Reproductive biology of common silver biddy Gerres oyena in Okinawa Island of southern Japan

ABSTRACT:   Common silver biddy Gerres oyena were collected monthly between November 2002 and November 2005 in Okinawa Island of southern Japan. The seasonal reproductive cycle of this species was investigated using the gonadosomatic index (GSI) and through histological observation of gonads. Temporal variation in the GSI reflected gonadal development from histological observations; ovary development occurred from March to September and testes development occurred between March and August. Maximal development was observed in April and May in both sexes. While mean values for hepatosomatic and lipidosomatic indices decreased markedly in females relative to males during gonadal development, mean condition factors decreased with gonadal recrudescence in both sexes. The minimum standard length (SL) at sexual maturity was 89.7 mm for females and 81.4 mm for males and the size at which 50% of individuals were sexually mature was 104 and 92 mm SL in females and males, respectively. The power relationships of batch fecundity (BF) versus standard length (SL, mm) and body weight (BW, g) of females can be expressed as BF  = 46.7 × e^{1.64 SL} and BF  = 19 697 × e^{0.49 BW} , respectively.     

Age and growth of Gerres sp. (Perciformes: Gerreidae) in Okinawa Island of Southern Japan

A total of 518 Gerres sp. were collected around Okinawa Island, Japan, from November 2002 to July 2005, with monthly sampling where the standard length of females (n=218) were 56.2–147.1 mm, and males (n=149) were 62.2–139.4 mm. The maximum ages observed for females were 5⁺ years and males were 4⁺ years, estimated by transverse sectioned sagittal otoliths. Mean marginal increment indicated that opaque rings were formed once a year during April to July. The standard length (SL; mm) — body wet weight (BW; g) relationships were described as BW=(3.26×10⁻⁵) SL^2.97 and BW=(3.13×10⁻⁵) SL ^2.98 for females and males, respectively, and the standard length at age described by von Bertalanffy growth function for females, L _t=137.1(1−e^{−0.80[t+0.80]}) and males, L _t=127.3(1−e^{−0.82[t+0.93]}).     

Larval fish fauna of a sandy beach and an estuary on Okinawa Island,focusing on larval habitat utilization by the suborder Gobioidei

The Ryukyu Archipelago has a diverse fish fauna, but there have been no comprehensive studies of the larval fish fauna of its coastal habitats. The present study therefore investigated the species composition of larval fish communities on the sandy beach of Sedake and in the estuary of Teima Stream at Oh-ura Bay on Okinawa Island. In total, 12,067 individuals comprising 131 or more species that belong to 114 genera and 48 families were collected at night using a small seine net from January to December 1999. The suborder Gobioidei was the dominant taxon in this collection (86 %) and comprised 53 or more species. Most gobioids were postflexion larvae of amphidromous and estuarine species, at the stage just before they recruited to their adult habitats. Body lengths showed little variance within species. This suggests that they do not spend most of their pelagic larval lives in the estuary and on the sandy beach. These environments appear to be the route by which pelagic larvae move to their adult habitats. However, Rhinogobius and Tridentiger postflexion larvae displayed greater variance in body length and development, suggesting that they stay near the shoreline throughout this larval period.     

Comparisons of age,growth, and maturity between male and female,and diploid and triploid individuals in Carassius auratus from Okinawa‐jima Island,Japan

• 1. Carassius auratus, a primary freshwater fish with bisexual diploid and unisexual gynogenetic triploid lineages, is distributed widely in and around the Eurasian continent and is especially common in East Asia. East Asian C. auratus diverged genetically to form local endemic populations in different regions, and those distributed in the Ryukyu Archipelago form a local endemic population that can be regarded as an evolutionarily significant unit because of its high phylogenetic independence and evolutionary distinctiveness. Although the evolutionary uniqueness of this population should be conserved, its distribution area and population size are decreasing rapidly, and some island populations are currently considered endangered or already extinct.
• 2. To develop effective conservation measures to stop the current decline of Ryukyuan C. auratus, ecological data need to be collected. In this study, life history data for a C. auratus population distributed in the Hiji River system were collected by estimating age, growth, and spawning season.
• 3. The spawning season of C. auratus in the Hiji River extended from March to September, peaking during March–May. Females became sexually mature in their second year, but males reached maturity and were able to spawn as early as in the late spawning season of their year of hatching. Once having reached sexual maturity, males probably continuously stay ripe throughout their life.
• 4. Sagittal otoliths of C. auratus proved to be useful ageing structures because one annual increment is formed on the sagittal otolith before the spawning season in each year. The oldest fish observed were a 10‐year‐old female and an 11‐year‐old male. Females showed faster somatic growth and higher final standard length than males, and a sexual size dimorphism was observed.
• 5. The standard length at each age class did not differ between diploid and triploid C. auratus, suggesting that triploid growth rates were almost equal to those of diploids. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

     

Age and growth of two gizzard shads, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nematalosa come</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">N. japonica</Emphasis>, in coastal waters around Okinawa Island,southwestern Japan

The age and growth of two Nematalosa species around Okinawa Island were examined using sectioned otoliths collected from September 2003 to April 2006. Monthly changes in the frequency of the appearance of a translucent band on the outer margin of the otoliths indicated that ring formation occurred once a year from January to July for Nematalosa come and from January to March for Nematalosa japonica. The von Bertalanffy growth equations for both species were as follows: N. come: L _t  = 365.5{1 − exp[−0.111 × (t + 0.288)]} for females and L _t  = 214.7{1 − exp[−0.700 × (t – 1.110)]} for males; N. japonica: L _t  = 205.1{1 − exp[−1.068 × (t − 1.180)]} for females and L _t  = 195.5 {1 − exp[−1.293 × (t − 1.269)]} for males. The maximum ages observed for N. come and N. japonica were 11 and 6 years old, respectively. The growth of these species was characterized by the slow growth of N. come over many years, resulting in a larger size than N. japonica.     

Immunological cross-reactivity of the fragments of staphylococcal enterotoxins A and E generated by digestion of proteolytic enzymes.

Three major fragments were generated by limited digestion of staphylococcal enterotoxins A (SEA) and E (SEE) with papain, whereas five major fragments were generated by limited digestion with staphylococcal protease V8 (V8). All of these fragments were detected by immunoblotting with polyclonal anti-SEA and -SEE sera. Some of generated fragments were detected by monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) with specificities for SEA (A-111 and A-211), SEE (E-142), or both (AE-32, AE-37, and AE-53). This indicates that fragments of SEA and SEE containing the type-specific and cross-reacting epitopes may be generated by digestion of the toxins with either papain or V8.     

Loss of natural coastline influences species diversity of anemonefish and host anemones in the Ryukyu Archipelago

1. Anemonefish and host anemones are distributed in the shallow waters of coral reefs, and thus their existence may be affected by coastal development. The Ryukyu Archipelago includes the Okinawa and Sakishima Islands; the former has experienced extensive land reclamation and drainage in coastal areas while the latter still mostly contains natural coasts. To consider the layout of protected areas needed to conserve diversity of host anemones and anemonefish in the Ryukyu Archipelago, the community structure and coexistence mechanisms of anemones and anemonefish were compared between Okinawa and Sakishima Islands.
2. Six species of anemonefish and seven species of host anemone are distributed in both islands. Among 15 species-pair interactions observed in six species of anemonefish in the Sakishima Islands, 14 were explained by the niche differentiation hypothesis and only one interaction was explained by the cohabitation hypothesis. In the Okinawa Islands, 13 interactions were explained by the niche differentiation hypothesis, one by the cohabitation hypothesis and one by the lottery hypothesis.
3. For both host anemones and anemonefish, β-diversity in the Okinawa Islands was lower and had a more nested structure than that of the Sakishima Islands. β-Diversity and its nestedness did not differ between the two regions excluding study sites adjacent to coastlines, suggesting that differences in the coastal environment affected the diversity of anemones and anemonefish in the Ryukyu Archipelago.
4. These results suggested that there is an urgent need to prioritize the conservation of reef edges, where species diversity is relatively higher than directly next to the terrestrial coastline in Okinawa Island. In the Sakishima Islands, where many natural coasts remain, a wider area from directly next to the coast out to the reef edge needs to be comprehensively protected to increase β-diversity.

     

Genetic and morphological evidence of hybridization between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nematalosa japonica</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">N. come</Emphasis> (Clupeiformes: Clupeidae) off Okinawa Island,Ryukyu Archipelago,Japan

Two morphologically similar species of gizzard shad, Nematalosa japonica Regan and N. come (Richardson), sympatrically distributed off Okinawa Island, Japan, were examined using an allozyme locus (SOD*) and two nuclear polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based DNA markers (ITS-1 and CaM), which provided diagnostic identification of each species. In addition, a multiplex PCR-based mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) marker (16S) was used to characterize the distribution of mtDNA haplotypes among specimens. The species composition of sympatric and allopatric population samples from Tungkang, southern Taiwan, to Okinawa and the Shikoku Islands, Japan, were also examined. Gizzard shad with hybrid genotypes were detected in three populations from Okinawa Island, with hybrid frequency ranging from 1 to 67%. A backcross level of 2% was detected in the dominant hybrid frequencies of one population sample only. Morphological examination of hybrids showed intermediate forms, with hybrid indices of three meristic characters falling between those of the parental species (range 39–53; mean 45). Although principal component analysis showed differences between N. japonica and N. come based on the first principal component scores, hybrids were difficult to identify. Accordingly, satisfactory identification of species and hybrids could be achieved only using genetic tools. We also discuss the cause of hybridization and its relationship with recently conducted reclamation on Okinawa Island.     

Age,growth and maturation of the redbelly tilapia <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tilapia zillii</Emphasis> introduced into the Haebaru Reservoir on Okinawa-jima Island

ABSTRACT:   The age, growth and maturation of the redbelly tilapia Tilapia zillii introduced into the Haebaru Reservoir on Okinawa-jima Island were studied using 2197 specimens ranging from 7.3 to 168.0 mm standard length (SL). The spawning season was estimated to be from April to August, with a peak in April and May. The first maturation sizes of females and males were estimated to be 38.1 and 33.0 mm SL, respectively. The opaque zones in otoliths that form annually were found to correlate with the spawning season. Maximum ages of females and males were 7 and 6 years, respectively. The von Bertalanffy growth formulae were expressed as: L _t  = 99{1 − exp[−0.67( t  + 0.09)]} for females and L _t  = 155{1 − exp [−0.36( t  + 0.12)]} for males. Males grew to be larger than females from the first year onward. Populations of this species are characterized by early maturation life history parameters and are thought to adapt and become established quickly after being released into new water systems. Furthermore, extermination activity in winter is thought to be an effective strategy before the newly recruited fish begin breeding in the warmer months.     

Age,growth, maturity,and sex changes of monogrammed monocle bream Scolopsis monogramma in the waters around Okinawa-jima Island,Japan

Age, growth, maturity, and sex changes of the monogrammed monocle bream Scolopsis monogramma were estimated from ca. 500 specimens collected at Okinawa-jima Island in southern Japan. Age was determined from sectioned otoliths: maximum ages were 10 years for females and 9 years for males. Parameters for von Bertalanffy growth functions were L _t  = 206.6{1 ? exp[?0.68(t + 0.81)]} (n = 337) for females and L _t  = 244.4{1 ? exp[?0.93(t + 0.32)]} (n = 130) for males. The spawning season was estimated to last from June to July, with a peak in July. The standard length (SL) and age at 50 % maturity for females were estimated as 186.4 mm SL and 3.3 years, respectively. Intersex individuals appeared from 159.6 to 237.5 mm SL (n = 16) in fish between 1 and six years old, with the highest frequencies occurring at 170 mm SL and 2 years old. Hence, almost all S. monogramma specimens found at Okinawa-jima Island exhibited pre-maturational sex change, although some may have been protogynous hermaphrodites. Biological characteristics such as age at growth, maturation, and spawning season are valuable factors that can inform the resource management of local fisheries.