Species of Garra (Cyprinidae: Labeoninae) in the Salween River basin with description of an enigmatic new species from the Ataran River drainage of Thailand and Myanmar.

Garra panitvongi, new species, is described from the Ataran River drainage, Salween River basin, of southeastern Myanmar and western Thailand. It is the sixth species of Garra known from the Salween River basin and is readily distinguished from all congeners by the red-orange color of the body and caudal fin, and a pointed proboscis with a blue stripe on each side from the anterior margin of the orbit to the tip of the proboscis and with the stripes forming a V-shape. Garra panitvongi is known in the aquarium trade as the Redtail Garra. Descriptive information is provided on poorly known species of Garra in the Salween River basin, and Garra nujiangensis is transferred to Ageneiogarra.

Review of the spotted lizard loaches, Pseudohomaloptera (Cypriniformes: Balitoridae) with a re-description of Pseudohomaloptera sexmaculata and description of a new species from Sumatra.

A review of the six recognized species of Pseudohomaloptera is provided. Counts in the original description of Pseudohomaloptera sexmaculata Fowler (1934) were incorrect and led to confusion in identifying populations of Pseudohomaloptera in mainland Southeast Asia, and the species is re-described. The validity of Homaloptera septemmaculata Fowler (1934) is investigated and confirmed as a junior synonym of P. sexmaculata. P. sexmaculata and Pseudohomaloptera leonardi, similar morphologically and often misidentified, are widely distributed in mainland Southeast Asia, with P. sexmaculata in the Chao Phraya, Mae Klong and Pran Buri River basins, and P. leonardi in the Malay Peninsula and the Chao Phraya and Mekong River basins. Pseudohomaloptera yunnanensis and Pseudohomaloptera vulgaris have been reported from the Mekong basin of Thailand and Laos but appear to be restricted to Yunnan Province, China. A new species of Pseudohomaloptera is described from Sumatra. This is the southern-most species and first record for the genus from the Indonesian island. An identification key is provided for all species of the genus.

They like to move it (move it): walking kinematics of balitorid loaches of Thailand.

Balitorid loaches are a family of fishes that exhibit morphological adaptations to living in fast flowing water, including an enlarged sacral rib that creates a 'hip'-like skeletal connection between the pelvis and the axial skeleton. The presence of this sacral rib, the robustness of which varies across the family, is hypothesized to facilitate terrestrial locomotion seen in the family. Terrestrial locomotion in balitorids is unlike that of any known fish: the locomotion resembles that of terrestrial tetrapods. Emergence and convergence of terrestrial locomotion from water to land has been studied in fossils; however, studying balitorid walking provides a present-day natural laboratory to examine the convergent evolution of walking movements. We tested the hypothesis that balitorid species with more robust connections between the pelvic and axial skeleton (M3 morphotype) are more effective at walking than species with reduced connectivity (M1 morphotype). We predicted that robust connections would facilitate travel per step and increase mass support during movement. We collected high-speed video of walking in seven balitorid species to analyze kinematic variables. The connection between internal anatomy and locomotion on land are revealed herein with digitized video analysis, µCT scans, and in the context of the phylogenetic history of this family of fishes. Our species sampling covered the extremes of previously identified sacral rib morphotypes, M1 and M3. Although we hypothesized the robustness of the sacral rib to have a strong influence on walking performance, there was not a large reduction in walking ability in the species with the least modified rib (M1). Instead, walking kinematics varied between the two balitorid subfamilies with a generally more 'walk-like' behavior in the Balitorinae and more 'swim-like' behavior in the Homalopteroidinae. The type of terrestrial locomotion displayed in balitorids is unique among living fishes and aids in our understanding of the extent to which a sacral connection facilitates terrestrial walking.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Jaguar Loach (Yasuhikotakia splendida).

Herein, we present the complete mitochondrial genome of the Jaguar Loach, Yasuhikotakia splendida. The sequence was determined from an aquarium specimen using a next-generation sequencing approach. The annotated Y. splendida mitogenome was 16,695 bp in length and contained 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and 1 non-coding control region. The Y. splendida mitogenome displayed an A + T bias with an overall base composition of 32.0% A, 24.7% T, 27.6% C, and 15.7% G. Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses, based on the aligned mitogenome sequences of 22 botiid loach species from each of the 8 genera and 3 outgroups, generated nearly identical trees that supported the Jaguar Loach as the sister species to the Skunk Loach, Y. morleti.

Use of web-based species occurrence information systems by academics and government professionals.

Web-based information systems designed to increase access to species occurrence data for use in research and natural resource decision-making have become more prevalent over the past few decades. The effectiveness of these systems depends on their usability and extent of use by their intended audiences. We conducted an online survey of academics and government professionals in the United States to compare their species occurrence data needs and their perceptions and use of web-based species occurrence information systems. Our results indicate that although views and perceptions held by academics and government professionals about the importance, usefulness, and ease of use of these information systems tend to be similar, there were differences in their use of species occurrence data and web-based species occurrence information systems. The baseline information obtained in this study will help inform future directions for improvements in species occurrence information systems.

Skeletal and muscular pelvic morphology of hillstream loaches (Cypriniformes: Balitoridae).

The rheophilic hillstream loaches (Balitoridae) of South and Southeast Asia possess a range of pelvic girdle morphologies, which may be attributed to adaptations for locomotion against rapidly flowing water. Specifically, the connectivity of the pelvic plate (basipterygium) to the vertebral column via a sacral rib, and the relative size and shape of the sacral rib, fall within a spectrum of three discrete morphotypes: long, narrow rib that meets the basipterygium; thicker, slightly curved rib meeting the basipterygium; and robust crested rib interlocking with the basipterygium. Species in this third category with more robust sacral rib connections between the basipterygium and vertebral column are capable of walking out of water with a tetrapod-like lateral-sequence, diagonal-couplet gait. This behavior has not been observed in species lacking direct skeletal connection between the vertebrae and the pelvis. The phylogenetic positions of the morphotypes were visualized by matching the morphological features onto a novel hypothesis of relationships for the family Balitoridae. The morphotypes determined through skeletal morphology were correlated with patterns observed in the pelvic muscle morphology of these fishes. Transitions towards increasingly robust pelvic girdle attachment were coincident with a more anterior origin on the basipterygium and more lateral insertion of the muscles on the fin rays, along with a reduction of the superficial abductors and adductors with more posterior insertions. These modifications are expected to provide a mechanical advantage for generating force against the ground. Inclusion of the enigmatic cave-adapted balitorid Cryptotora thamicola into the most data-rich balitorid phylogeny reveals its closest relatives, providing insight into the origin of the skeletal connection between the axial skeleton and basipterygium.

Awareness and use of biodiversity collections by fish biologists.

A survey of 280 fish biologists from a diverse pool of disciplines was conducted in order to assess the use made of biodiversity collections and how collections can better collect, curate and share the data they have. From the responses, data for how fish biologists use collections, what data they find the most useful, what factors influence the decisions to use collections, how they access the data and explore why some fish biologists make the decision to not use biodiversity collections is collated and reported. The results of which could be used to formulate sustainability plans for collections administrators and staff who curate fish biodiversity collections, while also highlighting the diversity of data and uses to researchers.

A revised molecular phylogeny reveals polyphyly in Schistura (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Nemacheilidae).

There is a general consensus that the genus Schistura (Nemacheilidae), currently with 241 species, is not monophyletic. However, weak morphological synapomorphies and a lack of genetic data for most species of Schistura and their presumptive relatives have prevented meaningful diagnoses of species groups within this genus. To aid in deciphering evolutionary relationships, sequence data from two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b and D-loop) were implemented in phylogenetic analyses for species of Schistura and other nemacheilids for which data from earlier studies and recently collected material were available. This analysis of 67 nemacheilid species, including 28 species of Schistura, provides the most comprehensive phylogeny of Nemacheilidae to date. In the phylogenetic tree for the combined data set, species of Schistura clustered in three clades. One clade contained 14 species of Schistura and Sectoria heterognathos and was sister to Homatula. A second clade of 11 species of Schistura was in a larger clade with Turcinoemacheilus kosswigi and Nemacheilus corica. The third clade contained three species, all from the Mae Khlong basin of Thailand. Taxonomic implications of these results are discussed; however, a more taxon-rich dataset and nuclear sequence data are needed before making taxonomic changes.

A survey of digitized data from U.S. fish collections in the iDigBio data aggregator.

Recent changes in institutional cyberinfrastructure and collections data storage methods have dramatically improved accessibility of specimen-based data through the use of digital databases and data aggregators. This analysis of digitized fish collections in the U.S. demonstrates how information from data aggregators, in this case iDigBio, can be extracted and analyzed. Data from U.S. institutional fish collections in iDigBio were explored through a strictly programmatic approach using the ridigbio package and fishfindR web application. iDigBio facilitates the aggregation of collections data on a purely voluntary fashion that requires collection staff to consent to sharing of their data. Not all collections are sharing their data with iDigBio, but the data harvested from 38 of the 143 known fish collections in the U.S. that are in iDigBio account for the majority of fish specimens housed in U.S. collections. In the 22 years since publication of the last survey providing information on these 38 collections, 1,219,168 specimen records (lots), 15,225,744 specimens, 3,192 primary types, and 32,868 records of secondary types have been added. This is an increase of 65.1% in the number of cataloged records and an increase of 56.1% in the number of specimens. In addition to providing specimen-based data for research, education, and various outreach activities, data that are accessible via data aggregators can be used to develop accurate, up-to-date reports of information on institutional collections. Such reports present collections data in an organized and accessible fashion and can guide targeted efforts by collections personnel to meet discipline-specific needs and make data more transparent to downstream users. Data from this survey will be updated and published regularly in a dynamic web application that will aid collections staff in communicating collections value while simultaneously giving stakeholders a way to explore collections holdings as they relate to the institutions in which they are housed. It is through this resource that collections will be able to leverage their data against those of similar collections to aid in the procurement of financial and institutional support.

Papers on fishes of Asia, including those presented at international conferences of the Asian Society of Ichthyologists in Taipei, Taiwan in 2016, and in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2017 (Cover Copytight page).

(Cover Copytight page).

Papers on fishes of Asia, including those presented at international conferences of the Asian Society of Ichthyologists in Taipei, Taiwan in 2016, and in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2017 (Table of Contents).

(Table of Contents).

Preface.

The Asian Society of Ichthyologists (ASI) was established in February 2014 in Penang, Malaysia following organizational meetings in 2012 in Chiang Mai, Thailand and in 2013 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.

Revision of the horseface loaches (Cobitidae, Acantopsis), with descriptions of three new species from Southeast Asia.

Acantopsis (Cobitidae) is revised based on analysis of morphological and molecular data. Four of the six available names, A. dialuzona, A. spectabilis, A. octoactinotos, and A. thiemmedhi, are valid, and three new species, A. rungthipae, A. dinema, and A. ioa, are described. All species are described morphologically, distributions are mapped, and relationships are discussed for those for which molecular data (CO1, RAG1) are available. Labial barbels, color pattern, and meristic counts are the most diagnostic features. Although the long snout of Acantopsis is perhaps the most emblematic attribute of the genus, its relative length increases with growth, reducing its taxonomic value. Species can be difficult to identify on the basis of color pattern alone, as habitat and preservation methods appear to strongly influence the color pattern. Despite interspecific overlap of some highly variable traits, each species has a unique set of morphological characteristics that remain observable even when the color pattern is obscured, and some species are restricted to single drainages, greatly simplifying identification. The phylogenetic analyses revealed high molecular divergence between even the most morphologically similar species, with mean uncorrected CO1 p-distances between species ranging from 12.1-15.4%. Species of Acantopsis exhibit significant genetic structuring consistent with recognized freshwater ecoregions. Acanthopsis lachnostoma Rutter 1897, from Swatow, China, is not assignable to Acantopsis.

Comment on "On Gonorynchus, Gonorhynchus, Gonorinchus, Gonorhinchus, and Gonorrhynchus, and some other names of labeonine fishes (Teleostei: Gonorhynchidae and Cyprinidae)" by Kottelat (2016).

Kottelat (2016) noted that 'Gonorhynchus McClelland, 1838,' the name used for a South Asian cyprinid genus recognized by Yang et al. (2012) and revised by Ciccotto & Page (2016), does not exist or is a junior homonym of Gonorhynchus Cuvier, 1816. He further noted that Tariqilabeo Mirza & Saboohi, 1990 is the valid genus name for the species recognized in Gonorhynchus by Yang et al. (2012) and by Ciccotto & Page (2016). Kottelat also rejected the placement of Epalzeorhynchus bicornis Wu, 1977 in this genus by Yang et al. (2012), instead placing it in the monotypic Akrokolioplax Zhang & Kottelat, 2006, and questioned the validity of the designation of the neotype of Cyprinus latius Hamilton, 1822 by Ciccotto & Page (2016). While we are in agreement with the validity of Tariqilabeo, we disagree with the use of Akrokolioplax and defend the designation of the neotype for C. latius.

Revised diagnosis of the genus Gonorhynchus McClelland (Teleostei: Cyprinidae: Labeonini) with redescription of G. latius (Hamilton) and revalidation of G. wattanah (Sykes).

A new diagnosis of the genus Gonorhynchus McClelland 1838 from South Asia is proposed. Seven species are contained in the genus: G. latius (Hamilton 1822), G. diplochilus (Heckel 1838), G. wattanah (Sykes 1839), G. macmahoni (Zugmayer 1912), G. burmanicus (Hora 1936), G. bicornis (Wu 1977), and G. periyarensis (Menon & Jacob 1996). Gonorhynchus latius, a senior synonym of the type species G. brevis M'Clelland 1839 is redescribed. Crossocheilus gohama (M'Clelland 1839) and Crossochilus rostratus Günther 1868 are considered junior synonyms of G. latius, and a neotype is designated for G. latius. Gonorhynchus wattanah (Sykes 1839) from the Krishna and Godavari River basins in western India is revalidated and redescribed with the designation of a neotype. Akrokolioplax Zhang & Kottelat 2006 is a junior synonym of Gonorhynchus.

Aperioptus pictorius Richardson 1848 is a senior synonym of Acanthopsoides molobrion Siebert 1991, and Aperioptus is a senior synonym of Acanthopsoides Fowler 1934 (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae).

Aperioptus pictorius was described by Richardson in 1848 with limited textual information but with an illustration sufficient to confirm the species as one currently recognized as Acanthopsoides molobrion making Aperioptus a senior synonym of Acanthopsoides Fowler 1934 and A. pictorius a senior synonym of Acanthopsoides molobrion Siebert 1991. Species to be recognized in Aperioptus in addition to A. molobrion are A. gracilis (Fowler 1934), A. gracilentus (Smith 1945), A. delphax (Siebert 1991), A. hapalias (Siebert 1991), and A. robertsi (Siebert 1991). Aperioptus also is a senior synonym of Neacanthopsis Smith 1945, type species Neacanthopsis gracilentus.

Revision of the Amphilius jacksonii complex (Siluriformes: Amphiliidae), with the descriptions of five new species.

The Amphilius jacksonii complex is revised, and five new species are described: A. ruziziensis n. sp. from the Ruzizi River drainage and northeastern tributaries of Lake Tanganyika; A. pedunculus n. sp. from the Malagarasi River drainage, Lake Rukwa basin, and upper Great Ruaha River drainage, Rufiji basin; A. frieli n. sp. from the upper Congo basin; A. crassus n. sp. from the Rufiji and Wami basins; and A. lujani n. sp. from the Lake Kyogo drainage, northeastern tributaries of Lake Victoria, and the Lake Manyara basin.

On the paraphyly of Homaloptera (Teleostei: Balitoridae) and description of a new genus of hillstream loaches from the Western Ghats of India.

Homaloptera van Hasselt 1823 as treated historically exhibits substantial morphological diversity and is paraphyletic based on both morphological and molecular data. The morphological diversity and phylogenetic relationships of Homaloptera, Homalopteroides Fowler 1905, Homalopterula Fowler 1940, and Balitoropsis Smith 1945, are elucidated. Pseudohomaloptera Silas 1953 is removed from the synonymy of Homaloptera. Homalopteroidini is created for the monophyly of Homalopteroides and Homalopterula; it is the sister group to balitorini Swainson 1839. Ghatsa n. gen. is created for species previously assigned to Homaloptera from the Western Ghats of India, and a redescription of Ghatsa montana (Herre 1945) is provided.

Consequences of Decreased Light Harvesting Capability on Photosystem II Function in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.

Cyanobacteria use large pigment-protein complexes called phycobilisomes to harvest light energy primarily for photosystem II (PSII). We used a series of mutants with partial to complete reduction of phycobilisomes to examine the effects of antenna truncation on photosystem function in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. The antenna mutants CB, CK, and PAL expressed increasing levels of functional PSII centers to compensate for the loss of phycobilisomes, with a concomitant decrease in photosystem I (PSI). This increased PSII titer led to progressively higher oxygen evolution rates on a per chlorophyll basis. The mutants also exhibited impaired S-state transition profiles for oxygen evolution. Additionally, P700+ re-reduction rates were impacted by antenna reduction. Thus, a decrease in antenna size resulted in overall physiological changes in light harvesting and delivery to PSII as well as changes in downstream electron transfer to PSI.