Rafael Bañón

Halosaur fishes (Notacanthiformes: Halosauridae) from Atlantic Spanish waters according to integrative taxonomy

From 2009 to 2011 thirty-five specimens belonging to six halosaurid species of the family Halosauridae were captured in two different locations in the northern waters of Spain. The specimens were identified as belonging to the genera Halosauropsis Collett, 1896, Halosaurus Johnson, 1864 and Aldrovandia Goode & Bean, 1896, including the following species: Halosauropsis macrochir (Günther, 1878), Halosaurus ovenii Johnson, 1864, Halosaurus johnsonianus Vaillant, 1888, Aldrovandia affinis (Günther, 1877), Aldrovandia phalacra (Vaillant, 1888) and Aldrovandia oleosa Sulak, 1977. The morphometric measurements and meristic characters of these specimens are given. As a result, a new northern limit of distribution of A. oleosa from the northeastern Atlantic is reported. Using a taxonomical integrative approach, the mitochondrial DNA COI gene sequences from all individuals where determined and their comparison with morphological characters showed no incongruities. Among these specimens, the highest genetic distance within species was 0.8% while the lowest value between species was 3.3%. This ample barcoding gap has allowed the delimitation and assignment of all species reported in a way that matches the traditional taxonomical methods previously employed.

Monitoring Climate Change Impact on the Genetic Population Structure: The Case of the Fivebeard Rockling (Ciliata Mustela, Linnaeus, 1758) In Its Southern Limit of Distribution

Ciliata mustela is a marine inshore fish which occurs from central Portugal to northeastern Norway. We studied the population structure of this species using cytochrome b gene and the first intron of the nuclear S7 ribosomal protein gene and samples ranging from central Portugal to Gullmars Fjord, Sweden. We tested the following alternative hypotheses: 1) is the Portuguese population of the fivebeard rockling self-sustainable? or 2) is this population dependent on migrants from the north? We found no detectable subdivision among locations. Genetic diversity indices did not change along the study area. The data support persistence during one or several glacial cycles and a rapid expansion about 10 thousand years ago. In Portugal the populations of this species are strongly affected by climatic oscillations with severe reductions in warm years (bellow detection) and recoveries in cold years. We found that the percentage of private haplotypes is consistently lower in Portugal than in other locations. Our results support the hypothesis that the Portuguese population is mainly dependent on migrants from northern locations. We discuss the possibility of using species as C. mustella to monitor short term effects on the genetic structure of populations and their relation with climate change.

Molecular identification of the arrowhead dogfish Deania profundorum (Centrophoridae) from the northern waters of the Iberian peninsula

Abstract This is the first molecular identification of the Arrowhead dogfish Deania profundorum based on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI) ever made. It is based on four specimens caught in the Cantabrian Sea (north of Spain) during a monitoring survey in the summer of 2009. Three specimens of Deania calcea were also sampled as comparative material. The sequences obtained were in concordance with the identification of the Deania species. The two Deania species shared no COI haplotypes and showed a genetic distance of 3.6% (23 fixed differences out of 652 bp), which is within the range of congeneric species.

New data on Lepidion schmidti (Gadiformes: Moridae) from the north-east Atlantic Ocean

A new record of Lepidion schmidti (Gadiformes: Moridae) is reported from the Bay of Biscay (north-east Atlantic Ocean). Lepidion schmidti is a rare and poorly known species, scarcely described in the ichthyological literature. Morphometric and meristic characteristics of the specimen are given. A compilation of the specimens caught in the north-east Atlantic Ocean was carried out and the current status of the species in Atlantic waters is discussed. Lepidion schmidti is characterized mainly by the presence of an inverted V-shaped patch of vomerine teeth and a V-shaped crest on the dorsal surface of the head with the apex anterior. The presence of supernumerary anal fin rays in this species is described for the first time. The results obtained confirm the presence of L. schmidti from the north-east Atlantic Ocean.

New insights into the systematics of North Atlantic Gaidropsarus (Gadiformes, Gadidae): flagging synonymies and hidden diversity

ABSTRACT Gaidropsarus Rafinesque, 1810 is a genus of marine fishes, commonly known as rocklings, comprising 14 living species and showing a high ecological diversity from the intertidal zone to the deep sea. The systematics of this group has been controversial due to a general lack of representative specimens and the conservative morphology exhibited. A multidisciplinary approach combining the analysis of meristic data and the DNA barcode standard was applied in a species delimitation approach. Individuals representing eight valid and three unnamed species were collected, morphologically identified and archived in several museum collections. Comparison of DNA sequences shows complex results, furthering the idea of the difficult identification of specimens based on traditional taxonomy. DNA barcoding supports synonymies, like G. biscayensis–G. macrophthalmus and G. guttatus–G. mediterraneus, agreeing with the extensive overlaps observed in the meristic variables analysed and suggesting a reduction in the number of species. Genetic distances showed pairs of closely related species like G. granti–G. vulgaris and G. argentatus–G. ensis, the latter being only distinguished by one main distinctive character. Four deep-water specimens, morphologically classified only to the genus level, constituted three independent taxa apart from the ones present in this study and with no barcode matches in the repository databases. They could represent new records for the North Atlantic or unknown species of this genus. The results obtained show that more studies will be necessary to solve the systematics of this branch of the Gadiformes.

Geographic range expansion of Ephippion guttifer (Tetraodontidae) in the north-eastern Atlantic

The first record of the prickly puffer Ephippion guttifer (Tetraodontidae) from Galician waters (north-west Spain) is reported based on a male specimen of 570 mm total length (LT ) caught in the Ría de Vigo. Morphometric, meristic and DNA barcode data confirmed the identification. Histological examination of reproductive tissue was carried out in this species for the first time, showing a mature male in an actively spawning phase. A historical revision invalidates a previous record and establishes this as the northernmost confirmed capture ever reported in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean.

New records of two southern fishes found in northern waters of the Iberian Peninsula

The first records of the spearfish remora, Remora brachyptera (Lowe, 1839) (Actinopterygii: Echeneidae), and the white grouper, Epinephelus aeneus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817) (Actinopterygii: Serranidae), from northern Spanish waters are reported. Both findings are, respectively, the second and the first northernmost reports, for both fish species, in the eastern Atlantic. Morphometric and meristic parameters, along with DNA barcoding, confirmed the identification of the remora specimen. Results of the histological examination of the gonads of R. brachyptera are also reported, showing a mature male at the developing maturity phase. The grouper specimen was identified taking into account its characteristic coloration based on a photograph.