Search

A revised checklist of sharks, batoids, and sturgeons in the Sea of Marmara, Turkey encompasses 41 species across 18 families. It provides a concise historical context and addresses issues related to problematic reports. Furthermore, the paper delves into the analysis of taxonomic changes in other literature reports, aiming to provide a framework for upcoming ichthyological surveys and ecological studies, while also presenting relevant data on the economic significance of select species.

The current status of the freshwater fishes of Israel is revised, and an updated checklist is presented. The confirmed freshwater fishes of Israel comprise 55 species belonging to nine orders, 14 families, and 39 genera. Among these, 19 species (34.6%) are alien, and four species (7.3%) are considered endemic to Israel. The orders with the largest numbers of species in the ichthyofauna of Israel are Cypriniformes (19 species), followed by Cichliformes (14 species), Cyprinodontiformes (seven species), Mugiliformes (six species), Siluriformes (four species), Salmoniformes (two species), and the others represent one species in each. At the family level, the Cichlidae have the greatest number of species (14 species; 25.5% of the total species), followed by Cyprinidae (10 species), Leuciscidae and Mugilidae (six species in each), Aphaniidae (four species), Nemacheilidae and Poecilidae (three species in each). According to IUCN Red List criteria, among 36 naturally distributed species (alien species not included), two species are extinct (EX) and nine species (25.0%) are categorized as threatened extinctions, with two (5.6%) CR, four (11.1%) EN, and three (8.3%) VU.

The current status of the freshwater fishes of Iraq is revised, and an updated checklist is presented. The confirmed freshwater fishes of Iraq comprise 98 species belonging to 16 orders, 28 families, and 56 genera. Among these, 21 species (21.4%) are alien, and three species (3.0%) are considered endemic to Iraq. The orders with the largest numbers of species in the ichthyofauna of Iraq are Cypriniformes (57 species), followed by Siluriformes (12 species), Mugiliformes and Cyprinodontiformes (six species in each), Acanthuriformes and Cichliformes (three species in each), Centrarchiformes and Gobiiformes (two species in each), and the others represent only one species. At the family level, the Cyprinidae have the greatest number of species (28; 28.3% of the total species), followed by Nemacheilidae (16 species), Leuciscidae (eight species), Mugilidae (six species), Sisoridae (five species), and Xenocyprididae (four species in each). A total of 20 species that have been previously reported from Iraq have been excluded from the checklist. According to IUCN Red List criteria, among 77 naturally distributed species (alien species not included), 10 species (13.0%) are categorized as threatened extinctions, with three (3.9%) as CR, one (1.3%) as EN, and six (7.8%) as VU. A total of 38 taxa were assessed (49.4%) as LC, 27 species were not assigned NE (35.1%), and two species (2.0%) were classified as DD, i.e., with insufficient knowledge.

The current status of the freshwater fishes of Syria is revised, and an updated checklist is presented. The confirmed freshwater fishes of Syria comprise 108 species belonging to 15 orders, 25 families, and 51 genera. Among these, 11 species (10.2%) are alien, and six species (5.6%) are considered endemic to Syria. The orders with the largest numbers of species in the ichthyofauna of Syria are Cypriniformes (68 species), followed by Siluriformes and (nine species), Cichliformes (eight species), Mugiliformes (seven species), Cyprinodontiformes (six species), and others represent one species in each. At the family level, Cyprinidae has the greatest number of species (30 species; 27.8% of the total species), followed by Leuciscidae (21 species), Nemacheilidae (11 species), Cichlidae (eight species), and Mugilidae (seven species). According to IUCN Red List criteria, among 97 naturally distributed species (alien species not included), Tristramella sacra extinct (EX) and 24 species (26.5%) are categorized as threatened extinctions, CR, EN, and VU (eight species in each). A total of 17 species previously reported from Syria have been excluded from the checklist, either in the present study or in previous studies.

The current status of the ichthyofauna of Afghanistan is revised, and an updated checklist is presented. The confirmed fishes of Afghanistan comprise 121 species belonging to 11 orders, 22 families, and 68 genera. Among these, 18 species (14.9%) are alien, and 7 species (5.8%) are considered endemic to Afghanistan. The orders with the largest numbers of species in the ichthyofauna of Afghanistan are Cypriniformes (88 species), followed by Siluriformes (14 species), Anabantiformes (4 species), Acipenseriformes, Salmoniformes, and Cyprinodontiformes (3 species in each). At the family level, Cyprinidae have the greatest number of species (36 species; 29.8% of the total species), followed by Nemacheilidae (22 species), Leuciscidae (12 species), Danionidae (8 species), and Sisoridae (6 species). A total of 48 species previously reported from Afghanistan have been excluded from the checklist, either in the present study or in previous studies. According to the IUCN Red List criteria, among 121 listed fish species, 19 (15.7%) are in the threatened categories, with 4 (3.3%) CR, 6 (5.0%) EN, and 9 (7.4%) VU. Of the total number of taxa assessed, 5.0% (6 species) are NT and 51.2% (62 species) are LC. A total of 29 species are (24.0%) Not Evaluated (NE) and 5 species (4.1%) are classified as DD.

Based on a critical analysis of scientific publications for the last 200 years and on the collected specimens, a complete annotated list of both typical freshwater ichthyofauna of Sakhalin Island, with the inclusion of marine species that can be found in brackish coastal waters, is reported for the first time. The annotated list includes 226 species classified in three classes, 26 orders, 68 families, 29 subfamilies, and 148 genera. For 160 species, information is provided on collection samples deposited in various museums around the world, 36 of which are type specimens. For each species, conservation status (according to IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and the Red Book of the Sakhalin region), zoogeographic characteristics (distribution within Sakhalin Island and globally), abundance and commercial value are given. For a number of species, more detailed information on synonymy and nomenclature is provided. The study area is located in the western North Pacific and includes the entire coast of Sakhalin Island in the Sea of Okhotsk and the northern Sea of Japan, as well as the adjacent Sea of Okhotsk coast of northern Hokkaido, Japan.

N/A.

Raja africana Capapé, 1977 is a primary junior synonym of Raja africana Bloch Schneider, 1801 and therefore permanently invalid (International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, article 57.2) and must be replaced. Raja africana Bloch Schneider, 1801 was first described by Bloch Schneider (1801: 367), based on a specimen from Guinea, West Africa (eastern Atlantic Ocean). The unique holotype is extant in the Zoologisches Museum of the Humboldt University, Berlin (ZMB 7837, a partial dry skin). The species was treated as valid as Urogymnus africanus (Bloch Schneider 1801) by Compagno Roberts (1984: 285), but later synonymized with Urogymnus asperrimus (Bloch Schneider 1801) in the subfamily Urogymninae of the family Dasyatidae (Myliobatiformes) by Compagno (1986: 141), Capapé Desoutter (1990: 63) and Séret (2016: 1418). It is widespread in the eastern Atlantic, Red Sea and IndoWest Pacific.

The current status of the inland waters ichthyofauna of Turkey is revised, and an updated checklist of the freshwater fishes is presented. The latest checklist included all species listed in the available previous study that was published in 2015, which is now updated after a period of five years. We revised the validity of previously accepted species and added newly described and reported species in Turkey. Some previously erroneously reported species and not established alien fishes were excluded from this checklist. A total of 384 fish species belonging to 20 orders and 34 families have been reported in the inland waters of Turkey. Among these, 15 species (3.9%) are non-native and 208 species (54.2%) are considered as endemic to Turkey. A total of 119 species previously reported from Turkey have been excluded from Turkish ichthyofauna list, either in the present study or in previous studies.

Our recent paper Artüz Fricke (2019) provided an updated list of marine teleost fishes of the Sea of Marmara. Bilecenoglu argues that our paper includes mistranslations of some previous research, misinterpretation and incomplete examination of certain published biodiversity data related to the Sea of Marmara (Bilecenoglu 2020). We answer his comments below.

This is an annotated checklist of the marine fish species of Lebanon (Levant coast, eastern Mediterranean). It comprises a total of 367 fish species distributed in 159 families and 27 orders, out of which 70 species are non-indigenous and 28 are recorded for the first time from Lebanon. The checklist includes all names and citations of species found in the literature, as well as references to specimens available in museum collections. It also includes an updated zoogeographic distribution and conservation status for each species. Threats were estimated based on surveys and observations made over the last two decades; broadly categorized conservation actions were also suggested.

A checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of New Ireland Province is presented, with special emphasis on Kavieng District, combining both previous and new records. After the recent KAVIENG 2014 expedition, a total of 1325 species in 153 families were recorded from the region. The largest families are the Gobiidae, Pomacentridae, Labridae, Serranidae, Apogonidae, Lutjanidae, Chaetodontidae, Blenniidae, Carangidae, Acanthuridae, Scaridae, Holocentridae, Syn-gnathidae, Lethrinidae and Scorpaenidae. A total of 810 fish species (61.1 % of the total marine and estuarine fish fauna) are recorded from New Ireland for the first time.The fish fauna of New Ireland includes 142 species in transitional waters and 1264 species in marine habitats, and 54 species species in freshwater habitats. Zoogeographically, 1179 species have a wide distribution range, most frequently a broad Indo-West Pacific distribution. Among the remaining species, just 12 are endemic to New Ireland.

A revised check-list of the teleost fishes for Sea of Marmara includes 263 species in 78 families, providing a short historical background and comments on problematic reports. The paper also includes a discussion of other literature reports on taxonomic changes to serve as a guideline for future survey work and ecological studies, including some data regarding the economic importance of some species.

A check-list of the fishes of St Helena Island is presented. The following species are recorded for the first time from St. Helena Island: Rhincodon typus, Mobula tarapacana, Muraena melanotis, Caranx latus, Seriola rivoliana, Balistes capriscus, Lutjanus jocu, Centropyge aurantonotus, Acanthurus coeruleus, Lepidocybium flavobrunneum, Tetrapturus pfluegeri, Coelorinchus geronimo, Pentaceros richardsoni, Gephyroberyx darwinii, Brotula cf multibarbata, Poromitra crassiceps, Echiostoma barbatum, Malacosteus niger, Pachystomias microdon. Including these nineteen new records there are 189 fish species currently known from St Helena. Three of them appear to be undescribed. Eight species and two subspecies are currently considered endemic to St. Helena Island.

The current checklist provides for each species of the Red Sea its records in the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea main basin and its general distribution.This new checklist of Red Sea fishes enumerates 1207 species, representing 164 families. Of these, 797 species were recorded from the Gulf of Aqaba and 339 from the Gulf of Suez. The number of species from the Gulf of Suez is evidently lower than the actual number not including 27 Lessepsian (Red Sea) migrants to the Mediterranean that most likely occur in the Gulf. The current list includes 73 species that were newly described for science since the last checklist of 2010. The most specious Osteichthyes families are: Gobiidae (134 species), Labridae (66), Apogonidae (59), Serranidae (including Anthiadinae) (44), Blenniidae (42), Carangidae (38), Muraenidae (36), Pomacentridae (35), Syngnathidae (34), Scorpaenidae (24) and Lutjanidae (23). Among the families of Chondrichthyes, the most specious families are the Carcharhinidae (18 species) and Dasyatidae (11). The total number of endemic species in the Red Sea is 174 species, of these, 34 species are endemic to the Gulf of Aqaba and 8 to the Gulf of Suez.

Two new species of stargazers in the Uranoscopus albesca species-complex of the family Uranoscopidae are described from Papua New Guinea, which shares among other characters a concave posterodorsal margin of the pectoral fin. Uranoscopus brunneus n. sp. is described from a single specimen from off southwestern New Britain, and is characterised by lower edge of preopercle with 8 spines; labial fimbriae poorly-developed; anterior nostril with a long tubiform valve, posterior nostril a slit-like pore; supracleithrum with a sharp spine at rear end and five small spines inside; dorsoposterior margin of pectoral fin concave; 62 oblique scale-rows along the sides of the body in adult; pectoral-fin membranes dark brown. Uranoscopus kishimotoi n. sp., described from a single specimen from West Sepik Province, is characterised by the lower edge of preopercle with 3 spines; no labial fimbriae; both anterior and posterior nostrils with long tubiform valves; supracleithrum with a sharp spine at rear end and one additional small spine inside; dorso-posterior margin of pectoral fin concave; 59 oblique scale-rows along the sides of the body in adult; upper pectoral-fin membranes pale, lower membranes brown. The distribution of the species in the U. albesca species-complex is discussed.

The family-group names of animals (superfamily, family, subfamily, supertribe, tribe and subtribe) are regulated by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Family names are particularly important because they are among the most widely used of all technical animal names. Apart from using the correct family-group name according to the Code, it is also important to use one unique universal name (with a fixed spelling) to avoid confusion. We have compiled a list of family-group names for Recent fishes, applied the rules of the Code and, if possible, tried to conserve the names in prevailing recent practice. We list all of the family-group names found to date for Recent fishes (N=2625), together with their author(s) and year of publication. This list can be used in assigning the correct family-group name to a genus or a group of genera. With this publication we contribute to the usage of correct, universal family-group names in the classification of, and for communication about, Recent fishes.

A checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of Madang District is presented, combining both previous and new records. After the recent PAPUA NIUGINI 2012 expedition, a total of 1337 species in 129 families have been recorded from the region. One species and one family is not native (Cichlidae: Oreochromis mossambicus), but has been introduced. The native fish fauna of Madang therefore consists of 1336 species in 128 families. The largest families are the Gobiidae, Labridae, Pomacentridae, Apogonidae, Serranidae, Blenniidae, Chaetodontidae, Syngnathidae and Muraenidae, Scorpaenidae and Lutjanidae, Myctophidae, Acanthuridae, Scaridae, Holocentridae, Carangidae, Pomacanthidae and Tetraodontidae, and Caesionidae. A total of 820 fish species (61.4 % of the total marine and estuarine fish fauna) are recorded from Madang for the first time. The fish fauna of Madang includes a total of 187 species of transitional waters and 1326 species in marine habitats. A total of 156 species of the marine or estuarine species also occurs in freshwater. Zoogeographically, 1271 species have a wide distribution range, most frequently a broad Indo-West Pacific distribution. Among the remaining species, only 8 are endemic to Madang District. Anthropogenic threats to the fish fauna and habitats of Madang District include extensive fishing in Madang Lagoon, sometimes with destructive fishing practices; the discharge of untreated sewage of human settlements, mining and industrial developments into the lagoon and nearby oceanic habitats; and destruction of mangrove habitats by extensive construction work on the shores. These anthropogenic threats may call for conservation and monitoring measures in the near future.

The grouper Epinephelus geoffioyi (Klunzinger), type locality Red Sea, previously regarded as a synonym of E. chlorostigma (Valenciennes) is recognized as a valid species. It is differentiated from E. chlorostigma by having 25-29 (modally 27) gill rakers vs. 23-26 (modally 24), a more angular anal fin, the dark spots on the abdomen more widely separated, and lacking a clear white margin posteriorly on the caudal fin. The missing holotype of E. geoffroyi was found at the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart (SMNS 233, 191 mm). Epinephelits chlorostigma is wide-ranging from the Gulf of Aden and east coast of Africa to Samoa; it is reported from the depth range of 32-280 m. Epinephelus geoffroyi is presently known only from the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden at depths of 3-32 m. Illustrations are provided for three other species of groupers with numerous small dark spots, E. areolatus (Forsskål), E. gabriellae Randall & Heemstra, and E. polylepis Randall & Heemstra, that are, or might be, sympatric with E. geoffroyi.