A new species of the cardinalfish genus Jaydia (Teleostei: Apogonidae) from the Philippines.

Jaydia erythrophthalma n. sp. is described from specimens collected during two recent biodiversity surveys along the east and west coasts of Luzon, Philippines. It is characterized by a first dorsal fin with eight spines, serrated posterior and crenulated ventral preopercular edges, reddish orange iris and two series of brown spots tinged in orange on the upper part of the body.

Owstonia aurora (Perciformes: Cepolidae: Owstoniinae), a new bandfish from the Philippines.

Owstonia aurora sp. nov. is described on the base of three specimens (69.8-88.0 mm in standard length) collected off East Luzon during the "Aurora 2007" Philippine Expedition. The new species differs from its congeners by the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin elements III, 21; anal-fin elements I, 14; gill rakers on first arch 35-38; cheek with 80-86 scales in 7-8 rows; lateral line without branch, not forming loop in front of dorsal-fin, ending below 17th to 22th dorsal-fin soft rays; oblique body scale rows in mid-lateral series 54-58; lower margin of preopercle rounded; prominent black blotch on anterior dorsal-fin membrane, and extend downward to dorsal-fin base, remaining membrane of dorsal, anal, and caudal fins red with white margins and bases, distinct white stripes on mid dorsal and caudal fin membranes; membranes between maxillary and premaxillary with discontinuous black stripes or patches.

Free-living marine nematodes community structure in the conservation area (Chaojing Park) and its adjacent area of Keelung, Taiwan.

Studies conducted in the same seas or even study sites nearby each other, showed very different community structure, implying the patchiness of free-living marine nematodes which may be related to the sedimentary environment such as sediment type and food availability of the study area. This study was motivated by the concerns about the impacts of high level of anthropogenic activities on Chaojing Park (gazetted as Wanghaixiang's Chao-Jing Bay Resource Conservation Area (WCJBRA) in 2016). The present study provides baseline knowledge of free-living marine nematode community structure in WCJBRA and identify potential marine nematodes as bioindicators to indicate possible impacts of the anthropogenic activities to the Chaojing Park. A total of 15 stations were selected in the subtidal zones of WCJBRA and its adjacent area. Marine nematode sample collection was carried out on the 13th and 14th of September 2019 using SCUBA diving technique. Results showed positive correlation between nematode density and medium sand (500µm-1.0mm). Presence of certain species such as Daptonema sp., Pomponema sp. and Innocuonema sp. indicates presence of disturbances in S12 and S13. Several species also showed potential to be introduced as indicator for healthy environment subjected to further studies on nematode-pollutants relationship, particularly on autecology as per se. Higher species diversity, H' index of S1-S8 and S11 was categorised as Good Condition; followed by station with moderate species diversity index (S9, S10, S14 -Moderate Condition) zone; and lastly S12, S13 and S15 (Poor Condition).

The complete mitochondrial genome of the salmon shark, Lamna ditropis (Chondrichthyes, Lamnidae).

The complete mitochondrial genome of the salmon shark consists of 16,699 bp and includes 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 1 replication origin region and 1 control region. The mitochondrial gene arrangement of the salmon shark is the same as that of most vertebrates. Base composition of the genome is A (29.6%), T (28.6%), C (27.1%), and G (14.8%).

OFER GON, YUN-CHIH LIAO & SHAO KWANG-TSAO (2015) A new species of the cardinalfish genus Jaydia (Teleostei: Apogonidae) from the Philippines. Zootaxa, 3980 (2): 286-292.

Table 1, catalogue number of holotype: replace ASIZP 68202 with PNM 15192. Table 1, catalogue number of 34.9 mm paratype: replace CAS 236506 with USNM 435707. Table 1, catalogue number of 46.5 mm paratype: replace CAS 236506 with SAIAB 200712

Long-term monitoring dataset of fish assemblages impinged at nuclear power plants in northern Taiwan.

The long-term species diversity patterns in marine fish communities are garnering increasing attention from ecologists and conservation biologists. However, current databases on quantitative abundance information lack consistent long-term time series, which are particularly important in exploring the possible underlying mechanism of community changes and evaluating the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation measures. Here we describe an impinged fish assemblage dataset containing 1, 283, 707 individuals from 439 taxa. Once a month over 19 years (1987-1990 and 2000-2014), we systematically collected the fish killed by impingement upon cooling water intake screens at two nuclear power plants on the northern coast of Taiwan. Because impingement surveys have low sampling errors and can be carried out over many years, they serve as an ideal sampling tool for monitoring how fish diversity and community structure vary over an extended period of time.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the big-eye thresher shark, Alopias superciliosus (Chondrichthyes, Alopiidae).

The complete mitochondrial genome of the big-eye thresher shark was sequenced using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method. The total length of mitochondrial DNA is 16,719 bp and includes 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA, 22 transfer RNA genes, 1 replication origin region and 1 control region. The mitochondrial gene arrangement of the big-eye thresher shark is the same as the one observed in the most vertebrates. Base composition of the genome is A (31.8%), T (28.9%), C (25.8%) and G (13.5%).

A molecular forensic method for identifying species composition of processed marine mammal meats.

We used universal primers designed for the cytochrome oxidase I (CO I) sequence of the order Cetacea and the family Phocidae to prove that meat fritters sold in Taiwan contained meat from two seal, six cetacean, and one pig species. The sequence information for CO I obtained in this study was limited and population genetics data for the eight sampled marine mammalian species was insufficient to deduce where these marine mammals were hunted. Regardless of the geographic origins of the marine mammal flesh, sale and consumption of marine mammals in Taiwan violates the Wildlife Conservation Act. This study provides PCR primers that could enable government testing of suspect meats to curtail the illegal trade in marine mammal products.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the three-spot seahorse, Hippocampus trimaculatus (Teleostei, Syngnathidae).

The complete mitochondrial genome of the three-spot seahorse was sequenced using a polymerase chain reaction-based method. The total length of mitochondrial DNA is 16,535 bp and includes 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and a control region. The mitochondrial gene order of the three-spot seahorse also conforms to the distinctive vertebrate mitochondrial gene order. The base composition of the genome is A (32.7%), T (29.3%), C (23.4%), and G (14.6%) with an A + T-rich hallmark as that of other vertebrate mitochondrial genomes.