A revision of the fish genus Oxyurichthys (Gobioidei: Gobiidae) with descriptions of four new species

The widespread tropical gobionelline fish genus Oxyurichthys is monophyletic due to its species sharing two characters considered derived within the Stenogobius Group of the Gobionellinae (Gobioidei: Gobiidae), a transversely broadened (spatulate) third neural spine that is usually bifid, and no preopercular cephalic lateralis canal. It is most closely related to Oligolepis, also of the Indo-west Pacific, and Ctenogobius, an Atlantic-eastern Pacific genus. Sixteen valid species of Oxyurichthys are redescribed and illustrated and four new species are described, O. limophilus from the western Indian Ocean, O. rapa from French Polynesia, and O. chinensis and O. zeta from the western Pacific. Nineteen species share two additional synapomorphies, a rounded fleshy tongue and a palatine lacking an elongate posterior strut, and form the sister group to the plesiomorphous Oxyurichthys keiensis, known from South Africa and Madagascar. One species, O. stigmalophius, occurs in the western Atlantic. There are no records of this genus from the continental eastern Pacific or the eastern Atlantic. Previous accounts from the Gulf of Guinea region of West Africa are references to Gobionellus occidentalis. Many Oxyurichthys species are limited to shallow estuarine and coastal waters with bottom substrates of silt or other fine sediments, but several are known from depths exceeding 10 m and are often collected by trawling

A revision of the fish genus Oxyurichthys (Gobioidei: Gobiidae) with descriptions of four new species

The widespread tropical gobionelline fish genus Oxyurichthys is monophyletic due to its species sharing two characters considered derived within the Stenogobius Group of the Gobionellinae (Gobioidei: Gobiidae), a transversely broadened (spatulate) third neural spine that is usually bifid, and no preopercular cephalic lateralis canal. It is most closely related to Oligolepis, also of the Indo-west Pacific, and Ctenogobius, an Atlantic-eastern Pacific genus. Sixteen valid species of Oxyurichthys are redescribed and illustrated and four new species are described, O. limophilus from the western Indian Ocean, O. rapa from French Polynesia, and O. chinensis and O. zeta from the western Pacific. Nineteen species share two additional synapomorphies, a rounded fleshy tongue and a palatine lacking an elongate posterior strut, and form the sister group to the plesiomorphous Oxyurichthys keiensis, known from South Africa and Madagascar. One species, O. stigmalophius, occurs in the western Atlantic. There are no records of this genus from the continental eastern Pacific or the eastern Atlantic. Previous accounts from the Gulf of Guinea region of West Africa are references to Gobionellus occidentalis. Many Oxyurichthys species are limited to shallow estuarine and coastal waters with bottom substrates of silt or other fine sediments, but several are known from depths exceeding 10 m and are often collected by trawling

Vampires in the village Žrnovo on the island of Korčula: following an archival document from the 18th century

Središnja tema rada usmjerena je na raščlambu spisa pohranjenog u Državnom arhivu u Mlecima (fond: Capi del Consiglio de’ Dieci: Lettere di Rettori e di altre cariche) koji se odnosi na događaj iz 1748. godine u korčulanskom selu Žrnovo, kada su mještani – vjerujući da su se pojavili vampiri – oskvrnuli nekoliko mjesnih grobova. U radu se podrobno iznose osnovni podaci iz spisa te rečeni događaj analizira u širem društvenom kontekstu i prate se lokalna vjerovanja.The main interest of this essay is the analysis of the document from the State Archive in Venice (file: Capi del Consiglio de’ Dieci: Lettere di Rettori e di altre cariche) which is connected with the episode from 1748 when the inhabitants of the village Žrnove on the island of Korčula in Croatia opened tombs on the local cemetery in the fear of the vampires treating. This essay try to show some social circumstances connected with this event as well as a local vernacular tradition concerning superstitions

The correct name for Oxyurichthys longicauda Steindachner and a few other errors

Larson, Helen K., Pezold, Frank L. (2016): The correct name for Oxyurichthys longicauda Steindachner and a few other errors. Zootaxa 4066 (2): 171-172, DOI: http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4066.2.

Data from: Multi-locus sequence data reveal a new species of coral reef goby (Teleostei: Gobiidae: Eviota), and evidence of Pliocene vicariance across the Coral Triangle

Here, multi-locus sequence data are coupled with observations of live colouration to recognize a new species, Eviota punyit from the Coral Triangle, Indian Ocean and Red Sea. Relaxed molecular clock divergence time estimation indicates a Pliocene origin for the new species, and the current distribution of the new species and its sister species Eviota sebreei supports a scenario of vicariance across the Indo-Pacific Barrier, followed by subsequent range expansion and overlap in the Coral Triangle. These results are consistent with the ‘centre of overlap’ hypothesis, which states that the increased diversity in the Coral Triangle is due in part to the overlapping ranges of Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean faunas. These findings are discussed in the context of other geminate pairs of coral reef fishes separated by the Indo-Pacific Barrier

Figure S3 - COI gene tree

Maximum clade credibility gene tree from MrBayes analysis of COI data. Support values are posterior probabilities

The relative importance of regional, local, and evolutionary factors structuring cryptobenthic coral-reef assemblages

Factors shaping coral-reef fish species assemblages can operate over a wide range of spatial scales (local versus regional) and across both proximate and evolutionary time. Niche theory and neutral theory provide frameworks for testing assumptions and generating insights about the importance of local versus regional processes. Niche theory postulates that species assemblages are an outcome of evolutionary processes at regional scales followed by local-scale interactions, whereas neutral theory presumes that species assemblages are formed by largely random processes drawing from regional species pools. Indo-Pacific cryptobenthic coral-reef fishes are highly evolved, ecologically diverse, temporally responsive, and situated on a natural longitudinal diversity gradient, making them an ideal group for testing predictions from niche and neutral theories and effects of regional and local processes on species assemblages. Using a combination of ecological metrics (fish density, diversity, assemblage composition) and evolutionary analyses (testing for phylogenetic niche conservatism), we demonstrate that the structure of cryptobenthic fish assemblages can be explained by a mixture of regional factors, such as the size of regional species pools and broad-scale barriers to gene flow/drivers of speciation, coupled with local-scale factors, such as the relative abundance of specific microhabitat types. Furthermore, species of cryptobenthic fishes have distinct microhabitat associations that drive significant differences in assemblage community structure between microhabitat types, and these distinct microhabitat associations are phylogenetically conserved over evolutionary timescales. The implied differential fitness of cryptobenthic fishes across varied microhabitats and the conserved nature of their ecology are consistent with predictions from niche theory. Neutral theory predictions may still hold true for early life-history stages, where stochastic factors may be more important in explaining recruitment. Overall, through integration of ecological and evolutionary techniques, and using multiple spatial scales, our study offers a unique perspective on factors determining coral-reef fish assemblages