Platax Teira Research Articles

Defining environmental risk assessment criteria for genetically modified fishes to be placed on the EU market

Defining environmental risk assessment criteria for genetically modified fishes to be placed on the EU market

Multitestis Manter 1931 (Digenea: Lepocreadiidae) in ephippid and chaetodontid fishes (Perciformes) in the south-western Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean off Western Australia

Five species of the genus Multitestis are described, figured or discussed: Multitestis pyriformis from Platax orbicularis off Lizard Island, northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia and Platax teira off New Caledonia; Multitestis coradioni n. sp. (syn. Multitestis pyriformis Machida, 1963 of Bray et al. (1994)) from Coradion chrysozonus off Heron Island, which differs from M. pyriformis in its oval body-shape, the more posteriorly situated testicular fields and larger eggs, Multitestis elongatus from Platax pinnatus off Lizard Island, Multitestis magnacetabulum from P. teira off Heron Island, southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia, and New Caledonia, Multitestis paramagnacetabulum n. sp. from P. orbicularis off Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia, which differs from M. magnacetabulum in the more posteriorly situated testicular fields.

Diploproctodaeum spp. (Digenea, Lepocreadiidae) in Australian and New Caledonian waters including two new species from Tetraodontiformes and new records of related species

AbstractDiploproctodaeum monstrosum sp. nov. is described from Arothron stellatus and A. mappa from off Lizard Island, northern Great Barrier Reef. It differs from its congeners in having a body-length ventral scoop. Diploproctodaeum triodoni sp. nov. is described from Triodon macropterus off New Caledonia. It is distinguished by the extensive vitelline fields usually reaching to the ventral sucker and the folded scoop margins. Other related species are reported from new hosts or localities and dimensions are supplied for: Diploproctodaeum haustrum from Aluterus monoceros off New Caledonia; Diploproctodaeum arothroni from Arothron hispidus off Lizard Island and Ningaloo Reef, northern Western Australia, A. nigropunctatus off Lizard Island and Arothron manilensis off New Caledonia; Diploproctodaeum macracetabulum from Abalistes stellatus on the Swain Reefs, southern Great Barrier Reef and off New Caledonia; Diploproctodaeum momoaafata from Ostracion cubicus off Lizard Island; Diploproctodaeum rutellum from Platax teira off Heron Island, southern Great Barrier Reef; Diploproctodaeoides longipygum from Abalistes stellatus on the Swain Reefs and off New Caledonia; Diplocreadium tsontso from Balistoides conspicillum off Heron Island; Bianium arabicum from Lagocephalus sceleratus off New Caledonia. Attention is drawn to apparent convergent evolution in the body form of several families of trematodes infecting tetraodontids and especially species of Arothron.

Ontogeny of in situ behaviours relevant to dispersal and population connectivity in larvae of coral-reef fishes

Behaviour during the pelagic larval stage of coral-reef fishes can strongly influence dispersal, yet little is known of behavioural ontogeny. Speed, orientation and vertical distribution of larvae of 4 coral-reef fishes (Platax teira, Ephippidae; Lutjanus malabaricus, Lutjanidae; Epinephelus coioides, E. fuscoguttatus, Serranidae; 6 to 23 mm) were measured in situ off Taiwan. In E. coioides and E. fuscoguttatus, speed was 2 to 30 cm s -1 (4 to 19 body lengths s -1 , BL s -1 ), and increased at 1.4 to 2.3 cm s -1 mm -1 . In P. teira and L. malabaricus, speed was 11.2 to 16.6 cm s -1 (4 to 20 BL s -1 ) across the size range. All but the smallest, slowest larvae had Reynolds numbers >1000, and so swam in an inertial environment. In situ speeds were 39 to 87% of critical speeds, and smaller larvae swam nearer to critical speed than larger larvae. Of the larvae 71 to 90% swam directionally, but neither percentage of directional individuals nor orientation precision increased with size. P. teira swam toward the southwest (offshore). Epinephelus species undertook ontogenetic changes in orientation. Neither orientation nor ontogenetic changes were found in L. malabaricus. Horizontal swimming can influence dispersal directly. Vertical distribution, which differed among species, can influence dis- persal indirectly. P. teira became surface orientated, ascending 0.8 m per mm increase in length. L. malabaricus descended 0.5 m per mm increase in length. E. coioides ascended 0.4 m per mm increase in length. E. fuscoguttatus preferred greater depths, and lacked ontogenetic changes. The behaviours and their development show these larval reef fishes can influence dispersal in species- specific ways.

Ontogeny of swimming speed in larvae of pelagic-spawning, tropical, marine fishes

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 349:255-267 (2007) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07107 Ontogeny of swimming speed in larvae of pelagic-spawning, tropical, marine fishes Jeffrey M. Leis1,3,*, Amanda C. Hay1, Matthew M. Lockett1, Jeng-Ping Chen2, Lee-Shing Fang2,4 1Ichthyology, Australian Museum, 6 College Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia 2National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, 2 Houwan Road, Checheng, Pingtung 944, Taiwan 3School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia 4Present address: Department of Sport, Health and Leisure, Cheng Shiu University, 840 Chengcing Road, Niaosong hsiang, Kaohsiung County 83347, Taiwan *Email: jeff.leis@austmus.gov.au ABSTRACT: During the pelagic larval phase of teleost fishes, the larvae are subject to dispersal by currents. Dispersal trajectories can be substantially modified if the larvae have sufficient swimming abilities, so it is important to document how swimming ability develops during the pelagic larval phase. We used reared larvae (4 to 29 mm standard length) from commercial aquaculture farms in Taiwan to measure the development of swimming ability (critical speed, Ucrit) in larvae of 9 species (from 7 families) of Indo-Pacific coral reef and coastal fishes that hatch from pelagic eggs: Trachinotus blochii (Carangidae – jacks), Chanos chanos (Chanidae – milkfish), Platax teira (Ephippidae –batfishes), Leiognathus equulus (Leiognathidae – ponyfishes), Lutjanus malabaricus (Lutjanidae – snappers), Eleutheronema tetradactylum (Polynemidae – threadfins), and Epinephelus coioides, E. fuscoguttatus and E. malabaricus (Serranidae – groupers). Mean critical swimming speeds increased from <5 cm s–1 in the smallest larvae to a maximum of 47 cm s–1 in settlement stage larvae, with the increase in speed by the time of settlement ranging from 6- to 100-fold. Increase in swimming speed was more strongly correlated with size of larvae (R2 = 0.38 to 0.93, p < 0.005) than with age (correlation with age was absent in 3 species and explained 10 to 43% less variation than did size in the others). The relationship between speed and size was linear. In 6 species (T. blochii, C. chanos, L. malabaricus and the 3 Epinephelus species) speed increased at a rate of 2.1 to 2.6 cm s–1 for each 1 mm increase in size. Three species (P. teira, L. equulus and E. tetradactylum) had a significantly slower rate of increase of 1.3 to 1.7 cm s–1 for each 1 mm increase in size. On average, the best performers in each 1 mm size increment were 1.5 to 7.3 cm s–1 faster than mean performers, depending on species. Throughout development the vast majority of mean length-specific speeds were 10 to 20 body lengths (BL) s–1, and length-specific speed increased significantly with size in 6 species. Maximum length-specific speeds for each species reached 18 to 31 BL s–1. Although the ontogeny of swimming speed varies among species of tropical marine fishes, over similar size ranges, larvae that hatch from pelagic eggs have swimming abilities similar to those reported for larvae that hatch from demersal eggs. KEY WORDS: Marine fishes · Pelagic eggs · Pelagic larvae · Swimming speed · Ontogeny · Dispersal · Serranidae · Lutjanidae · Carangidae · Chanidae Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Leis JM, Hay AC, Lockett MM, Chen J, Fang L (2007) Ontogeny of swimming speed in larvae of pelagic-spawning, tropical, marine fishes. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 349:255-267. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07107Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 349. Online publication date: November 08, 2007 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2007 Inter-Research.

A new alien fish in the Mediterranean Sea – Platax teira (Forsskål, 1775) (Osteichthyes: Ephippidae)

A single Platax teira (Forsskal, 1775) specimen was captured off Bodrum (southern Aegean Sea, Turkey) on 5 March 2006. It is the first record of this fish species in the Mediterranean Sea. Introduction of the species is probably due to an aquarium release.

New and rare tropical and subtropical fishes from northern New Zealand

Five fish species (Platax teira, Abudefduf vaigiensis, Chromis flavomaculata, Coris dorsomacula, and Aluterus scriptus) are recorded from New Zealand for the first time, and five species (Forcipiger flavissimus, Chromis vanderbilti, Chrysiptera rapanui, Parma kermadecensis, and Thalassoma lutescens) are newly recorded from mainland New Zealand. Five other species that have been reported previously in the popular press, or by name only, are confirmed as members of the New Zealand fauna (Carcharhinus longimanus, Etelis carbunculus, Istiophorus platypterus, Acanthocybium solandri, and Aseraggodes bahamondei). New observations of 20 previously reported tropical and subtropical species are also presented. Many of the fishes were observed in autumn 1996, 1998, and 1999, indicating recruitment or immigration when sea surface temperature (SST) was higher than average. Major influxes of tropical and subtropical fishes apparently occur during warm summers, although some warm periods were not accompanied by influxes, and a few tropical and subtropical fishes arrived when SST was average or below average. The most likely upstream source of reef fish larvae is Norfolk Island, and the principal transport mechanism is probably the East Auckland Current. The discovery in north‐eastern New Zealand of single individuals of Parma kermadecensis and the yellow form of Chrysiptera rapanui, both previously regarded as Kermadec Islands endemics, provides evidence for occasional larval transport from the Kermadecs to north‐eastern New Zealand.

Digenetic Trematodes from Marine Fishes of Waltair Coast, Bay of Bengal. I. Family Lepocreadiidae

Twelve species of lepocreadiid trematodes are reported from marine fishes of Waltair Coast. These include 3 new genera: Lobalocreadium, Opisthogonoporoides, and Cotylocreadium, and 6 new species: Preptetos chaetodoni sp. n. from Chaetodon pictus; Opechona waltairensis sp. n. from Rastrelliger kanagurta; Lobatocreadium manteri gen. et sp. n. from Sufflamen capistratus and Hemibalistes chrysoptera; Multitestis bengalensis sp. n. from Platax teira; Opisthogonoporoides hanumanthai gen. et sp. n. from Siganus oramin, Acanthurus mata, and A. strigosus; and Pseudocreadium indicum sp. n. from Monacanthus choirocephalus. Other species reported are Opechona bacillaris (Molin, 1859), Lepocreadioides indicum Srivastava, 1941, Transversocreadium cablei Hafeezullah, 1970, Bianium plicitum (Linton, 1928), Cotylocreadium triacanthi (Hafeezullah, 1970) gen. et comb. n., and Aephnidiogenes senegalensis Dollfus and Capron, 1958. The new combinations suggested are: Lobatocreadium exiguum (Manter, 1963) for Lepocreadium exiguum Manter, 1963; and Cotylocreadium triacanthi (Hafeezullah, 1970) for Diplocreadium triacanthi Hafeezullah, 1970. This paper is the first in the series of the papers to be published by the author on the digenetic trematodes collected from marine fishes of Waltair Coast, Bay of Bengal, India. The trematodes were collected over a period of 3 years. Twelve lepocreadiid trematodes, six of which are new, are reported. Parasites were washed in saline, fixed in AFA under cover glass pressure, stained in alum carmine or Delafield's hematoxylin, and mounted in balsam. All measurements are given in microns. Sucker ratios were computed from the average of length and width. Type specimens are deposited in the U. S. National Museum Helminthological Collections. Preptetos chaetodoni sp. n. (Figs. 1, 2) Host: Chaetodon pictus (Forskal), butterfly fish (Chaetodontidae). Location: Intestine. Number: 94 from 6 of 8 hosts. Holotype: USNM Helm. Coll. No. 72227. Description (measurements on 8 specimens): Body fusiform, pointed at each end, 1,488 to 2,640 long and 832 to 1,552 in maximum width; forebody 400 to 624 long without evident eyespot pigment; cuticle spined to level of ovary, spines often lost. Oral sucker 78 to 117 long by 86 to 137 wide; acetabulum in anterior third of body, 94 to 203 long by 98 to 168 wide, sucker ratio 1:1.2 to 2.0. Prepharynx absent; pharynx 59 to 86 long by 86 to 137 wide; esophagus 50 to 137 long; cecal bifurcation about midway between suckers, ceca narrow anteriorly, broader posteriorly terminating blindly at posterior end. Received for publication 13 July 1971. Genital pore to left of cecum at level of intestinal bifurcation. Testes large, smooth or crenulated, longer than wide, equal or subequal, 272 to 480 long by 224 to 400 wide, separated by excretory bladder, situated in middle of hindbody; posttesticular space 384 to 768. Cirrus sac stout, 242 to 390 long by 86 to 156 wide, preacetabular or just reaching acetabulum, extending obliquely, containing small seminal vesicle, oval prostatic vesicle, and muscular protrusible cirrus; genital atrium large; external seminal vesicle large, sinuous, tubular, extending posterior to acetabulum to about midway between acetabulum and ovary. Ovary median, deeply lobed, to left of anterior testis or slightly more anterior; large seminal receptacle between ovary and posterior testis; Mehlis' gland preovarian; Laurer's canal present. Vitelline follicles moderately large extending from level of intestinal bifurcation to posterior end of body, circumcecal, filling most of posttesticular space except region occupied by excretory bladder. Uterus preovarian, confined to left side, not extending beyond ceca, modified terminally into a short, thick metraterm opening into genital atrium. Eggs large, oval, 59 to 66 long by 35 to 43 wide. Excretory bladder I-shaped, long, extending between testes to anterior margin of acetabulum and then curving round anterior margin of acetabulum.