Complete mitochondrial genome of larged-eye pygmy goby Trimma macrophthalmus (Teleostei, Gobiidae) and its phylogenetic implications.

Trimma macrophthalmus is a colorful pygmy goby that is widely associated with coral and distributed in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Here, the complete mitochondrial genome of T. macrophthalmus was first sequenced and annotated. The entire mitogenome is a typical circular molecule (16,943 bp in total length) containing 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and 1 control region (CR). The overall base composition is 29.6% for A, 15.6% for G, 27.9% for C and 26.9% for T. Phylogenetic tree was reconstructed using concatenated 13 protein coding genes sequences of the 38 related taxa. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that T. macrophthalmus was most closely related to T. okinawae. These findings will contribute for further genetic studies such as evolution, DNA barcoding and molecular phylogeny of genus Trimma and related gobiid fishes.

Phylogeography of Aphyocypris normalis Nichols and Pope, 1927 at Hainan Island and adjacent areas based on mitochondrial DNA data.

We investigated the genetic structure of the freshwater fish Aphyocypris normalis, in 33 populations around Hainan Island and southern mainland China. Sequencing of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome b from 127 specimens yielded 47 haplotypes, from which we inferred a Bayesian tree. This revealed three major divergences: a principal clade of specimens with widespread geographic distribution, plus two clades with limited distribution. We estimated that these diverged between 1.05-0.16 Ma. Additionally, based on molecular data and comparing with the climate patterns of Hainan Island, eight phylogeographic ranges (populations) of A. normalis were constructed: the eastern plain (E), northeastern hills and plain (NE), northwestern hills and lowlands (NW), central mountains (C), southeastern hills and plain (SE), southern mountains and hills (S), southwestern mountains and lowlands (SW), and western lowlands (W). The patterns of geographical divergence in this species do not reflect the isolation caused by the Qiongzhou (Hainan) Strait, which would generally be experienced by terrestrial animals on isolated islands. The present results indicate that the major clades within A. normalis have diverged before the temporary land bridge existed across the strait during the Last Glacial Maximum.

Complete mitochondrial genome and phylogenetic analysis of black-fin stream jewel goby Stiphodon percnopterygionus (Gobiiformes: Gobiidae) from Taiwan.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the black-fin stream jewel goby Stiphodon percnopterygionus has been amplified and sequenced. The whole mitochondrial genome is 16,502 base pairs (bp) in total length and consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and 1 control region (CR). The overall base composition is 28.1% for A, 17.1% for G, 28.7% for C and 26.0% for T with AT comprising 54.1%. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using mitochondrial protein-coding genes (PCGs) sequence data for 34 related taxa of the order Gobiiformes showed that S. percnopterygionus is closely related to S. tuivi. These findings will contribute for phylogenetic, phylogeography and further genetic studies in genus Stiphodon and related gobiid fishes.

Long-term monitoring dataset of fish assemblages in rocky tidepools on the southern coast of Taiwan.

Long-term data of fish assemblages collected in the rocky intertidal zone provides a valuable resource for elucidating the temporal variations in species diversity and intertidal ecosystems. In this study, we describe a long-term time-series dataset of fish collected by counting the number of anesthetized fish at sampling stations in the rocky tidepools on the southern coast of Taiwan. The species assemblages were monitored seasonally at the two stations for 16 y (2000-2008 and 2012-2018). In total, 86 samples containing 5137 individuals belonging to 82 species were recorded. Our data can be used for elucidating the temporal variations in fish assemblages and intertidal ecosystems and as background information for the resilience of the fish community conservation in coastal areas. The current study presents valuable data for researchers to understand the temporal and spatial variations in species abundance, richness, diversity, and composition in relation to climate change, environmental factors, and human activities.

A new species of gobiid fish Lentipes niasensis (Gobiidae: Sicydiinae) from Nias Island, Indonesia.

A new species of goby of the subfamily Sicydiinae, Lentipes niasensis, is described from the stream of Humogo River, Nias Island, Indonesia. This species can be distinguished from all congeners by the following combination of features: (1) fin ray counts: D2 I/10; A I/10; P 17-18; D1 not connected to D2 in either sex. (2) squamation: LR 7-11; anterior half of body naked, lateral body scales present from 5-6th rays of second dorsal-fin to hypural, embedded in skin. (3) upper jaw teeth in male 14-19 and in female 33-38. (4) urogenital papilla in male slender and distally pointed, flanked by pair of associated fleshy lobes and not retractable into sheath-like groove. (5) distinctive colour pattern of male: upper lip greyish, red patches on the pectoral-fin base, on mid-body below origin of second dorsal-fin and at caudal peduncle.

A new freshwater goby, Rhinogobius lianchengensis (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from the Minjiang river basin, Fujian Province, China.

A new freshwater goby of Rhinogobius Gill, 1859, were collected from the Minjiang river basin, Fujian Province, PR China. The new goby, Rhinogobius lianchengensis n. sp. can be well distinguished from other congeneric species by the following combination of features: second dorsal fin I/8; anal fin I/6-7; pectoral fin modally 16-17; longitudinal scale rows 33-34; predorsal scales 0-3; vertebral count 27; and specific coloration pattern: scale pocket of lateral body with distal brown to blackish brown mark; cheek deep brown on dorsal half with 7-8 somewhat parallel oblique deep brown bars after the vertical stripe on snout in male; opercle brown to yellowish brown with net-like deep brown marks in both sexes; branchiostegal membrane bright yellow background with 16-19 deep red or brownish red spots in male; first dorsal fin with a black mark in male; pectoral fin base with a median patch of blackish spots surrounding with some irregularly large brown marks; and caudal fin yellow with 3-4 vertical rows of deep brown spots. A diagnostic key to all nominal Rhinogobius species from Fujian Province, PR China is provided.

A new freshwater gobiid species of Rhinogobius Gill, 1859 (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from northern Taiwan.

A new freshwater rhinogoby has been collected and surveyed from northern Taiwan. The new species, Rhinogobius yangminshanensis n. sp. with fluvial life history can be well distinguished from other congeners by the following combination of features: (1) fin rays: second dorsal fin rays I/9; anal fin rays I/8; pectoral fin rays modally 16; (2) squamation: longitudinal scale series 28-30 (modally 29); perdorsal scales 9-10 (modally 9); (4) vertebral count 27; (5) rear edge of mouth: merely extending to vertical of anterior margin of pupil in male and (6) specific colouration: lateral side with 6-7 longitudinal rows of bright orange to orange red spots in male which general size about 1/2 of pupil diameter. Cheek and opercle with 24-35 orange spots in male. Branchiostegal membrane with many minute orange spots in male. Caudal fin with distally orange zone in male with about 3 vertical rows of orange or orange red spots. First dorsal fin with broad orange band on distally 1/3 area. A middle black spot in abterior first dorsal fin. Pectoral fin with two rows red orange spots in male. The phylogenetic comparisons have revealed that the great mitogenetic differences of R. yangminshanensis with all other congeneric species and sister species would be R. rubromaculatus in Taiwan. A diagnostic key to all valid species of Rhinogobius from Taiwan is also provided.

A new freshwater goby of Rhinogobius lingtongyanensis (Teleostei, Gobiidae) from the Dongshi river basin, Fujian Province, southeastern China.

A new species of freshwater gobiid fish of genus Rhinogobius Gill, 1859, were collected from the upper tributary of Dongshi river basin of Janchou City in southern region of Fujian Province, China. Rhinogobius lingtongyanensis n. sp. can be well distinguished from other congeners by the following features: (1) fins: second dorsal fin rays I/8; anal fin rays I/7; pectoral fin rays modally 16; (2) squamation: longitudinal scale series 25-27 (modally 26); predorsal scales 3-6 (modally 5-6); (3) vertebral count 26; and (4) specific colouration in male: lateral body with 6-7 major patches of irregularly grayish to brownish black marks; cheek blackish brown with four oblique grayish black stripes; branchiostegal membrane grayish blue without any light spots; first dorsal fin broad grayish brown band in middle, outer margin pinkish orange; pectoral fin base with longitudinal deep brown bar in upper region; and caudal fin gray with four vertical rows of brown spots, its base with a short brownish black bar. It belongs to the non-diadromous, fluvial hill-stream species. A diagnostic key to all valid species from Fujian Province, China is also provided in this paper.

A new wriggler of Eleotrid (Teleostei: Xenisthmidae) from Taiwan.

A new wriggler of genus Xenisthmus was collected from Taitung and Pingtung Counties, Taiwan, while using SCUBA diving of coral reef fish survey. The new species, Xenisthmus nigrolateralis, can be well distinguished from other congeners by the following unique combination of features: (1) fins: second dorsal fin rays I/13; anal fin rays I/13; pectoral fin rays16; (2) squamation: longitudinal scale series 68-70; perdorsal scales 23; (3) vertebral count 10+16=26; (4) preopercular canal present with rather more, 5 pores γ1, γ, δ, ε, and ε1 and (5) specific colouration: lateral side with broad, deep brown stripe from rear of lateral gill opening to caudal fin base, and caudal fin with median blackish brown mark, and upper and lower regions translucent, the base with a vertical black bar. The comparison of other congeners would be also discussed in this paper.

Hemimyzon yushanensis, a new species of balitorid fish (Teleostei: Baltiordae) from southern Taiwan.

The new balitorid fish was collected in the Kaoping river basin from southern Taiwan. The new balitorid, Hemimyzon yushanensis n. sp. can be well distinguished from other congeneric species by following combination of features: (1) dorsal fin rays 3 + 8; pectoral fin rays 11-13 + 9-11 (total 22-23; modally 22); (2) lateral-line scales 69-72 (modally 70); predorsal scales 25-30 (26-27); (3) pelvic fin moderate large, extending to rear vertical of dorsal fin; (4) the position of anus with larger distance of pelvic rear tip to anus about 1.2-1.7 times of that of anus to anal fin origin; and (5) specific coloration: predrorsal region and head with rounded creamy yellow spots, pectoral and pelvic fins with several small whitish spots on greenish brown background. The morphological comparison of congeners and diagnostic key of Taiwanese species would be also provided in this paper.

A long-term monitoring dataset of fish assemblages in rocky tidepools on the northern coast of Taiwan.

The assemblage of fish species in the rocky intertidal zone is highly affected by the destructive impact of human activities and has an extended impact on land-sea interactions. There are a few long-term research projects that have focused on rocky intertidal ecosystems, especially on the resident fish community. Here, we describe a long-term time series dataset of fish collected by counting the number of anesthetized fishes at sampling stations in rocky tidepools in the intertidal zones on the northern coast of Taiwan. The species assemblages were monitored seasonally at three stations from 1999 to 2018. In total, 144 samples containing 1,577 individuals belonging to 106 species were recorded in the surveys. The resulting data can be used as background information for conservation and resilience studies of the fish community in coastal areas and to establish reasonable conservation strategies. This study presents valuable data to ecologists and fisheries biologists interested in understanding the temporal patterns of species abundance, richness, and composition in relation to environmental factors, climate change, and anthropogenic pressures.

A slender symbiotic goby hiding in burrows of mud shrimp Austinogebia edulis in western Taiwan.

The present study recorded the population of the goby fish (Perciformes: Gobiidae), Eutaeniichthys cf. gilli Jordan & Snyder, 1901, from the tunnel burrowed by the mud shrimp Austinogebia edulis Ngo-Ho and Chan, 1992 in a mudflat in Shengang and Wangong of Changhua County, western Taiwan. This finding is not only a new record of the genus in Taiwan, it is also the first record of this species in a mudflat near an industrial park. In total, 56 individuals of E. cf. gilli were collected from June 2016 to September 2018. Morphological traits of males and females were measured. The resin casting method trapped bodies of E. cf. gilli that were present in the tunnel burrow and proved that the fish inhabits burrows of the mud shrimp A. edulis. In addition, a species of snapping shrimp was also found in the same tunnel. Symbiotic interaction may occur between E. cf. gilli, A. eduli and the snapping shrimp. The China Coastal Current (CCC) runs along the coastlines of Japan, Korea, China, and reaches western Taiwan during the northeast monsoon period. The CCC, therefore, might play an important role in the biogeographic distribution of E. cf. gilli in the western Pacific Ocean. Since E. cf. gilli is listed in the Red List as an endangered species of Japan for many years, Taiwan waters may provide a refuge for this fish species warranting a broader investigation. Since Taiwan is some distance away from the previously recorded locations in Japan, Korea, the Yellow Sea, and the Bohai Sea, a phylogenic analysis is warranted for population and species differentiation in the future.

Description of A New Species of the Gudgeon Genus Microphysogobio Mori 1934 (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) from Guangdong Province, Southern China.

Shih-Pin Huang, I-Shiung Chen, Yahui Zhao, and Kwang-Tsao Shao (2018) Microphysogobio luhensis n. sp., a new cyprinid species, is described from the Rongjiang River in eastern Guangdong Province, China. Morphological characters and molecular evidence based on mitochondrial DNA Cytochrome b (Cyt b) and Cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences were used to compare this new species with other related species from mainland China, Vietnam and Taiwan. The present molecular evidences revealed that this new species is closely related to M. kachekensis and M. yunnanensis. However, these three species can be well distinguished based on the number of small pearl-like papillae on their inside papillae, lip papillae shape, barbel length, barbel width and color pattern. Furthermore, the morphometric comparison between M. kachekensis and the poorly known species M. yunnanensis is also discussed in this study for the first time. In addition, a diagnostic key to all 14 valid species of Microphysogobio from southern mainland China, Hainan Island and Taiwan is also provided.

A New Species of Microphysogobio (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) from Guangxi Province, Southern China.

Shih-Pin Huang, Yahui Zhao, I-Shiung Chen, and Kwang-Tsao Shao (2017) Microphysogobio zhangi n. sp., a new cyprinid species is described from Guangxi Province, China. Morphological and molecular evidence based on mitochondrial DNA Cytochrome b (Cyt b) sequence were used for comparing this new species and other related species. The phylogenetic tree topology revealed that this new species is closely related to M. elongatus and M. fukiensis. We also observed the existence of a peculiar trans-river gene ow in the Pearl River and the Yangtze River populations, and speculated that it was caused by an ancient arti cial canal, the Lingqu Canal, which forming a pathway directly connecting these two rivers.

Complete Mitochondrial Reveals a New Phylogenetic Perspective on the Brackish Water Goby Mugilogobius Group (Teleostei: Gobiidae: Gobionellinae).

The Mugilogobius group consists of brackish water gobionellines widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific region. Complete mitochondrial genome and morphological evidence was collected to estimate their phylogenetic relationship and taxonomic status. A total of 11 genera were sampled, including Brachygobius, Calamiana, Hemigobius, Mugilogobius, Pandaka, Pseudogobiopsis, Pseudogobius, Redigobius, Rhinogobius, Stigmatogobius, and Wuhanlinigobius, five of which were sequenced for the first time. A morphological phylogenetic tree was also reconstructed based on 35 characters. The molecular phylogenetic trees reveal that the Mugilogobius group contains four major clades. The present study also reveals that the adult male mouth size and forked sensory papillae row d can be considered as synapomorphies, and that the head pores on inter-orbital, anterior oculoscapular, and preopercular regions can be regarded as derived features among the Mugilogobius group. Furthermore, the absence of posterior oculoscapular pores may provide a clue for understanding the evolutionary history of the Mugilogobius group.

Multilocus approach reveals cryptic lineages in the goby Rhinogobius duospilus in Hong Kong streams: Role of paleodrainage systems in shaping marked population differentiation in a city.

Drainage history is a well-demonstrated factor that influences the population structure of freshwater inhabitants over a broad geographic scale. However, there has been little research undertaken on such a relationship with freshwater fish on a small geographical scale, especially in Asia. In this study, we investigated the role of local, small drainage systems in affecting the population genetic structure of a freshwater goby, Rhinogobius duospilus, in Hong Kong streams using a multilocus approach. Analyses on nine genetic markers (2 mitochondrial and 7 nuclear markers, including 5 microsatellite markers) reveal prominent and intensive genetic structuring (2.1-5.4% mtDNA sequence divergence) in R. duospilus in Hong Kong. The lineages and clusters recovered from mtDNA data and assignment analysis of nuclear markers coincide with the paleodrainage networks. Furthermore, marked population subdivision between streams located on different side branches (<20km apart) within the same paleodrainage area is observed and gene flow occurs only between closely situated streams that share common paleodrainage confluences. In an extreme case, gene flow is limited between streams that are less than 5km apart. Apparently, such an intensive population structure is attributed to the regional paleodrainage pattern, together with the highly sedentary life style of R. duospilus, which reduces contemporary gene flow and dispersal between populations in neighbouring streams.

The complete mitochondrial genome of whiskered eel goby Taenioides cirratus (Perciformes, Gobioidei).

The complete mitochondrial genome of whiskered eel goby Taenioides cirratus (Blyth) has been amplified and sequenced in this study. Taenioides cirratus was collected from Tainan City, Taiwan. The complete mitochondrial genome is 16,975 base pairs (bp) in total length, had the typical vertebrate mitochondrial gene arrangement, including 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNAs, 22 tRNAs, 1 control region (CR) and 1 light-strand replication origin (O(L)). The overall base composition of T. cirratus is 28.3% for A, 26.9% for T, 29.0% for C, and 15.9% for G, with higher A + T content as bias of 55.2%. This study will be rather beneficial for understanding the phylogenetic approach of the related eel goby genera among gobioids.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Temminck's minnow Nipponocypris temminckii (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae).

The complete mitochondrial genome of Temminck's minnow Nipponocypris temminckii (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) which is endemic to Japan and Korean Peninsula has been amplified and sequenced in this study. The complete mitochondrial genome is 16,618 base pairs (bp) in total length, had the typical vertebrate mitochondrial gene arrangement, including 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNAs, 22 tRNAs, 1 control region (CR) and 1 light-strand replication origin (OL). The overall base composition of N. temminckii is 30.5% for A, 26.5% for T, 26.4% for C, 16.6% for G, with higher AT content 57.0%. This study will be rather beneficial for understanding the phylogenetic approach of Nipponocypris species and other related genera of cyprinid fishes.