Morgan S. Busby

Regional variation in springtime ichthyoplankton assemblages in the northeast Pacific Ocean

The coastal regions of the northeast Pacific support large, economically valuable fishery resources and provide nursery areas for many fish species. Over the last few decades, there have been dramatic shifts in species abundance and composition in this area. In this paper, we examine the springtime spatial patterns in the ichthyoplankton of three oceanographically different regions, the Southeast Bering Sea, the Gulf of Alaska and the U.S. West Coast. The data examined are a subset of a larger database (comprising data from cruises conducted from 1972 to 1997) that is being used to investigate spatial, seasonal and interannual patterns in ichthyoplankton of the northeast Pacific in relation to environmental conditions. Ichthyoplankton were collected during seven cruises using 60-cm bongo nets. Spatial patterns of ichthyoplankton were examined using both classification and ordination techniques. Relative Bray-Curtis dissimilarity coefficients calculated from the log 10 (n+1) of abundance data were used as input to the numerical classification of species and stations. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling was also applied to the abundance data to examine geometric patterns in the data. The numerical analyses of the species abundance data sets for each cruise revealed spatial patterns in the ichthyoplankton that suggest the occurrence of geographically distinct assemblages of fish larvae in each region. For all three sampling regions, the assemblage structure is primarily related to bathymetry, and Shelf, Slope, and DeepWater assemblages are described. This shallow to deep-water gradient in species occurrence and abundance reflects the habitat preference and spawning location of the adult fish. Another degree of complexity is superimposed on this primary assemblage structure in each region and seems to be related to local topography and the prevailing current patterns. The patterns in ichthyoplankton assemblages of the three regions in the northeast Pacific Ocean described here form the basis for future investigations of spatial and temporal patterns in the ichthyoplankton of the subarctic Pacific. Regional Index Terms: Northeast Pacific Ocean, Southeast Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, U.S. West Coast.  2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.

Early larvae of Zesticelus profundorum (family Cottidae) identified using DNA barcoding

Early larvae of Flabby Sculpin, Zesticelus profundorum, are described using DNA barcoding methods to identify specimens collected in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea. Based on the low myomere count, distribution of larvae, and vertebral counts in adults, we selected Zesticelus profundorum and Sebastolobus macrochir as good potential candidates for genetic comparison. We used DNA samples from voucher specimens of each candidate taxon to identify species-specific sequences. An exact match in sequence data allowed us to positively identify these larvae as Zesticelus profundorum, a rare deepwater species of the family Cottidae.

An unusual macrourid larva (Gadiformes) from San Juan Island, Washington, USA

An unusual macrourid larva was collected in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, Washington, USA. This specimen is remarkable in appearance having very long anterior dorsal- and pelvic-fin rays, with flattened distal ends free of the fin membrane, and a long, whiplike, heavily pigmented caudal filament. It is similar to smaller Coryphaenoides pectoralis larvae reported from the California Current region, and different from larger specimens of C. pectoralis from the northern North Pacific. Counts and other morphological similarities suggest that this larva should be tentatively assigned to genus Coryphaenoides.

Egg Deposition and Development of Eggs and Larvae of Bigmouth Sculpin (Hemitripterus bolini)

Abstract The Bigmouth Sculpin, Hemitripterus bolini, is a cottoid fish in the family Hemitripteridae found throughout the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska to British Columbia, Canada, and northern California. Hemitripterids have internal gametic association with external fertilization as their mode of reproduction. With this strategy, spermatozoa are stored in the micropyle of eggs within the ovary after gamete transfer to the female and eggs are not fertilized until immersed in seawater. Female H. bolini deposit their eggs into at least 4 species of sponges. We collected eggs from Barrel Sponge (Halichondria lambei), Clay-Pipe Sponge (Aphrocallistes vastus), Boot Sponge (Acanthascus dawsoni), and Tree Sponge (Mycale loveni) in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea. In contrast to its congeners, there has been little research on H. bolini, particularly any focusing on aspects of early life history stages. In this study, we describe the development of H. bolini eggs and larvae from newly-hatched stages to juveniles, and include general observations of osteology. The descriptions of larvae and juveniles are based on examination of 32 specimens, 5 of which were differentially cleared and stained to examine osteological development. Larvae hatch at a large size (13 to 14 mm SL) in an advanced stage of development. Postflexion occurs at approximately 20 mm SL, and transformation to the juvenile stage begins at about 31 mm SL. Larvae are heavily pigmented through late flexion, when pigmentation becomes reduced. Postflexion larvae and juveniles are also heavily pigmented. Ossification of most skeletal elements does not occur until postflexion. The description will help distinguish H. bolini from other hemitripterids and sympatric larvae of the family Agonidae that are similar in appearance but generally smaller and more slender-bodied at all developmental stages. The behavior of egg deposition in sponges, in conjunction with the use of sponges by other fishes such as juvenile rockfish and invertebrates such as Golden King Crabs (Lithodes aequispina) as refuge habitat, suggests that sponge grounds may provide essential fish habitat for H. bolini and other species.

Redescription of Paraliparis holomelas Gilbert, 1896 (Teleostei: Liparidae), with a description of early life history stages

The poorly known liparid fish Paraliparis holomelas Gilbert, 1896 is redescribed primarily based on specimens from the Gulf of Alaska, and the first illustration of this species is presented. Originally described from the southeastern Bering Sea and later reported from the Sea of Okhotsk, this material also represents an eastward extension of the species range. Paraliparis holomelas is distinguished from other North Pacific Paraliparis by morphological features and meristic counts. A complete description of the early life history stages of P. holomelas is also presented, which includes the first account and illustration of a yolk-sac larva in the genus Paraliparis.

Paraliparis adustus and Paraliparis bullacephalus: two new snailfish species (Teleostei: Liparidae) from Alaska

Paraliparis adustus sp. nov., a snailfish species from the Bering Sea near the Aleutian Island Archipelago, Alaska, is described based on a single mesopelagic specimen. This new species is clearly distinguished by a combination of several morphological features and meristic counts, including long pointed gill rakers with 0–3 spinules at or near the tip, anus positioned forward near the pectoral symphysis, and color uniform brown. Paraliparis bullacephalus sp. nov. from Shelikof Strait, Gulf of Alaska, is also described. This new species is very similar in meristic characters and general body shape and size to P. holomelas Gilbert, but differs primarily in morphological features of the head, particularly in the shape of the dorsal contour of the head, snout, and opercular flap, mouth size, and eye position.

A redescription of the Shantar snailfish, Liparis schantarensis (Scorpaeniformes : Liparidae), with new records from the southeastern Kamchatka Peninsula

Abstract Validity of the species Liparis schantarensis (Lindberg and Dulkeit, 1929) (Scorpaeniformes: Liparidae) is confirmed and redescribed based on six new specimens collected in Avacha Bay on the southeastern Kamchatka Peninsula. These specimens are the first records of this species reported in more than 70 years and the first outside the Sea of Okhotsk. Distinguished from almost all other members of the genus Liparis by a comblike anteriormost part of the dorsal fin, both males and females have 5–7 elongated anterior dorsal fin rays, with the distal ends free of the membrane for about one-half to two-thirds the length of the ray.

Redescription of the festive snailfish, Liparis marmoratus (Scorpaeniformes: Liparidae), with a new record from the northern Bering Sea

Abstract The liparid fish Liparis marmoratus is redescribed based on examination of two syntypes and two additional specimens. Liparis marmoratus is distinguished from other Sea of Okhotsk and Bering Sea Liparis by having a wide head, small mouth, short blunt snout, closely set chin pores, small gill opening, a firm body with slightly developed subcutaneous gelatinous tissue, a nearly horizontal dorsal body profile, and unique body markings and coloration. Liparis marmoratus was previously known only from the Sea of Okhotsk. A Liparis specimen collected near St. Lawrence Island in the northern Bering Sea was compared to the type series and determined to be L. marmoratus.

Descriptions of eggs of snailfishes (family Liparidae) from the Bering Sea and eastern North Pacific Ocean

Eggs of liparid fishes were collected by bottom trawl in the southeastern Bering Sea and removed from an oceanographic mooring cable off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. Eggs were large with embryos most commonly in late flexion to postflexion stages. Based on meristic counts and collection localities, eggs were identified as Elassodiscus tremebundus, Paraliparis rosaceus, and Careproctus sp. (either Careproctus colletti or Careproctus melanurus). Eggs of E. tremebundus are oval with a smooth, opaque chorion. Eggs of P. rosaceus are spherical and the chorion is sculptured with a uniformly pebbled texture. Eggs of Careproctus sp. are slightly oval and the chorion is smooth and opaque. Embryos of all species are unpigmented. A pelvic disk is present in embryos of E. tremebundus, but it is rudimentary: a small patch of tissue that was visible only after embryos were cleared and stained. Adults of the genus Paraliparis do not have a pelvic disk and no disk was observed in developing embryos. Embryos of Careproctus sp. have a large disk with rays visible in later stages. Hatching glands are present on the head and nape of embryos of all three species. Hatching glands of E. tremebundus are separated into bands across the snout, along the jaws and opercle, and in a patch on the nape, while those of P. rosaceus and Careproctus sp. are evenly distributed over the head and nape. This is the first full description of the embryonic stages of these taxa.

Seasonal, interannual, and spatial patterns of community composition over the eastern Bering Sea shelf in cold years. Part II: ichthyoplankton and juvenile fish

Elizabeth C. Siddon*, Janet T. Duffy-Anderson, Kathryn L. Mier, Morgan S. Busby, and Lisa B. Eisner National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute, Ecosystem Monitoring and Assessment Program, 17109 Pt. Lena Loop Road, Juneau, AK 99801, USA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Resource Assessment and Conservation Engineering Division, Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations Program, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115-6349, USA