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Marine fish is a major source of Omega-3 fatty acids (Eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA andDocosahexaenoic acid, DHA), which are now recognized worldwide as a key factor in human health. Thepresent study was conducted to depict the status of marine fish consumption in three districts (namely Feni,Lakhsmipur, and Noakhali) of greater Noakhali district, Bangladesh using a questionnaire survey in 240households during the month of May-June, 2018. Almost all the households (96%; n=230) consumed marinefishes. Price, availability, presence of inter-muscular bones, and characteristic fishy smell were the majorbarriers to marine fish consumption in the studied area. The average quantity of fresh and dried marine fishconsumed was 53.35 g/capita/day and 3.71 g/capita/day, respectively in greater Noakhali. Marine fresh fishconsumption in the three districts differed significantly (p

A new Sillago species, the black-banded sillago, Sillago nigrofasciata sp. nov., is described based on 302 specimens sampled from the southern coast of China. Morphological comparisons have been conducted between the new species and ten other Sillago species. The results show that the new species is characterized by a black mid-lateral band below the lateral line when fresh; other characteristics are similar to those of Sillago sihama but subtle differences exist on the swim bladder between Sillago nigrofasciata sp. nov. and S. sihama . A detailed description and illustrations are provided for the new species. The validity of this new species is also supported by a genetic comparison using sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene.

The present study is investigated the diet composition, feeding activity and intensity, and trophic niche breadth of two Sillaginid fish, Sillago sihama and Sillago arabica at the south of the Shatt Al-Arab River, Iraq from May 2019 to April 2020. A total of 511 specimens of fish comprised of 239 S. sihama and 272 S. arabica were used for the study. Fish length ranged from 11.7-23.7 and 13.0- 31.2 cm of the previous species, respectively. The results showed that the feeding activity and intensity influenced by months since the lowest stomach fullness occurred during the winter months. The analysis of diet for both species using the index of relative importance (IRI %) of prey items showed that the species were carnivores. The prey items of S. sihama were crabs (80.8%), shrimp (14.6%) and fish (4.6%), while the diet of S. arabica composed mainly on crabs (54.3%), shrimp (32.7%) and fish (13.0%). The overall values of feeding and vacuity indices were 40.4% and 9.5%, respectively for S. sihama, whereas 52.0% and 18.2%, respectively for S. arabica. Based on the results of trophic niche breadth indicate that S. schema is a high specialist feeder (Bi= 0.23), while S. arabica was considered a non-specialized feeder (Bi= 0.71). The study concludes that both species were carnivorous feeders, feeding mainly on crabs, shrimp and fish. S. sihama was a low specialized feeder, while S. arabica was not specialized.

Understanding the connectivity of fish among different typical habitats is important for conducting ecosystem-based management, particularly when designing marine protected areas (MPA) or setting MPA networks. To clarify of connectivity among mangrove, seagrass beds, and coral reef habitats in Wenchang, Hainan Province, China, the fish community structure was studied in wet and dry seasons of 2018. Gill nets were placed across the three habitat types, and the number of species, individuals, and body size of individual fish were recorded. In total, 3 815 individuals belonging to 154 species of 57 families were collected. The highest number of individuals and species was documented in mangroves (117 species, 2 623 individuals), followed by coral reefs (61 species, 438 individuals) and seagrass beds (46 species, 754 individuals). The similarity tests revealed highly significant differences among the three habitats. Approximately 23.4% species used two habitats and 11.0% species used three habitats. A significant difference (p

* Sillago suzensis Golani, Fricke and Tikochinski, 2013 Silago sihama: Ben-Tuvia, 1978. Sillago sihama: Fischthal, 1980 (Parasit.); Ben-Tuvia, 1985; Chervinski, 1986 (Physiol.); Golani & Ben-Tuvia, 1989; Golani, 1990 (Syst.); Golani, 1993b (Feed.); Golani, 1996; Golani & Ben-Tuvia, 1996; Golani, 1997 (Heb.); Golani, 1998a; Golani, 1998b; Golani, 2002a; Golani, et al., 2002; Ethad, 2004 (Heb.); Goren & Galil, 2005; Golani et al., 2007; Rilov & Galil, 2009; Sonin, 2009 (Heb.); Stern, 2010; Klopman, 2011 (Parasit.); Edelist et al., 2011a (Fish.); Levitt, 2012; Edelist, 2013 b (Fish.); Brand, 2013; Frid, 2015 (Fish.); Goren, et al., 2016; Karahan et al., 2017 (Gen.). Sillago erythraea: Golani et al., 2011 Sillago suzensis Golani, Fricke and Tikochinski, 2013 POMATOMIDAE, Published as part of Golani, Daniel, 2021, An updated Checklist of the Mediterranean fishes of Israel, with illustrations of recently recorded species and delineation of Lessepsian migrants, pp. 1-108 in Zootaxa 4956 (1) on page 47, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4956.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4691195, {"references":["Ben-Tuvia, A. (1978) Immigration of fishes through the Suez Canal. Fishery Bulletin, 76 (1), 249 - 255.","Fischthal, J. H. (1980) Some digenetic trematodes of marine fishes from Israel's Mediterranean coast and their zoogeography, especially those from the Red Sea immigrant fishes. Zoologica Scripta, 9, 11 - 23. https: // doi. org / 10.1111 / j. 1463 - 6409.1980. tb 00647. x","Ben-Tuvia, A. (1985) The impact of the Lessepsian (Suez Canal) fish migration on the eastern Mediterranean ecosystem. In: Moraitou-Apostolopoulou, M. & Kiortsis, V. (Eds.), Mediterranean Marine Ecosystems. Plenum Publishing Corporation, pp. 367 - 375. https: // doi. org / 10.1007 / 978 - 1 - 4899 - 2248 - 9 _ 17","Chervinski, J. (1986) Sand whiting, Sillago sihama, Forskal, Red Sea immigrant and its salinity tolerance. Bamidgeh, 38 (1), 30 - 32.","Ben-Tuvia, A. & Golani, D. (1989) A new species of goatfish (Mullidae) of the genus Upeneus from the Red Sea and the eastern Mediterranean. Israel Journal of Zoology, 36, 103 - 112.","Golani, D. (1993 b) Trophic adaptations of Red Sea fishes to the eastern Mediterranean environment - review and new data. Israel Journal of Zoology, 39, 391 - 402.","Golani, D. (1997) Handbook of the Fishes of Israel. Keter Publishing House Ltd. Jrusalem. 269 pp. [in Hebrew].","Golani, D. (1998 a) Distribution of Lessepsian migrant fish in the Mediterranean. Italian Journal of Zoology, 65 (suppl.), 95 - 99. https: // doi. org / 10.1080 / 11250009809386801","Golani, D. (1998 b) Impact of Red Sea fish migrants through the Suez Canal on the aquatic environment of the easrern Mediterranean. Bullitin of the Yale School of Forestry and Environment Studies, 103, 375 - 387.","Golani, D. (2002 a) Lessepsian fish migration - charaterization and impact on the eastern Mediterranean. In: Ozturk, B. & Basusta, N. (Eds.), Workshop on Lessepsian Migration Proceedings. Turkish Marinre Research Foundation, Istanbul, 9, pp. 1 - 9.","Ethad, D. (2004) Fishes caught in the Electric Company's Haifa power station's filtering systems in relation to environmental conditions and in comparison to fish assemblages from ancient coastal sites. M. Sc. Thesis. University of Haifa, 98 + 4 pp. [in Hebrew with English abstract]","Goren, M. & Galil, B. S. (2005) A review of changes in the fish assemblages of Levantine inland and marine ecosystems following the introduction of non-native fishes. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 21, 364 - 370. https: // doi. org / 10.1111 / j. 1439 - 0426.2005.00674. x","Rilov, G. & Galil, B. (2009) Marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea - history, distribution and ecology. In: Rilov, G. & Crooks, J. A. (eds.): Biological Invasions in Marine Ecosystems. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 549 - 575. https: // doi. org / 10.1007 / 978 - 3 - 540 - 79236 - 9 _ 31","Klopman, Y. (2011) The parasito-fauna of invasive and native fish in the eastern Mediterranean affected by climate change. M. Sc. Thesis. Tel-Aviv University, 111 pp.","Edelist, D., Sonin, O., Golani, D., Rilov, G. & Spanier, E. (2011 a) Spatiotemporal patterns of catch and discards of the Israeli Mediterranean trawl fishery in the early 1990 s: ecological and conservation perspectives. Scientia Marina, 75 (4), 641 - 652. https: // doi. org / 10.3989 / scimar. 2011.75 n 4641","Levitt, Y. (2012) The impact of depth gradient on the status of alien species along the Mediterranean Sea coast of Israel. M. Sc. Thesis. Tel-Aviv University, 90 pp.","Edelist, D., Scheinin, A. Sonin, O., Shapiro, J., Salalmeh, P., Rilov, G., Benayahu, Y. Schultz, D. & Zeller, D. (2013) Israel: Reconstructed estimates of total fisheries removal in the Mediterranean, 1950 - 2010. Acta Adriatica, 52 (4), 252 - 264.","Brand, D. (2013) The effect of Lessepsian migration on the diet of the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncates) and the short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) along the Israeli coastline. Ms. C thesis. Haifa University, 87 + 3 pp. [Hebrew with English abstract]","Frid, O. (2015) Gear selectivity and seasonality in Israeli gill and trammel net fisheries. M. SC. thesis. University of Tel-Aviv, 58 + 2 pp.","Karahan, A., Douek, J., Paz, G. Stern, N., Kideys, E. E. Shaish, L., Goren, M. & Rinkevich, B. (2017) Employing DNA barcoding as taxonomy and conservation tools for fish species censuses at the southeastern Mediterranean, a hot-spot area for biological invasion. Journal of Nature Conservation, 36, 1 - 9. https: // doi. org / 10.1016 / j. jnc. 2017.01.004"]}

The complete mitochondrial genome of Sillaginopsis panijus has been determined for the first time using Sanger Dideoxy DNA sequencing. The mitogenome is a circular molecule of 16,529 bp in length. It contains 37 mitochondrial genes (13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA, and 22 transfer RNA) and a control region as other bony fishes. In the phylogenetic analysis using 12H-strand protein-coding genes, monotypic S. panijus is situated separately from the genus Sillago. The present phylogeny supports its taxonomic position according to morphology and will be helpful for evolutionary analysis.

Biometry, length-weight relationships (LWRs) and length-length relationships (LLRs) of Sillaginopsis panijus (Hamilton, 1822) were investigated in the Indian coast of north-western Bay of Bengal. Altogether 622 specimens were collected between August 2018 and September 2019 from landings by trawls (30-35 mm mesh size), gillnets (15-55 mm mesh size) and shore seines (7-15 mm bag mesh size). The total length and weight of the specimens ranged from 7.8-40.3 cm and 2.9-506 g, respectively. The LWR established was W=0.0048 L3.059 for males, W=0.0032 L3.185 for females and W=0.0047 L3.0645 for indeterminates, indicating positive allometric growth pattern. All the LWRs were highly significant (p

Sillago suezensis Golani, Fricke & Tikochinski 2013 ���Suez sillago Taxonomy. First record from Lebanon as Sillago sihama (Forssk��l) by Mouneimn�� (1977: 62); subsequently recorded as Sillago sihama Forssk��l 1775 by Mouneimn�� (2002: 154); recently recorded as Sillago suezensis by Bariche et al. (2015: 2366); as Sillago suezensis by Fanelli et al. (2015: 2169). Material in collection: AUBM. Distribution. Northern Red Sea endemic: Gulf of Suez; Mediterranean Sea (Red Sea immigrant). Conservation. IUCN: Global (NE). Capture and threats: Unknown. Occurrence: Very common. Non-indigenous species, no conservation action needed., Published as part of Bariche, Michel & Fricke, Ronald, 2020, The marine ichthyofauna of Lebanon: an annotated checklist, history, biogeography, and conservation status, pp. 1-157 in Zootaxa 4775 (1) on pages 140-141, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4775.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3983887, {"references":["Mouneimne, N. (1977) Liste des poissons de la cote du Liban (Mediterranee orientale). Cybium, 3 (1), 37 - 66.","Mouneimne, N. (2002) Poissons marins du Liban et de la Mediterranee orientale. INCAM-EU / CNRS Lebanon, Beyrouth, 271 pp.","Bariche, M., Torres, M., Smith, C., Sayar, N., Azzurro, E., Baker, R. & Bernardi, G. (2015) Red Sea fishes in the Mediterranean Sea: a preliminary investigation of a biological invasion using DNA barcoding. Journal of Biogeography, 42 (12), 2363 - 2373. https: // doi. org / 10.1111 / jbi. 12595","Fanelli, E., Azzurro, E., Bariche, M., Cartes, J. E. & Maynou, F. (2015) Depicting the novel Eastern Mediterranean food web: a stable isotopes study following Lessepsian fish invasion. Biological Invasions, 17, 2163 - 2178. https: // doi. org / 10.1007 / s 10530 - 015 - 0868 - 5"]}

Simple Summary A comprehensive transcriptome analysis revealed the phylogeny of seven Sillago species. Selection force analysis in seven Sillago species detected 44 genes positively selected relative to other Perciform fishes. The results of the present study can be used as a reference for the further adaptive evolution study of Sillago species. Abstract Sillago species lives in the demersal environments and face multiple stressors, such as localized oxygen depletion, sulfide accumulation, and high turbidity. In this study, we performed transcriptome analyses of seven Sillago species to provide insights into the phylogeny and positively selected genes of this species. After de novo assembly, 82,024, 58,102, 63,807, 85,990, 102,185, 69,748, and 102,903 unigenes were generated from S. japonica, S. aeolus, S. sp.1, S. sihama, S. sp.2, S. parvisquamis, and S. sinica, respectively. Furthermore, 140 shared orthologous exon markers were identified and then applied to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships of the seven Sillago species. The reconstructed phylogenetic structure was significantly congruent with the prevailing morphological and molecular biological view of Sillago species relationships. In addition, a total of 44 genes were identified to be positively selected, and these genes were potential participants in the stress response, material (carbohydrate, amino acid and lipid) and energy metabolism, growth and differentiation, embryogenesis, visual sense, and other biological processes. We suspected that these genes possibly allowed Sillago species to increase their ecological adaptation to multiple environmental stressors.

Ascarophisnema hoiae n. sp. (Nematoda: Cystidicolidae) is described from the stomach of the trumpeter whiting, Sillago maculata Quoy & Gaimard (Perciformes: Sillaginidae) from Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. It differs morphologically from the only other valid congener, A. tridentatum Moravec & Justine, 2010 in the shape of the sub-labium and in the lengths of the spicules and the morphology of their distal tips (bifid). It represents the first record of this genus from Australia and appears to be highly oioxenous, having been found only in this host species among 133 other species of fish examined at the same locality.

The age composition, growth parameters, size distribution and sex ratio of Sillago suezensis caught from Iskenderun Bay in Northeastern Mediterranean Sea were investigated. Female and male composition of the population was determined as 40.37 and 59.63%, respectively. Total length of females ranged between 12.30 and 24.20 cm, while it was between 11.50 and 22.50 cm for males. The length (L)-weight (W) relationships for males and females were estimated as W = 0.0071 x L-3.014 and W = 0.0070 x L-3.020, respectively. Age data derived from otolith readings were used to estimate the growth parameters of the von Bertalanffy equation. The estimated parameters for all individuals were: L-infinity = 35.65 cm, K = 0.299 year(-1) and t(0) = -0.288 year. Asymptotic length L-infinity revealed greater growth for males than females. Growth constant K was slightly higher in females than in males. The maximum age was 5 years for females and males. The 1-year-old group was dominant amongst males whereas the 2-year-old group was dominant within females. The condition factor was 0.739 +/- 0.005 for females and 0.742 +/- 0.004 for males. Spawning period of S. suezensis determined to be between April and August. Overall total mortality was estimated as 0.96 year(-1), natural mortality was 0.85 year(-1) and fishing mortality was 0.11 year(-1).

A mortality model was developed to predict the impact of high CO 2 concentrations on marine fish. To allow for acclimation to a gradual increase of PCO 2 , the model includes acid–base regulation processes, such as respiration and ion-exchange at the gills. Because the physiological mechanism connecting a decrease in blood pH and mortality is not known, a statistical model was adopted. The mortality calculated for Japanese sillago experiencing a transient change of PCO 2 compares moderately well with observations.

This study reviewed the taxonomy of six members of the family Sillaginidae and described a new Sillago species, S. panhwari. The description of the new species was based on 55 specimens sampled from commercial catches and from fishery surveys (24°48’8.31“N, 66°45’28.15″E) on the northern Arabian Sea coast of Pakistan. Taxonomic revisions were based on morphometric, anatomical characteristics, coloration patterns, and meristics of Sillago panhwari sp. nov., S. arabica, S. attenuata, S. indica, S. sihama, Sillaginopodys chondropus, and Sillaginopsis domina. The distinctive characteristics of the new species are (1) X−XII spines in the first dorsal fin; (2) I, 21–22 rays 2nd dorsal fin; (3) 3–4/7-8 gill rakers on 1st gill arch, (4) periorbital length (1.4–2.3), (5) 18.0–23.3 ED/HL, (6) 16.7–21.7 int.OW/HL; (7) 39.5–46.5 snout L/HL, (8) 34.1–38.9 post-OL/HL, (9) swimbladder narrow anterior extensions joined at the origin, diverging to terminate on the both side of the basioccipital above the anditory capsule whereas two posterior extensions penetrating into the caudal region, one usually longer than the other and presence of a duck-like process, (10) the head before the interorbital area is steep and the mouth is contracted relative to the other six species investigated; (11) the upper half of the body is pale brown to dull brown, with a light brown lower half; (12) the presence of a faint mid-lateral streak from the base of the pectoral fin to the base of caudal fin; (13) dusky dorsal fins; (14) a chin covered with adipose tissue; (15) a hyaline to transparent anal fin clear of spots; (16) yellowish posterior head region; and (17) pectoral and pelvic fins yellowish and caudal fin dusky. Sillago panhwari sp. nov. resembled its allopatric congeners in coloration patterns and body structure. This study contributed to the identification of a new species and the description of six sillaginids occurring in the northern Arabian Sea coast of Pakistan.

Understanding species interactions and how they change in the presence of a predator or competitor is a fundamental goal for ecologists. We tested such interactions in an intertidal soft sediment pool system where both the sand goby Favonigobius lentiginosus and post-settlement whiting Sillago spp. consume meiofaunal prey, but F. lentiginosus also consumes Sillago spp. We quantified changes in fish gut content volumes and composition (i.e. meiofaunal group diversity and abundances) in response to the presence of a predator/prey and to different fish densities (two, four or six total individuals) in experimental aquaria. We found no significant density-dependent effects on either the predator or prey species, likely due to meiofaunal prey oversupply; however, the diet composition of the prey species Sillago spp. changed significantly in the presence of their potential predator. We conclude that lower consumption of meiofaunal amphipods in the presence of gobies suggests that whiting perhaps maintain their gut fullness by preferentially targeting larger amphipods.

Sillago schomburgkii inhabits coastal waters of south-western Australia, where it occurs over a wide latitudinal range (22–35°S). The species has occupied this range for at least the past century. It is a valuable fishery species, particularly in northern (warmer) areas where it has historically been most abundant. Fishery trends indicate a gradual poleward shift in the center of abundance since the 1950s, coinciding with gradual ocean warming over the same period. This shift dramatically accelerated after the 2010/2011 marine heatwave, when abundance abruptly declined at the northern edge of the range but increased in southern areas. The heatwave drew attention to the significant, but previously unrecognized, distributional shift of S. schomburgkii. It also helped to elucidate the recruitment-related mechanism by which the shift is occurring. There was evidence of exceptionally strong recruitment by the 2010/2011 year class in southern areas, but weaker recruitment at the northern edge. Spawning by S. schomburgkii is associated with ocean temperatures of approximately 20–26circC. Temperatures are in this range for most of the year in the north, but only briefly during the height of summer in the south. During the heatwave, coastal temperatures were up to 5 degrees above average. It is likely that the spawning period was reduced in the north but extended in the south, due to higher temperatures, which would explain the recruitment trends in each area. All evidence suggests the distributional shift is primarily due to altered spawning success by resident fish in each area (i.e., self-recruitment), rather than by the movement of adults, or larval dispersal. The accelerated shift during the heatwave was probably due to major changes in self-recruitment, but possibly supplemented by atypical southward larval dispersal. For commercial and recreational fisheries that capture this species, the ongoing poleward range shift could have significant negative, and positive impacts in the northern and southern areas, respectively. Fisheries in southern areas are expected to benefit from an increasing availability of this species, although a predicted climate-induced loss of critical habitats could negate any gains at the southern edge of the range.

We used the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (coI) gene DNA to barcode 117 endemic Gulf and cosmopolitan Indo-West Pacific fish species belonging to 54 families and 13 orders. Novel DNA barcodes were provided for 18 fish species (Trachinocephalus sp., Nematalosa sp., Herklotsichthys lossei, Upeneus doriae, Trachurus indicus, Apogonichthyoides taeniatus, Verulux cypselurus, Favonigobius sp., Suezichthus gracilis, Sillago sp., Brachirus orientalis, Pegusa sp., Lepidotrigla bispinosa, Lepidotrigla sp., Grammoplites suppositus, Hippichthys sp., Paramonacanthus sp. and Triacanthus sp.). The species delimitation analysis, conducted with Poisson tree processes- Bayesian PTP (PTP-bPTP) and nucleotide-divergence-threshold (NDT) models), found 137 and 119 entities respectively. Overall, NDT method, neighbour-joining species tree and the prior taxonomic assessment provided similar results. Among the 54 families considered, only 10 (Ariommatidae, Ephippidae, Leiognathidae, Nemipteridae, Plotosidae, Pomacanthidae, Pomacentridae, Priacanthidae and Rachycentridae) showed the occurrence of molecular diagnostic pure characters. The DNA barcoding database developed during this study will help ichthyologists to identify and resolve the taxonomic ambiguities they may encounter with the fishes occurring in The Gulf and throughout the region.

Histamine is a potentially hazardous compound and one of the major concerns in food chemistry. In the present study the histamine levels of 20 muscle sample for each milk fish (Chanos chanos) and Indian whiting (Sillago indica) were analyzed with 6, 12, 18 and 24 h intervals and compared by enzymatic assay (EA), thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods. During storage, histamine levels were ranged between 16.50 ± 1.63 and 48.13 ± 1.24 mg/100 g with a linear regression r2 = 0.855; P

Four transversotrematid trematodes are reported from commercial teleost species in Australian waters. Transversotrema hunterae n. sp. is described from three species of Sillago Cuvier (Sillaginidae) from Moreton Bay, south-east Queensland. Molecular characterisation using ITS2 rDNA confirmed this stenoxenic specificity of Transversotrema hunterae n. sp., with identical sequence data from Sillago maculata Quoy & Gaimard, S. analis Whitley and S. ciliata Cuvier. Phylogenetic analysis, based on 28S rDNA data, demonstrates that T. hunterae n. sp. belongs to the ‘Transversotrema licinum clade’ and is most closely related to Transversotrema licinum Manter, 1970 and T. polynesiae Cribb, Adlard, Bray, Sasal & Cutmore, 2014, with the three species forming a well-supported clade in all analyses. We extend the known host and geographical ranges of three previously described Transversotrema species, T. licinum, T. elegans Hunter, Ingram, Adlard, Bray & Cribb, 2010 and T. espanola Hunter & Cribb, 2012. The new records represent significant range extensions for the three species and permit further examination of the patterns of biogeographical distribution in Australian waters. Host-specificity of Transversotrema species is examined, and the degree to which morphological analysis can inform taxonomic studies of this group is discussed.

Cetaceans and humans shared the same route of exposure to many anthropogenic contaminants via fish consumption. To assess the health risks associated with heavy metal levels in fishes from the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) and the seasonal dynamics, 13 fish species (n = 675) consumed by the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) and humans were analyzed for concentrations of nine heavy metals. Heavy metal levels vary significantly by species and by season in the PRE fishes. The two eel goby species were the most contaminated fish species, which had the highest levels of Cu, Pb, Hg, Mn and Se. Levels of non-essential metals (As and Pb) in many different fish species were all found significantly higher in dry season than in wet season, which may reflect the dilution effect on contaminant levels in the PRE waters in rainy season. For essential metals, Cu, Cr and Se in many fish species were significantly higher in dry season compared to wet season, while Se and Mn in the other fish species showed an opposite pattern, since essential metal accumulation could be influenced by several physiological processes in life. Risk assessment for dolphins showed that inorganic-As levels in all fishes exceeded the safe limits, whereas a more conservative approach indicated that the levels of all metals in all fish samples had toxic effects on dolphins, except for Hg. Human health risk analysis showed that inorganic-As levels in tonguesole (all year) and sillago (dry season) and Cr levels in pomfret (dry season) exceeded the acceptable values.

Dietary analysis was conducted on juveniles of 10 numerically abundant fish species inhabiting tropical seagrass beds in North Queensland, Australia. Gammarid amphipods were consumed by all of the species, but their contribution to the diet of each varied. Crab larvae and copepods contributed to the diets of Leiognathus bindus, Pranesus endrachtensis and Stolephorus sp.; polychaetes and isopods were consumed by Sillago maculata burrus, Lethrinus sp., Pelates sexlineatus and Siganus canaliculatus; and Favonigobius reichei, Coris caudimacula and Arothron manilensis fed on bivalves. Seagrass and gastropods were rarely ingested by most of these fishes, but made a moderate contribution to the diet of A. manilensis. With the exception of L. bindus, the diet of each species was correlated with size: smaller species consumed copepods, crab larvae and gammarid amphipods, while larger species ate polychaetes, bivalves, isopods and gastropods. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (MDS) ordination plots emphasised the...

Twenty-four dinucleotide microsatellite DNA markers were developed for a commercially important fish, Japanese sillago (Sillago japonica). Loci were screened in 24 individuals from Laizhou Bay, China. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 7 to 24, and the observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.333 to 0.913 and from 0.744 to 0.963, respectively. These microsatellites will facilitate the study of population-level variability (the genetic diversity and population structure) of S. japonica.

A 2016 collaborative survey of commercial fish parasites in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia led to the discovery of two new species of parasitic copepods belonging to the family Bomolochidae. Females ofNothobomolochus johndaveorumn. sp. were found attached to the gill filaments ofGerres subfasciatusandGerres oyena. The new species most closely resemblesN. leiognathicolaandN. quadriceros. All 3 species possess 3 modified setae on the first antennulary segment that are approximately the same length and have a robust seta on the second antennulary segment adjacent to the 3 modified setae giving a superficial appearance of 4 modified setae on the antennule. The new species can be distinguished from these two species in its possession of longer inner setae on the first two endopodal segments of leg 4: the seta on endopodal segment 1 extends past the midline of the distal segment in the new species vs to the proximal margin of the distal segment in the other two species, and the seta on segment 2 extends well beyond the distal margin of the endopod in the new species vs just to the margin in the other two species. Females and males ofUnicolax longicrusn. sp. were found in the nasal sinuses ofSillago maculataandSillago ciliata. The new species differs from 6 of its 7 congeners in having a leg 4 exopod formula of II, I, 4 rather than II, I, 3 or II, I, 5. The new species resemblesU. anonymousin this feature, but differs in its possession of a leg 5 that is relatively longer and less wide, and, whereasU. anonymouspossesses inner and outer distal spines on leg 5 that are approximately the same length, those of the new species are relatively longer and asymmetrical.Unicolax longicrusn. sp. is unique among its congeners in its possession of a leg 4 with highly elongated endopodal segments 2 and 3, from which its name is derived. In addition to describing the two new species, host and locality reports for all species ofNothobomolochusandUnicolaxare reviewed.

A single specimen of the genus Sillago, collected from Gwangyang, Korea, in May 2009, is characterized by XI first dorsal fin spines, 3 or 4 rows of melanophore pattern along the second dorsal fin membrane, and a darkish posterior margin of the caudal fin. Our specimen was identified as Sillago sinica reported as a new species; this identification is confirmed by mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase subunit I sequences, which show that our specimen corresponds to S. sinica (d=0.000) and differs from the congeneric species Sillago parvisquamis (d=0.170). Comparisons of Korean specimens previously reported as S. parvisquamis with specimens of S. sinica show that the S. parvisquamis specimens are actually S. sinica. We propose the new Korean name “buk-bang-jeom-bo-ri-myeol” for S. sinica.

The status of Sillago erythraea Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes 1829 is re-examined. A lectotype designation by McKay in 1985 fixes it as a junior synonym of Sillago sihama (Forsskal in Niebuhr, 1775), which is restricted to the southern Red Sea. Northern Red Sea populations previously assigned to S. sihama or S. erythraea, are here described as Sillago suezensis sp. nov. Sillago suezensis is also distributed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea due to Lessepsian immigration through the Suez Canal. The new species is characterized within the Sillago sihama group, which has the swimbladder divided posteriorly into two tapering extensions projecting below the vertebral column extending into the tail musculature, by the absence of scales on the preopercle and on most of the opercle, a total number of 34 vertebrae, the swimbladder with lateral extensions each spreading a blind tubule anterolaterally, and a low position of the nostril.http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B289CDF4-AE82-44D3-9AE1-4A2B51...

Fisheries species that cannot be reliably identified based on unique morphological features pose a challenge for research, monitoring and management. DNA barcoding, which refers to a standardized procedure for genetic species identification based on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (CO1) gene, is an important tool to confront this problem. Here, we present a multi-gene barcoding approach to discriminate two fisheries species flagged as sibling species within the morphologically difficult fish genus Sillago: S analis and S. ciliata. CO1 revealed low interspecific variation that was insufficient for genetic distance-based species identification. Despite this, one diagnostic site did permit genetic character-based identification. However, four cases of mismatch among morphological identifications (mIDs) and CO1 barcodes required analysing additional genes and loci. A spot test approach was used to screen five other genes in the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) and four genes in the nuclear genome (nuDNA). The nuDNA recombination activating gene 2 (RAG2) revealed most diagnostic sites, correctly clustering mIDs of all individuals using both genetic distance- and character-based analysis. Three of four cases of mID/CO1 mismatches were found to be simultaneous CO1/RAG2 (mtDNA/nuDNA) mismatches indicative of past hybridization. The fourth mID/CO1 mismatch was found to represent an initial morphological misidentification. Five spot-tested genes, containing either fully or partially diagnostic sites (mtDNA: NADH dehydrogenase 2 [ND2], ATP synthase [ATPase] and cytochrome b; nuDNA: histone protein 3a and ring finger protein 213), confirmed these findings. Based on our preliminary data, we recommend (1) that S. analis and S. ciliata retain their taxonomic status as sibling species with full corresponding recognition as separate management and conservation units, and (2) precautionary management of S. ciliata fisheries until further research into hybridization is carried out. The multi-gene spot test approach and efficient markers (RAG2 in combination with ND2, ATPase or CO1) may help identifying other problematic fish species.

Seven specimens (106–180 mm in standard length) of the sand whiting Sillago caudicula Kaga, Imamura & Nakaya, 2010 previously known only from the type specimens from Oman, were collected from the southeast coast of Madagascar. These new specimens represent the first record of the species from Madagascar and the southern hemisphere. Comparisons in meristic and morphometric characters with the four type specimens from Oman, as well as with the five other species in the subgenus Sillago, allowed their clear identification using the following combination of characters: small head (28.6–30.1% SL), 35–36 total vertebrae, fused or narrowly separated first and second hypurals, fused third and fourth hypurals, and 9–11 dusky spots on midline of body.

The augmentation of traditional taxonomy by the addition of genetic methods, particularly DNA analysis, has revealed that many species that appeared identical morphologically throughout their distribution range are actually divided into two or more genetically distinct species. The whiting, Sillago sihama, is a fish that was considered to be of a wide Indo-Pacific distribution. Not long ago, what was considered to be S. sihama invaded the Mediterranean from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal. In our study we sequenced a 655-bp region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI) from Hong Kong, southern Red Sea and Mediterranean populations of Sillago. We discovered that the first two (HK and southern Red Sea) are genetically similar while the sequencing of the Mediterranean population shows a significant divergence, confirming the existence of two distinct species. We further sequenced a segment of 178 bp (of the 655 bp) from a formaldehyde-fixed specimen from the northern Red Sea (...

Implementing gear-based solutions to reduce bycatch in trawl fisheries can be difficult owing to fishers’ concerns over the fleet-wide applicability of results from discrete, highly controlled experiments associated with the development of such innovations. In New South Wales, Australia, a codend comprising a posterior section made from 35-mm square-shaped mesh (i.e. hung on the bar) was developed and subsequently recommended for partial implementation in a multi-species demersal trawl fishery (i.e. for use when eastern king prawn – Melicertus plebejus – is the primary target species). However, industry concerns over this design have to date prevented its implementation. Here, using direct twin-tow comparisons onboard a subset of the fleet, we quantitatively assessed the performance of the square-mesh codend, relative to the range of diamond-mesh codend designs currently being used, in terms of reductions in bycatch rates and shortfalls in catch rates of retained animals. Generalised linear mixed-effects modelling across all vessels showed that when eastern king prawn was the target species, the square-mesh codend significantly reduced bycatch rates (by ∼48%), but with an accompanying significant shortfall in catch rates of eastern king prawn (∼7%) and a substantial (though not statistically significant) shortfall in catch rates of an important component of the retained byproduct (whiting, Sillago spp., ∼36%). Partitioning of data by vessel revealed that such shortfalls in retained catch were evident for only some vessels, while the square-mesh codend performed as intended for the others. When school prawn (Metapenaeus macleayi) was the target species, substantial shortfalls in catches of school prawn (∼54%) in the 35-mm square-mesh codend confirmed that a codend of a smaller square mesh might be a more appropriate design under those circumstances. Potential strategies to address intra-vessel inconsistencies in performance of the square-mesh codend and thereby facilitate implementation of square-mesh codends in the fishery are discussed.

Species composition and abundance of larval fishes in the coastal waters off Gori in the southeastern Korea were investigated from January to December in 2006. During the study period, 32 larvae species belonging to 20 families were collected. The dominant species were Engraulis japonicius, Hexagrammos agrammus, Sillago japonicus, Acropoma japonicum, Apogon lineatus, and Konosirus punctatus. These six species accounted for 87.0% of the total number of individuals collected. The number of species, number of individuals, and species diversity indices fluctuated by season. The peak numbers of species and individuals occurred in July and May, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that monthly variations in water temperature and salinity could act as an indicators of seasonal variations in the larval fish community structure and abundance of the dominant species; in particular, the abundance of S. japonicus, A. japonicum, and A. lineatus were significantly corrected with the water temperature.

The silver sillago, Sillago sihama Forsskal is naturally distributed in Indo–West Pacific: Red Sea and Knysna, South Africa to Japan and south to Australia (Wantiez 1993), and is common along beaches, sandbars, mangrove creeks and estuaries. Adults bury themselves in the sand when disturbed (McKay 1992), and feed mainly on polychaete worms, small prawns (Penaeus), shrimps and amphipods (Allen et al. 2002). This fish is found in all Chinese waters including East China Sea, Yellow Sea, Bohai Sea, South China Sea, and the Northern Bay. In China, it is a common marine food fish species, and the supply of this fish relies on capture from the wild. So far, studies of this species have focussed on ecology (Lee et al. 1981; Lu et al. 2008), morphology of early development (Wan 1996), discrimination of the genus Sillago with sagittal otolith shape (Pan and Gao 2010), and phylogenetic relationships of the genus Sillago (Xue et al. 2010; Gao et al. 2011). In the present study, we developed 66 microsatellite loci isolated from a dinucleotide-enriched genomic library of S. sihama using the fast isolation by AFLP of sequences containing repeats (FIASCO) protocol of Zane et al. (2002). These markers should provide a tool for assessing genetic diversity and population structure of wild stocks.

The conspicuous, red harpacticoid Metis holothuriae grows to a large size (∼600 μm length) and accounts for 29.51% of the numerical meiofaunal abundance within blooms of the toxic, benthic cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula. Despite this, the meiobenthic juvenile trumpeter whiting, Sillago maculata, consume M. holothuriae at only 2.16% of numerical meiofaunal biomass within simulated blooms, despite their apparent ease of predation. We compared the predation rates of copepods that had been dyed red (primarily Canuellidae and not known to be toxic) to M. holothuriae by S. maculata, to assess whether avoidance by predators is possibly a response to an aposematic signal conveyed by the colouration of the copepods and reinforced by their potential toxicity from exposure to L. majuscula. M. holothuriae were again strongly avoided, with only 6.25% of M. holothuriae consumed, whereas dyed copepods were consumed with relative alacrity, indicating that predation was not deterred by colouration alone. M. holothuriae copepodites were consumed in preference to adult individuals, supporting the idea that toxin accumulation or other factors relating to maturation might explain avoidance by benthivorous fishes.

The notion that climate change may impact coastal fish production suggests a need to understand how climate variables may influence fish catch on a broad scale. The natural variability of freshwater flows, as a result of variable rainfall, has been shown to affect catch, as low levels reduce nutrient input, physical cues for reproduction, and access to nursery habitats. We used fish catch data, coastal sea surface temperature (SST), rainfall and the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) from 1988 to 2004 for eight distinct climatic regions along the coast of Queensland, Australia, to investigate the relationships between catch and climate parameters and variation between regions. Sea surface temperatures and rainfall were positively correlated with the catch of seven coastal commercial fisheries species but the relationship varied strongly between species and regions, thus indicating possible differences between fisheries stocks in responding to future changes in temperature and rainfall. A forward stepwise regression model that included a measure of rainfall, SST and SOI explained between 30% and 70% of the variance in catch adjusted for effort for the same year for barramundi (Lates calcarifer), mud crabs (Scylla serrata), mullet (e.g. Mugil cephalus), flathead (e.g. Platycephalus fuscus), whiting (Sillago spp.), tiger prawns (Penaeus monodon, P. semisulcatus) and endeavour prawns (Metapenaeus endeavouri, M. ensis). Given that the influence of these climate parameters varies with geographic regions, future catch prediction models should incorporate geographic variation of the relationship between fish catch and climate.

Increasing concerns about the ecological impacts of ongoing and possibly worsening blooms of the toxic, carcinogenic cyanobacteria Lyngbya majuscula in Moreton Bay, Australia, led us to assess differences in meiofaunal prey assemblages between bloom and non-bloom substrates and the potential dietary impacts of dense L. majuscula blooms on the omnivorous benthivore, the Eastern Long-finned Goby, Favonigobius lentiginosus and the obligate meiobenthivorous juveniles of Trumpeter Whiting, Sillago maculata. Marked differences in invertebrate communities were found between sandy and L. majuscula bloom foraging substrates, with copepods significantly more abundant (18.49% vs. 70.44% numerical abundance) and nematodes significantly less abundant (55.91% vs. 1.21% numerical abundance) within bloom material. Gut analyses showed that bentho-planktivorous fishes exposed to L. majuscula in captivity had consumed a significantly greater quantity of prey by both total number (P < 0.0019) and volume (P < 0.0006) than fish exposed to sand treatments. Thus, it is likely for such fishes that L. majuscula blooms increase rates of prey encounter and consumption, with consequent changes in trophic relationships through shifts in predator–prey interactions between small benthivorous fishes and their meiofaunal prey.

A new species of sand whiting, Sillago (Sillago) caudicula, is described based on four specimens collected from Oman, the Indian Ocean. It is easily distinguishable from its four known members of the subgenus Sillago by having a smaller head (29.0–30.1% in standard length), 23–24 soft anal fin rays, 35–36 total vertebrae, body depth at the origin of the second dorsal fin slightly deeper than that at the origin of the first dorsal fin, first and second hypurals fused (in adult) or narrowly separated (in young), third and fourth hypurals fused, and 11 dusky midlateral spots on the body.

Two methods of otolith increment analysis were used to describe spatial, temporal and gender variation in growth of sand whiting, Sillago ciliata (Cuvier), in four south-east Australian estuaries. Mean annual standardised otolith increment widths were used as indices of individual lifetime growth rates, while raw otolith increment widths were used to describe variation in growth throughout the life of S. ciliata. Temporal variation in growth was observed at an annual scale, while spatial variation in growth was observed between estuaries. Growth rates increased significantly with decreasing latitude and greater mean sea surface temperatures. A divergence in growth rates between sexes was detected, with females growing faster than males after sexual maturity. This study highlights how otolith increment analyses can: (1) be used to analyse temporal trends in growth from a single sample and (2) provide insight into juvenile growth when samples have an absence of undersized fish.

Otolith shape is species-specific in fish. In this study, 161 samples of Trumpeter sillago Sillago maculata and 164 of Silver sillago Sillago sihama were collected from Beibu Gulf in July 2009. The main objective of this study was to use morphological variables and Fourier harmonics to describe otolith characteristics and use discriminant analyses to separate the two species. Otoliths were measured by traditional one and two dimensional measures (otolith length, width, diameters, area, perimeter, rectangularity and circularity), as well as by Fourier analysis to capture the finer regions of the otolith. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that there was significant correlation between morphological variables (diameter, perimeter, otolith length, otolith width, otolith area, density, harmonics 3, harmonics 4, harmonics 5, harmonics 13, harmonics 15, and harmonics 16) and body length. To minimize size effects on the morphological variables between species, only fish with a body length between 90 and 140 mm were included in the data analysis and the variables which had significant relation with body length were transformed using the residual. The result showed that the accuracy of discriminant analysis was 97.8% and 100% for Trumpeter sillago and Silver sillago, respectively. This high accuracy indicated that otolith shape was described accurately by morphological variables and Fourier harmonics, and discriminant analysis was an effective way to identify and separate the two species.

The presently reported study provides a detailed morphological description of the female and the male of a new species of the genus Parabrachiella-Parabrachiella jarai sp. nov. The parasites were sampled from marine fish, silver sillago, Sillago sihama (Perciformes: Sillaginidae), captured in Malaysia in 1994 and Hong Kong in 1995. The new species bears some resemblance to Parabrachiella lata (Song et Chen, 1976) but differs from it in details of second antenna, mandible, and maxilliped. The genus Parabrachiella currently covers 67 species including those recently transferred from Neobrachiella Kabata, 1979. An amended generic diagnosis is proposed for Parabrachiella and Thysanote. Some members of Parabrachiella are herewith transferred to Thysanote and some Thysanote are now placed in Parabrachiella.

Little is known about the prevalence and genotypes of Cryptosporidium in fish. The present study investigated the prevalence of Cryptosporidium species in cultured fingerlings (n = 227), wild freshwater (n = 227) and wild marine/estuarine species (n = 255) of fish in Western Australia by PCR amplification at the 18S rRNA locus. Results revealed a low prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in fish hosts; 0.8% (6/709). Four species of Cryptosporidium were identified including C. parvum, C. xiaoi and pig genotype II in whiting (Sillago vittata) and a novel Cryptosporidium spp. in mullets (Mugil cephalus). The identification of zoonotic species of Cryptosporidium in fish indicates that future research to gain a better understanding of the public health impacts is warranted. The detection of the protozoa in fish may also be a good sentinel for environmental contamination or ecosystem health.

Summary Sillago maculata is endemic to the east coast of Australia where it is harvested by recreational and commercial fishers; however, little is known of the important aspects of its biology and ecology to assist with fisheries management planning. This situation is redressed here by investigating aspects of the reproduction, age and growth of estuarine populations of S. maculata in south-eastern Australia. Gonadosomatic index (GSI) values indicated peak spawning occurred between September and February and that the estimated mean fork length at maturity (L50) was 14.6 cm for males and 15.2 cm for females. Females displayed an asynchronous pattern of oocyte development, with individuals probably spawning multiple times in a spawning season. A validated aging protocol using thin sectioned otoliths was used to estimate the age of fish. The maximum ages for males and females were 9.5 and 12.0 years, respectively. Growth differed between sexes, with males (L∞ = 24.04, K = 0.70, t0 = −0.09) attaining a smaller maximum length than females (L∞ = 25.01, K = 0.72, t0 = −0.04). The age composition of gill-net and beach-seine samples mainly consisted of individuals aged 2–4 years, and there was evidence of variable recruitment. Management implications are also discussed.

Knowledge of settlement and recruitment processes is crucial for the conservation and sustainable management of commercial fish stocks, yet for some species such information is limited. We investigated the length-frequency distribution and feeding activity of 0-group Sillago whiting on mudflats in Moreton Bay, Australia, and evaluated whether permanent intertidal residence is (1) an integral component of recruitment and (2) related to the suitability of temporary microhabitats (tide- pools) as primary nursery refuges. A total of 399 whiting, comprising the 3 commercially and/or recreationally important species S. analis, S. ciliata and S. maculata, were collected from intertidal pools and adjacent subtidal waters during low tide. Newly settled metamorphic larvae dominated whiting assemblages in tidepools (>80%) and fed almost exclusively on meiofaunal copepods and nematodes. It was only once metamorphosis was complete that new settlers joined the main juvenile population — i.e. they commenced tidal migrations, or they took up permanent residence in subtidal seagrass beds (>90% juveniles), and shifted their diet towards macrofaunal decapods and poly- chaetes. During the critical first weeks after settlement, occupation of intertidal pools seemed likely to increase fitness of whiting. Specifically, the pools may provide shelter from predation, tempera- ture-induced increases in growth and temporally extended access to intertidal meiofauna. The latter, however, appeared to vary depending on whether copepods or nematodes were the preferred prey, and whether occupied pools were isolated or interconnected. Resource and conservation managers should consider largely structureless mud- and sandflats as primary nursery zones for Sillago popu- lations throughout their range in the Indo-Pacific.