Fish hosts, glochidia features and life cycle of the endemic freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera dahurica from the Amur Basin.

Margaritiferidae is a small freshwater bivalve family with 16 species. In spite of a small number of taxa and long-term history of research, several gaps in our knowledge on the freshwater pearl mussels still exist. Here we present the discovery of host fishes for Margaritifera dahurica, i.e. Lower Amur grayling, sharp-snouted lenok, and blunt-snouted lenok. The host fishes were studied in rivers of the Ussuri Basin. The identification of glochidia and fish hosts was confirmed by DNA analysis. The life cycle of M. dahurica and its glochidia are described for the first time. The SEM study of glochidia revealed that the rounded, unhooked Margaritifera dahurica larvae are similar to those of the other Margaritiferidae. Margaritifera dahurica is a tachytictic breeder, the larvae of which attach to fish gills during the Late August - September and finish the metamorphosis in June. Ancestral host reconstruction and a review of the salmonid - pearl mussel coevolution suggest that the ancestral host of the Margaritiferidae was a non-salmonid fish, while that of the genus Margaritifera most likely was an early salmonid species or their stem lineage. The overfishing of lenoks and graylings appears to be the most significant threat for this rare mussel species.

Triploidy does not decrease contents of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in filets of pink salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha.

Triploid fish has become an important item of commercial aquaculture, but data on its fatty acid (FA) composition are still controversial, especially regarding essential polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3, EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3, DHA). We studied FA composition and content of diploid and triploid pink salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, reared in aquaculture in a bay of the White Sea (Russia). FA composition, measured as percentages of total FA of triploids and immature diploid females significantly differed from that of mature diploid fish. Specifically, mature diploids had higher percentage of EPA and DHA in their muscle tissue (filets) compared to that of triploids and immature diploid females. Nevertheless, the contents of EPA and DHA per mass of the filets in diploid and triploid specimens were similar. Thus, no special efforts are needed to improve EPA and DHA contents in filets of triploids.