Vol 58, No 4 (2018)

A new species multituberculate lumpsucker Eumicrotremus multituberculatus from the western part of the Aleutian Islands of the Bering Sea is described. The absence of tubes of the anterior nostrils and the presence of very short tubes of the posterior nostrils, numerous and very small conical bone plaques on the head and the trunk (15–17 in the circumpectoral row) without the central large spine on the plaque top distinguish the new species from other species of the genus Eumicrotremus. The new species is also differed by the terminal shape of mouth, equal length of jaws and smaller size of eye from the close species E. asperrimus and E. phrynoides. The sizes of pre-spawning females of E. multituberculatus are much less, than those of E. asperrimus. E. multituberculatus also differs from E. phrynoides by the presence of three to four rows of bone plaques on the throat and the presence of bone plaques on the rays of the first dorsal fin, and from E. asperrimus—by a dark peritoneum.

In the coastal waters of Central Vietnam, the genus Ariosoma Swainson is represented by three known species (A. anago (Temminck et Schlegel), A. meeki (Jordan et Snyder), and A. megalops Fowler) and by a new species described recently A. dolichopterum Karmovskaya). The brief descriptions of three former species and the maps of their distribution (adult individuals and larval forms) in the South China Sea and waters of the Western Pacific, from Japan to Australia, are presented.

The composition of ichthyofauna in the intertidal zone of Avacha Bay (southeastern Kamchatka) is characterized. Over the entire period of studies since the 1930s, 27 fish species from 12 families have been recorded in the intertidal zone; Cottidae and Liparidae constitute more than 44% of them. Fishes recorded in the intertidal zone are components of seven ichthyocenes, but the nucleus (81.5%) is formed by representatives of only three of them: littoral, sublittoral, and elittoral ichthyocenes. Most species are rare (85.2%), and only stone cockscomb Alectrias alectrolophus is a numerous species that constantly occurs in biotopes formed by pebble-boulder grounds. Juveniles constitute a prevailing proportion of fish species (63%) recorded in the intertidal zone of Avacha Bay.

Main concentrations of Gilbert’s Irish lord Hemilepidotus gilberti in the Russian waters of the Sea of Japan are registered off the coasts of South and Central Primorye and western Sakhalin. During the course of the year, the representatives of the species are found at the depths between 9 and 668 m at a water temperature of the near-bottom layer from –1.8 to +16.1°С. In the summer, they prefer the upper and middle zones of the shelf with a temperature between 1.5 and 3.0°С, while the fishes are found in the lower part of the shelf and upper zone of the continental slope with low positive temperatures in the winter. The juveniles live at smaller depths than adult individuals and at the largest seasonal temperature fluctuations. The fishes 3–37 cm in body length are registered in the catches, and the size group 18–26 cm prevails. The females are more abundant in the population, and they reach a larger body size than the males. Mass spawning occurs in August and September at the depth of 30–80 m. In the waters of Primorye, Gilbert’s Irish lord feeds on mainly decapods, polychaetes, and amphipods. From April to November, the daily ration of the juveniles and adult fishes is equal to 5.0 and 3.0% of body weight, respectively. Two maximums are observed in the feeding intensity of adult fishes: prespawning (July) and postspawning (November). The biomass of Gilbert’s Irish lord in the Russian waters of the Sea of Japan is estimated as 1500 t.

Data are presented on diurnal and seasonal dynamics of feeding of the tench Tinca tinca in a small eutrophic water body. The feeding spectrum of tench includes 60 taxa of aquatic invertebrates. Most of them (37 species) are chironomid larvae. The highest feeding intensity is recorded in the intervals from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. The maximum value of the index of consumption is recorded in August; the minimum value is recorded in July. The feeding spectra of fish aged 6–7 years old differ considerably (the Morisita–Horn index) from 1 year older or younger fishes.

Several incidences of skeletal deformities, ranging from 0.83 to 11.18%, were observed in specimens of common goby Pomatoschistus microps collected from 11 shore localities around the British Isles during the period November 1975–July 1977. There is a large variation in the percentage of vertebral abnormalities among the individuals of P. microps across the localities. It is important to document the vertebral anomalies in P. microps from the British Isles, because no such report has been published, although the observations date back 40 years. The possible role of pollution in the localities studied is discussed.

The Amur sleeper Perccottus glenii is used as a model for investigation of free amino acids' responses in various organs to changes of temperature during the annual cycle and under a prolonged cold shock. Phosphoethanol and phosphoserine are found during seasonal decrease of temperature and at the fourth day of cold shock in the brain. Up to the beginning of winter, the pool of phosphoethanoamine increases by 94 times. That of taurine, which is in negative reciprocal relationship with phosphoethanoamine, decreases at the seasonal drop of temperature and temperature shock. In December, fourfold increase of the taurine level was found in muscles (56% of the total pool of amino acids), while eightfold in plasma (43%). The cold shock does not stimulate accumulation of taurine in plasma, muscles, and brain and only slightly increases its content in the liver. In contrast to the constantly increasing taurine content in the plasma and muscles from April to December, the pools of proteinogenic amino acids fluctuate during the annual cycle, considerably increasing after hypobiosis and at the fourth day after the cold shock. The specific decrease of the large pool of histidine in the brain by 16.7 times is found at the fourth day of the shock, while it is by 4.8 times in muscle in winter. It is supposed that phosphoethanol (in the brain) and taurine (in other organs) may be protectors in adaptation of fish to low temperatures.

The presence of the fish species Triacanthus nieuhofii is reported from the east coast of India. Five specimens (110–150 mm total length) was caught from the waters around the north-eastern corner of Nalabana Sanctuary of Chilika lagoon, India, giving a new ichthyofaunal record for the area. Two small specimens, 100 and 110 mm total length, have deformities in the anterior dorsal-fin spines. In one of the specimen, there are two extra dorsal-fin spines located near the base of the 1^st dorsal fin spine. The other specimen, had a deformity, which is confined to the 1^st dorsal spine. This spine is shorter than that in normal specimens.