Complete mitochondrial genome of six Cheilinusundulatus (Napoleon Wrasse): an endangeredmarine fish species from Sabah, Malaysia

We report here the complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes of six individuals of Cheilinus undulatus (Napoleon Wrasse), an endangered marine fish species. The six mt DNA sequences had an average size of 17,000 kb and encoded 22 tRNA, two sRNA, 13 highly conserved protein coding genes and a control region. The polymorphic variation (control region) in these six individuals suggests their potential use as a specific marker for phylogeographic conservation. Moreover, the sequence polymorphism within the control region (D-loop) suggests that this locus can be applied for phylogenetic studies

Preliminary result of population structure of reef fishes in coral reef restoration sites in Tun Sakaran Marine Park, Semporna, Sabah

Restoration of coral reefs at the Tun Sakaran Marine Park (TSMP) started in 2009. Various methods are adopted, although the Coral Frame method is preferred mainly due to the low maintenance cost and its durability and is currently still being used. However, since the beginning of its deployment, there has been little study on the effectiveness of the coral restoration project. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the population structure of indicator coral reef fish around the coral frames. Two study sites (Site 1: Bohey Dulang; Site 2: Mantabuan) with existing coral frames within the TSMP were selected. At each site, a baited remote underwater video system (BRUVS), was deployed, and each was set to capture approximately one-hour footage. The first BRUVS deployment of this 24-month project was made on 21 July 2020, during the peak of the Southwest Monsoon. A total of 20 families (32 species) and 19 families (42 species) were recorded at Site 1 and Site 2, respectively. The Small-tooth whiptail, Pentapodus caninus (MaxN:14) and fusilier, Caesio sp. (MaxN: 101) are the most abundant species at Site 1 and Site 2, respectively. The preliminary findings reveal a low abundance and diversity counts of indicator reef fish (Serranidae, Labridae, Scaridae and Lutjanidae) at the coral restoration sites within TSMP. However, it is suspected that opportunistic local fishermen try their luck to fish in restricted parts of the park (pers. Observ.), while local fishermen try to play the game of 'mouse and cat' with the Park's Law Enforcement

Growth and Mortality of Green Mussel Perna viridis Farmed at Ambong Bay and Marudu Bay, Sabah, Malaysia

Asian green mussel is commercially farmed in tidal waters in several enclosed bays in Sabah, Malaysia. In this study, two areas on the west coast of Sabah – Ambong Bay and Marudu Bay – were selected for the monitoring of the growth and mortality rates of green mussels farmed in suspension raft. Both growth and survival rates were then correlated with physicochemical parameters (dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, temperature, water transparency, chlorophyll-a), nutrients (phosphate (PO43-), ammonia (NH3-N), nitrate (NO3-N) and nitrite (NO2-N) and condition index of mussel from each study site, as well as between the study sites. The twelve-month growth study (September 2017 to August 2018) was started with a total of 180 mussel specimens (90 at each site). The initial size (mean) of the mussel seed used was 47.7 ± 3.5 mm and 51.1 ± 3.9 mm for Marudu Bay and Ambong Bay, respectively. Mussels in Marudu Bay attained mean size of 73.47 ± 11.05 mm (SGR 0.17% ± 0.22) compared to 64.05 ± 7.44 mm (SGR 0.11% ± 0.22) for Ambong Bay at the end of the experiment. The cumulative mortality rates were 9.2% ± 4.9 and 55.5% ± 30.0 for Marudu Bay and Ambong Bay, respectively. The Pearson correlation indicated a significant positive relationship between mortality and water transparency (r = 0.684, p<0.01). There was a significant negative relationship between ammonia in seawater and mussel mortality (r = -0.561, p<0.01), as well as significant negative relationships between nitrate and growth (r = -0.480, p<0.05) and mortality (r = -0.460, p<0.05), as indicated by Spearman’s Rank-order Correlation analysis. Overall, the growth performance of green mussels farmed in Marudu Bay was better than in Ambong Bay, however, the mortality of mussels in Ambong Bay was higher

Taeniura Muller & Henle 1837

Genus &lt;i&gt;Taeniura&lt;/i&gt; M&uuml;ller &amp; Henle, 1837 &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Taeniura&lt;/i&gt; M&uuml;ller &amp; Henle, 1837:117. Type species &lt;i&gt;Trygon ornatus&lt;/i&gt; Gray, 1830 (= &lt;i&gt;Raja lymma&lt;/i&gt; Forssk&aring;l, 1775); by monotypy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Definition&lt;/b&gt;. Small dasyatids (adults to 22&ndash;37 cm DW) characterised by the following: moderately robust, oval disc with pectoral-fin apex broadly rounded; snout obtuse and short (1.6&ndash;2.2 times combined orbit and spiracle length); eye large and protruding greatly; nasal curtain medium-sized, bilobed; mouth not small, with 2 large median oral papillae; tail firm and typically moderately short (length 1.5&ndash;1.7 times DW), its base broad and depressed; pelvic fins long and pointed, protruding slightly; dorsal fold rudimentary or forming a ridge; ventral fold deep with a long base; caudal sting positioned well posterior on tail (distance from pectoral-fin insertion to caudal-sting base 4.5&ndash;5 times interspiracular width); skin smooth and denticle band absent; 1&ndash;2 rows of very small median thorns in most adults, no other thorns on disc; tail smooth; strong dorsal colour pattern of vivid blue spots on disc (no dark masklike marking around eyes or black and white bands on tail); ventral surface white, disc margin yellowish; marine, Indo&ndash; West Pacific.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Species&lt;/b&gt;. &lt;i&gt;T. lymma&lt;/i&gt; (Forssk&aring;l, 1775) and an undescribed species.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Remarks.&lt;/b&gt; Distinctive and locally abundant rays on coral reefs of the tropical Indo&ndash; West Pacific. An undescribed species occurs in Melanesia.&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Last, Peter R., Naylor, Gavin J. P. &amp; Manjaji-Matsumoto, B. Mabel, 2016, A revised classification of the family Dasyatidae (Chondrichthyes: Myliobatiformes) based on new morphological and molecular insights, pp. 345-368 in Zootaxa 4139 (3)&lt;/i&gt; on page 359, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4139.3.2, &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/262765"&gt;http://zenodo.org/record/262765&lt;/a&gt

Makararaja Roberts 2007

Genus &lt;i&gt;Makararaja&lt;/i&gt; Roberts, 2007 &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Makararaja&lt;/i&gt; Roberts, 2007:286. Type species &lt;i&gt;Makararaja chindwinensis&lt;/i&gt; Roberts 2007; by original designation and monotypic.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Definition&lt;/b&gt;. Small dasyatids (to at least 39 cm DW) characterised by the following: relatively well-depressed, oval to almost circular disc with pectoral-fin apex broadly rounded; snout obtuse and medium length (~1.7 times combined orbit and spiracle length); eye small and protruding slightly; nasal curtain distinctly bilobed; mouth narrow with 4 oral papillae; tail flexible and short (length ~1.5 times DW), its base moderately broad and depressed; pelvic fins large, protruding slightly beyond disc; dorsal fold absent; ventral fold moderately deep with a short base; caudal sting positioned very posteriorly on tail (distance from pectoral-fin insertion to caudal-sting base ~5.3 times interspiracular width); skin on dorsal surface uniformly velvety, densely covered with minute denticles and lacking a denticle band; no enlarged thorns on disc or tail (but with a short nuchal row of rudimentary thorns); plain coloured dorsally; freshwater, South-East Asia.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Species&lt;/b&gt;. &lt;i&gt;M. chindwinensis&lt;/i&gt; Roberts, 2007&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Remarks&lt;/b&gt;. Poorly known (based on the holotype); more specimens and tissues needed.&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Last, Peter R., Naylor, Gavin J. P. &amp; Manjaji-Matsumoto, B. Mabel, 2016, A revised classification of the family Dasyatidae (Chondrichthyes: Myliobatiformes) based on new morphological and molecular insights, pp. 345-368 in Zootaxa 4139 (3)&lt;/i&gt; on pages 363-364, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4139.3.2, &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/262765"&gt;http://zenodo.org/record/262765&lt;/a&gt

Pateobatis Last, Naylor & Manjaji-Matsumoto, 2016, gen. nov.

Genus &lt;i&gt;Pateobatis&lt;/i&gt; gen. nov. &lt;p&gt; Type species &lt;i&gt;Trygon uarnacoides&lt;/i&gt; Bleeker, 1852; newly proposed.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Definition&lt;/b&gt;. Medium-sized to large dasyatids (adults to 71&ndash;150 cm DW) characterised by the following: rather depressed to robust, suboval to rhombic disc with pectoral-fin apex narrowly to broadly rounded; snout angular to obtuse, rather short to elongate (1.7&ndash;5.5 times combined orbit and spiracle length); eye very small to small and protruding slightly; nasal curtain skirt shaped; mouth very narrow to broad, with 2&ndash;4 oral papillae (absent in &lt;i&gt;P. hortlei&lt;/i&gt;); tail short to very long, whip-like (length 1.1&ndash;4.1 times DW), its base typically narrow and almost circular in cross section; pelvic fins small, produced slightly or almost entirely concealed by disc; dorsal fold and ventral folds absent; caudal sting close to tail base (distance from pectoral-fin insertion to caudal-sting base 1.6&ndash;2.2 times interspiracular width); 1&ndash;3 variably developed, pearl-shaped mid-scapular thorns or thorns in row on nape; no shoulder thorns; denticle band well developed with edge typically sharply defined, skin on rest of disc naked or with patchy denticles; no row of enlarged median thorns on tail (except well developed in &lt;i&gt;P. j en k i n s i i&lt;/i&gt; and connected with row on disc); posterior tail often with fine denticles or prickly; dorsal surface plain; ventral surface white, disc often dark edged; tail plain, not banded; marine and estuarine, Indo&ndash; West Pacific.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Etymology&lt;/b&gt;. Cryptic combination of the Latin &lt;i&gt;pateo&lt;/i&gt; (lie open, be exposed) and &lt;i&gt;batis&lt;/i&gt; (skate, ray, flatfish) alluding the eclectic nature of members of this group.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Species&lt;/b&gt;. &lt;i&gt;P. bleekeri&lt;/i&gt; (Blyth 1860), &lt;i&gt;P. f a i&lt;/i&gt; (Jordan &amp; Seale, 1906), &lt;i&gt;P. hortlei&lt;/i&gt; (Last, Manjaji-Matsumoto &amp; Kailola, 2006), &lt;i&gt;P. jenkinsii&lt;/i&gt; (Annandale, 1909), and &lt;i&gt;P. uarnacoides&lt;/i&gt; (Bleeker, 1852).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Remarks&lt;/b&gt;. Newly erected, morphologically heterogeneous genus consisting of five medium-size to very large, marine whiprays previously placed in the genus &lt;i&gt;Himantura&lt;/i&gt;. Two widely distributed and relatively abundant species, &lt;i&gt;Pateobatis fai&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;P. jenkinsii&lt;/i&gt;, have a broad rhombic disc with a short obtuse snout, whereas the other three species have a characteristic subcircular disc with a long, pointed snout. These species cluster together using mitochondrial data (Fig. 3), but analyses using nuclear genes may provide other insights.&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Last, Peter R., Naylor, Gavin J. P. &amp; Manjaji-Matsumoto, B. Mabel, 2016, A revised classification of the family Dasyatidae (Chondrichthyes: Myliobatiformes) based on new morphological and molecular insights, pp. 345-368 in Zootaxa 4139 (3)&lt;/i&gt; on page 362, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4139.3.2, &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/262765"&gt;http://zenodo.org/record/262765&lt;/a&gt

Megatrygon Last, Naylor & Manjaji-Matsumoto, 2016, gen. nov.

Genus &lt;i&gt;Megatrygon&lt;/i&gt; gen. nov. &lt;p&gt; Type species &lt;i&gt;Trygon microps&lt;/i&gt; Annandale, 1908:393; newly proposed, monotypic.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Definition&lt;/b&gt;. Very large dasyatid (adults to 220 cm DW) characterised by the following: very robust, broad rhombic disc with pectoral-fin apex angular; snout broadly angular (~3 times combined orbit and spiracle length); eye very small and sunken; nasal curtain skirt shaped; mouth narrow, with 5 oral papillae; tail short (length subequal to DW), very broad-based and depressed anteriorly, very strongly tapered at caudal sting then becoming filamentous; pelvic fins large, protruding greatly beyond disc; dorsal fold forming a low ridge; ventral fold low with a very short base; caudal sting posterior on tail (distance from pectoral-fin insertion to caudal-sting base more than 3 times interspiracular width); skin densely covered with minute stellate denticles but denticle band absent; no median rows of thorns and scapular thorns absent; tail base and sides covered with thorny denticles; dorsal colour plain; ventral surface white, disc margin dark; tail plain, black distally; marine, Indo&ndash; West Pacific.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Etymology&lt;/b&gt;. Combination of the Greek &lt;i&gt;m&eacute;gas&lt;/i&gt; (great, large, mighty) and Greek &lt;i&gt;trygon&lt;/i&gt; (stingray) with reference to the massive bulk of this gigantic stingray.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Species&lt;/b&gt;. &lt;i&gt;M. microps&lt;/i&gt; (Annandale, 1908).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Remarks&lt;/b&gt;. Newly erected, monotypic genus and formerly assigned to &lt;i&gt;Dasyatis&lt;/i&gt;. The placement of &lt;i&gt;Megatrygon microps&lt;/i&gt; in the family Dasyatidae is provisional as molecular data (see also Naylor &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., in press) suggest that it, along with the &lsquo;amphi-American &lt;i&gt;Himantura&lt;/i&gt; &rsquo;, are more closely related to the freshwater Neotropical stingrays (Potamotrygonidae) of South America. Further investigations are needed to determine the position of this species in the order Myliobatiformes, but it may belong in its own family.&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Last, Peter R., Naylor, Gavin J. P. &amp; Manjaji-Matsumoto, B. Mabel, 2016, A revised classification of the family Dasyatidae (Chondrichthyes: Myliobatiformes) based on new morphological and molecular insights, pp. 345-368 in Zootaxa 4139 (3)&lt;/i&gt; on page 356, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4139.3.2, &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/262765"&gt;http://zenodo.org/record/262765&lt;/a&gt

A revised classification of the family Dasyatidae (Chondrichthyes: Myliobatiformes) based on new morphological and molecular insights

Last, Peter R., Naylor, Gavin J. P., Manjaji-Matsumoto, B. Mabel (2016): A revised classification of the family Dasyatidae (Chondrichthyes: Myliobatiformes) based on new morphological and molecular insights. Zootaxa 4139 (3): 345-368, DOI: http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4139.3.

Pteroplatytrygon Fowler 1910

Genus &lt;i&gt;Pteroplatytrygon&lt;/i&gt; Fowler, 1910 &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Pteroplatytrygon&lt;/i&gt; (subgenus of &lt;i&gt;Dasyatis&lt;/i&gt;) Fowler, 1910:474. Type species &lt;i&gt;Trygon violacea&lt;/i&gt; Bonaparte, 1832; by original designation and also monotypic.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Definition&lt;/b&gt;. Medium-sized dasyatid (adults to 80 cm DW) characterised by the following: very robust, broadly cone-shaped disc with pectoral-fin apex angular; snout short and rounded (1.1&ndash;1.3 times combined orbit and spiracle length); eye very small and sunken; nasal curtain skirt shaped; mouth very narrow, with numerous oral papillae; tail moderately elongate (length&gt;2 times DW), rather broad-based and depressed anteriorly, very strongly tapered at caudal sting then becoming filamentous; pelvic fins large, protruding well beyond disc, with long inner margins; dorsal fold rudimentary or absent; ventral fold low with a long base; caudal sting moderately well back on tail (distance from pectoral-fin insertion to caudal-sting base ~1.6 times interspiracular width); dense median row of small thorns and small denticles extending from nape onto tail; skin otherwise smooth or with sparse denticles; denticle band and scapular thorns absent; dorsal and ventral surfaces similarly plain and dark; marine, cosmopolitan.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Species&lt;/b&gt;. &lt;i&gt;P. violacea&lt;/i&gt; (Bonaparte, 1832).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Remarks&lt;/b&gt;. Frequently assigned to &lt;i&gt;Dasyatis&lt;/i&gt; (e.g. Krefft &amp; Stehmann, 1973; Rosenberger, 2001), &lt;i&gt;Pteroplatytrygon violacea&lt;/i&gt; (Bonaparte, 1832) is a pelagic stingray with a body shape and coloration that is unique within the family. Molecular data suggest it is not monophyletic with newly defined &lt;i&gt;Dasyatis&lt;/i&gt;, but might be monophyletic when assigned to &lt;i&gt;Bathytoshia&lt;/i&gt; (Fig. 1). To avoid creating further confusion, this monotypic genus is retained provisionally pending more thorough morphological and molecular investigations.&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Last, Peter R., Naylor, Gavin J. P. &amp; Manjaji-Matsumoto, B. Mabel, 2016, A revised classification of the family Dasyatidae (Chondrichthyes: Myliobatiformes) based on new morphological and molecular insights, pp. 345-368 in Zootaxa 4139 (3)&lt;/i&gt; on page 356, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4139.3.2, &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/262765"&gt;http://zenodo.org/record/262765&lt;/a&gt