU. taeniopterus in earlier reports from India. To resolve this and verify the occurrence of U. supravittatus, 15 morphometriccharacteristics and 13 meristic characteristics of goatfish samples collected at Chennai were analysed and compared withthe corresponding data reported by Uiblein and Heemstra for U. taeniopterus and four other ‘vittatus’ group goat fishes. Theanalysis, as well as DNA bar coding and area of distribution of species confirmed the samples as Upeneus supravittatus.The gill raker count on the upper and lower limbs of first gill arch was an important key in identifying the species. Thoughthe number of gill rakers was almost similar for U. supravittatus, U. vittatus and U. taeniopterus, the size and position ofthe gill rakers confirmed that the collected samples were all U. supravittatus. The study also indicates the possibility thatU. supravittatus has been hitherto wrongly reported as U. taeniopterus. A detailed taxonomic study on the Family Mullidaeneeds to be undertaken along the Indian coast using morphometric and meristic characteristics and DNA barcoding toresolve these taxonomic issues. Keywords: DNA barcoding, Gill rakers, Species identification, ‘vittatus’ group

Inter and intra-specific relationship between goat fishes Upeneus vittatus (Forsskal, 1775) and Upeneus tragula based on their mtCOI gene from Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar Coast (Mandapam, Tamil Nadu) of India

The identification of goatfish has been commonly performed morphologically. Although traditional patterns of identification are available, there are still difficulties in differentiating species because of their similar appearances. The present study attempted to differentiate the two species Upeneus vittatus and U. tragula based on their mtCOI gene and to study their phylogenetic relationships. Six specimens of U. tragula were collected from the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, and their mtCOI gene was sequenced and grouped with the mtCOI of three U. tragula (KU499646, KX887495, and KC147800), and mtCOI of three U. vittatus (KX024776, KT823808, and KU944141) from the NCBI portal. The neighbor-joining tree revealed that the U. vittatus and U. tragula had a common ancestor. Two specimens of U. tragula, one from the Gulf of Mannar and one from Palk Bay (MN319645 and MN319650) were very closely related to the U. vittatus of Gulf of Mannar (KX024776) with a similarity of 86.34 % and 86.99 % respectively which denotes they might have evolved from the U. vittatus due to allopatric speciation. U. tragula (MN319645 and MN319650) are closely related to each other. The overall mean genetic distance, d = 0.2, indicated that the 12 specimens had conserved regions. The study also revealed that speciation occurs among U. tragula populations in both the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, which might be due to migratory populations or allopatry within a cryptic species.

Distribution fisheries resources of Small Island in Estuary Area: An assessment in Bunyu Island, North Kalimantan, Indonesia

Understanding the spatial distribution of potential fish resources can optimize the management of capture fisheries, especially in coastal areas on small islands with limited supporting activities factors. Swept analysis is applied to the study of distribution of fish resources in waters around Bunyu Island in order to estimate spatial distribution of fish populations in Bunyu Island waters of North Kalimantan based on biomass, weight and number of fish abundance and to examine the effect of different sampling location and time difference of observation. Observations were made in 8 sampling areas around Bunyu Island waters in 3 periods, namely the southern season, the peak of southern seasons and the transition of the southern seasons to the northern seasons. Fish resources found in Bunyu Island waters are 59 species and non fish are 18 species, consist of 61 species of demersal fish and 16 pelagic species. Types of dominant demersal fish caught are 6 species and always found in 3 sampling periods namely Gulamah (Belanger’s croaker, Johnius belangerii), Kuniran (Goat fishes, Upeneus sulphureus), Kurisi (Threadfin bream, Nemipterus sp.), Ote-Ote/Manyung (catfishes/Arius caelatus), Pepetek (ponyfish, Leiognathus sp.), and Puput (ray-finned fishes, Ilisha elongata). By area, the total biomass of fish resources from the three surveys showed variation. The lowest biomass of fish resources was found in the southeast of Bunyu Island (area H) of 890.92 kg / km2 and the highest was found in the southern area of Bunyu Island (area G) of 3804.11 kg / km2. Area H shows consistency in the least amount of biomass in each survey. Differences in biomass of fish resources are affected by the migration of fish determined by changes in sea current patterns, food availability, and predation.

A new species and new records of goatfishes of the genus Parupeneus (Mullidae) from the Indian Ocean, with updated occurrence information for P.jansenii in the Western Pacific

Goatfishes of the genus Parupeneus (Mullidae), from several areas and countries of the Indo-West Pacific, were studied, focusing on species characterized by a symmetrically rounded rear end of the maxilla, which belong to the so-called heptacanthus group. We examined 62 meristic and morphometric characters and colour patterns from 180 specimens from 11 Parupeneus species, using a comprehensive alpha-taxonomy approach. When possible, the data for species represented by wider size ranges were split into two size classes (small-sized fish, < 110 mm SL, vs. large-sized fish ≥ 110 mm SL) to account for allometric changes in body form. A new species, P. inayatae Uiblein & Fahmi, is described, based on a specimen collected in SW Lom-bok, Indonesia, and new records for four species are reported from the Indian Ocean: Parupeneus fraserorum new for Mozambique, P.jansenii new for Myanmar and the NE Indian Ocean, P. nansen new for Tanzania, and P. procerigena new for the Nazareth Bank and Mauritus (Cargados Carajos Bank), Western Indian Ocean (WIO). The record of P.jansenii for Myanmar was compared in detail to 37 conspecific specimens from the entire distribution range (western Indonesia to Japan and Vietnam to NE Australia). The latter revealed two new Pacific records for the Central Philippines and for Shikoku Island, Japan (northernmost record of the species). For each of the eight heptacanthus-group species, diagnoses are provided along with remarks on intraspecific size- and/or population-related variation and/or other noteworthy observations. The new species can be distinguished from all other 32 congeners as follows: dorsal head margin in front of eyes concave shaped; posterior maxilla margin evenly, symmetrically rounded; body, head, and caudal peduncle moderately deep; pectoral and pelvic fins subequal in length; and caudal peduncle clearly deeper than 9.5 % SL; in life a dusky spot on lateral line below interdorsal space, followed posteriorly by a bright orange blotch. Detailed comparisons among all eight heptacanthus-group species and with three other similar and/or co-occurring congeners revealed considerable similarity between two species pairs, P.jansenii (Eastern Indian Ocean and Western Pacific) and P. nansen (WIO), and P. fraserorum and P. procerigena (both from the WIO). The need to further intensify taxonomie studies and accompanying fisheries-biology and ecological studies of goatfishes in the large realm of the Indo-West Pacific is emphasized.

DNA Barcoding Uncover Cryptic Diversity in Goat Fishes (Family: Mullidae) Across the Egyptian Coastal Waters.

Despite ongoing efforts to protect species and ecosystems in the egyptian costs of the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea, habitat degradation, overfishing and pollution have posed serious challenges to marine natural resources. In spite of the accumulated knowledge on the systematics of commercial fishes in Egypt recent results suggested that we are far from having a complete picture of egyptian fish diversity. The accurate identification of species is a very important component in many fields of biological research and conservation efforts. The high level of expertise and time consuming process needed means a loss in biodiversity. Successful species identification is now frequently based on a combination of approaches including morphometrics and the sequencing of the mitochondrial COI gene known as the DNA barcoding. This study employed COI sequencing alongside traditional taxonomic identification methods and uncovered cryptic diversity within the goat fish species of Family Mullidae, four species collected from both the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Upeneus pori, Upeneus vittatus, Mullus surmuletus and Mullus barbatus samples from the Red Sea and the Mediterranean were clustered separately in a NJ tree indicating the possibility of the presence of cryptic species complex. All species could be differentiated by their COI sequence.

First isolation of Mycobacterium spp. in Mullus spp. in Turkey.

Ichthyozoonotic Mycobacterium spp. poses health risks both to fish and humans. In this study, the presence of ichthyozoonotic Mycobacterium spp. was investigated in red mullet (Mullus barbatus barbatus) and surmullet (Mullus surmuletus), widely caught species in the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea. A total of 208 fish samples, provided from fishermen of Mersin province (Turkey) were studied. Using conventional methods, Mycobacterium spp. was isolated and identified at the genus level by PCR and at the species level by PCR-RFLP. Thirteen Mycobacterium spp. were detected in 13 (6.25%) fish samples. Four mycobacteria were identified as M. genavense, three as M. fortuitum, three as M. scrofulaceum, one as M. marinum, one as M. vaccae and one as M. aurum. No signs of mycobacteriosis were observed in fish samples. Findings of this study can contribute to future studies of onichthyozoonotic Mycobacterium spp. in seafood.

The relationship among spawning period, length at first maturity and depth distribution of Mullus barbatus and Upeneus moluccensis inhabiting the Northeastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey

This study examined the spawning characteristics and distribution of Mullus barbatus and Upeneus moluccensis in Babadillimani Bight, in the northeastern Mediterranean (near Mersin, Turkey) between of May 1999 and April 2000. Sampling was carried out monthly at depths of 0-50 m, 50-100 m and >100 m using commercial trawl net mesh size 22 mm knot to knot. The results showed no difference between the length at first maturity of males and females (t-test, P>0.001) in either M. barbatus or U. moluccensis . This length for the combined sexes was calculated to be 11.7 cm and 10.9 cm in M. barbatus and U. moluccensis , respectively. When monthly changes in the Gonadosomatic Index (GSI) values were evaluated, the spawning period was determined as July-November for M. barbatus and May-August for U. moluccensis . The mean total lengths from the individuals belonging to M. barbatus from depth layers of 0-50 m, 50-100 m and >100 m were calculated as 8.65 cm, 8.70 cm and 12.70 cm, respectively. Total lengths for U. moluccensis were calculated as 8.40 cm, 11.66 cm and 13.32 cm, respectively. The mean total length of M. barbatus and U. moluccensis increased from coastal areas to deeper waters. Therefore bottom trawl fishing must be conducted in waters deeper than 100 m for both M. barbatus and U. moluccensis .

QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT IN SALTED RED MULLET (MULLUS SURMULETUS, L. 1758)

In this study, microbiological and chemical properties of red mullet (Mullus surmuletus, L. 1758), treated by dry salting and stored for 120 days at 4 ± 1oC, were investigated. Samples were divided in two lots and put in glass (G) and in glazed crock (C) jars. Microbial load was low at 0 day and during a 120 day period; aerobic mesophilic, psychrophilic and alophilic/alotollerant bacteria counts increased during the first 7 days in both samples; then, a decrease occurred during the whole ripening period; total coliforms and yeast-mould counts were always low. Samples microbial load at 0 day showed a good quality of not processed fishes. pH value at 0 day was 6.65; then it decreased during ripening. Total volatile basic nitrogen and trimethylamine nitrogen values, at 0 day, were low (6,982 mg/100 g; 2,618 mg/100 g, respectively); during ripening the amounts slightly increased in both samples. Overall, a good samples stability during the whole ripening period was considered. Several volatile compounds were identified in all Mullus surmuletus specimens by SPME-GC-MS; in all the samples hexanal, heptanal and (Z)-4-heptanal, typical aroma compounds in salted fish, prevailed. Statistically significant (P< 0,05) differences between G and C and control sample (0 day) during ripening of salted mullet for chemical aspects were observed. The results, altogether, showed that dry salting process is useful to give stability to Mullus surmuletus. The jar material improved the development of typical aroma compounds and it could be proposed for a niche product made for use in a small and specialized, but profitable, market. The glass could be used for industrial production since it provides uniformity for aroma during the maturation.

Growth and reproduction of striped red mullet (Mullus surmuletus) in Izmir Bay.

Growth and reproduction of striped red mullet (Mullus surmuletus) in Izmir Bay.

Orta Karadeniz’de Dip Trolünün Av Kompozisyonu ve Etkileyen Faktörler / Catch composition of bottom trawl and affected factors in the middle Black Sea

OZET: Bu calisma Orta Karadeniz de Eylul 2002 - Nisan 2003 tarihleri arasinda gerceklestirilmistir. Calismada ticari teknelerle avlanan, mezgit (Gadus merlangus euxinus), barbunya (Mullus barbatus ponticus), kalkan (Psetta maxima maeotica), istavrit (Trachurus mediterraneus) ve cinekop (Pomatomus saltator), baliklarinin sig ( 75m) su kesimlerine ait av verileri degerlendirilmistir. Calismada ozellikle mezgit ve barbunya baliklarinin buyukluklerinin, avlamanin yapildigi aylar ve derinliklere gore onemli olcude degistigi belirlenmistir (p 75 m). Length compositions on these species were also analysed. The mean lengths of whiting and red mullets were significantly different by months and depths (p<0.05). Most of these differences were observed in November and December. We conclude that, fishing season and depths at which trawlings were performed had significant effect on the size of species caught in the study area. But it was not the case for the all species concerned. Key words: Middle Black Sea, bottom trawl, catch composition

Aspects of the biology and ecology of Caribbean reef fishes: Mullidae (goat–fishes)

The reef–dwelling goat–fishes, Pseudupeneus maculatus (Bloch) 1793 aand Mulloidichthys martinicus (C. &amp; V.) 1829, form a small, but valuable, component of fish–trap catches in the Caribbean Sea and adjacent regions. Investigations of these species in Jamaican waters have covered relative and absolute growth rates, spawning seasons, sizes at maturity, distribution patterns, size compositions of populations, relative abundances and mortality rates. Previous literature concerning the biology and ecology of these species is reviewed.

The Status of the Goatfishes (Mullidae) Described by Forsskål

The Status of the Goatfishes (Mullidae) Described by Forsskål

Comment on the proposed suppression of Mullus auriflamma Forsskal, 1775 (Pisces), Z.N. (S.) 1714

Comment on the proposed suppression of Mullus auriflamma Forsskal, 1775 (Pisces), Z.N. (S.) 1714