Evidence of extensive multispecies macrofouling in Eckström's topknot Zeugopterus regius (Bonnaterre, 1788), Pleuronectiformes, Scophthalmidae.

Diverse and extensive macrofouling of the left-hand (eyed) side has been observed in multiple films and photographs of different specimens of Eckström's topknot Zeugopterus regius. Identified foulers include macroalgae and tunicates. Photographs of unfouled specimens and preserved juveniles have also been inspected. Macrofouling is not universal in this species; unfouled fish were observed around the strongly tidal British Isles, whereas the worst-fouled topknots were seen in the eutrophic, microtidal northern Adriatic.

Anatomy of the endocrine pancreas in actinopterygian fishes and its phylogenetic implications.

The anatomy and organisation of the endocrine pancreas in ray-finned fishes vary widely. The two main morphoanatomical character states are diffuse versus compact pancreatic tissue. The latter are called Brockmann Bodies (BBs), or principal islets. The present study is the first comprehensive survey on the anatomy of the endocrine pancreas (diffuse versus compact) across 322 actinopterygian species in 39 orders and 135 families based on literature, specimen dissections, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The data obtained show that large endocrine pancreatic islets (BB) have appeared several times in teleost evolution: in some ostariophysian clades and within the Salmoniformes and Neoteleostei. Acanthomorpha (spiny-rayed fishes) is the largest clade of the Neoteleostei. Within this clade, an absence of BBs is only observed in flying fishes (Exocoetidae), parrotfishes (Scarinae), and some of the scarine relatives, the Labridae. The presence of BBs in examined jellynose fish species from the Ateleopodiformes indicates support for its sister-group relationship to the Ctenosquamata (Myctophiformes + Acanthomorpha). More investigations are still needed to corroborate the presence or absence of BBs as a putative synapomorphy for a clade comprising Ateleopodiformes and Ctenosquamata.

Does the common topknot Zeugopterus punctatus (Teleosteii: Pleuronectiformes: Scophthalmidae) use a novel Venturi-effect attachment mechanism? A testable hypothesis.

Common topknots (Zeugopterus punctatus) attach to vertical rock surfaces and overhangs. It has been speculated that attachment is by a suction cup, with the median (anal, dorsal) fins providing a peripheral seal. Here the authors propose that the attachment is actually based on a Venturi effect. The rear portions of the median fins continually move in a fan-like fashion (at c. 4 cycles per second). This movement produces a tailward fluid flow that ventilates the shallow underbody space between the fish and its rocky substratum. The anterior portions of the median fins seal the space laterally, but the space is open anterior (beneath the raised head) and posterior to the sea. The mid-underbody space likely has a lower cross-sectional area than does the front intake or rear exit, so flow should be faster (and pressure lower) within it than outside, thus providing pressure gradient suction. Topknots attach to rough and heavily biofouled surfaces, presumably because the high numbers of fin rays and their associated membranes plus fine muscle control allow effective sealing. The attachment ability is shared by all members of the flatfish tribe Phrynorhombini; it can be related to anatomical peculiarities and constitutes a probable synapomorphy for this clade.

The distribution of the recessus orbitalis across flatfishes (order: Pleuronectiformes).

The recessus orbitalis is an accessory organ of flatfishes functioning in the protrusion of the eyes. This character, along with cranial asymmetry and a forward insertion of the dorsal fin, have been considered synapomorphies for the Pleuronectiformes. New dissections and examination of images taken in the wild show that the recessus orbitalis is present in all representatives of Pleuronectoidei examined but is absent in the single species of Psettoidei dissected. Psettoidei, the most primitive pleuronectiform lineage, contains three recognized species; thus, the absence of the recessus orbitalis in this whole lineage is unclear without further dissections. Ancestral character estimation at the family level for the recessus orbitalis indicates that the recessus orbitalis was likely absent in the common ancestor of Pleuronectiformes but was most likely present in the common ancestor of the Pleuronectoidei. Given that so few species of flatfishes have been assessed for the recessus orbitalis to date, additional characterization of the distribution of the recessus orbitalis across flatfishes will further inform what states this character may have and if it is a synapomorphy of Pleuronectiformes or simply a derived character state of Pleuronectoidei.

[Reproductive behavior of the green birdmouth wrasse Gomphosus caeruleus on a Reunion Island reef: Mode of reproduction, environmental factors and reproductive strategy alternation]. / Comportements reproducteurs du labre oiseau Gomphosus caeruleus dans un récif de l'île de la Réunion : mode de reproduction, facteurs environnementaux et alternance des stratégies reproductrices.

The green birdmouth wrasse Gomphosus caeruleus is present all year round on the coral reefs of Reunion Island (Indian Ocean). A group of individuals was followed on one of these reefs with the objective of studying the reproduction mode of the species, the influence of environmental factors, and social behaviors on the control of reproduction. Our observations revealed that G. caeruleus is, like many Labridae, a protogynous hermaphrodite species, probably diandric, that the reproduction of G. caeruleus is, like in other reef fish species, influenced by the lunar cycle with a peak of reproductive activity during waxing gibbous phase, and that G. caeruleus displays social behavior leading to alternating haremic mating system on a single territory and lek-like mating systems without aggressions between males. These observations enhanced our knowledge of the reproduction of Labridae and reef species.

Finding our way through phenotypes.

Despite a large and multifaceted effort to understand the vast landscape of phenotypic data, their current form inhibits productive data analysis. The lack of a community-wide, consensus-based, human- and machine-interpretable language for describing phenotypes and their genomic and environmental contexts is perhaps the most pressing scientific bottleneck to integration across many key fields in biology, including genomics, systems biology, development, medicine, evolution, ecology, and systematics. Here we survey the current phenomics landscape, including data resources and handling, and the progress that has been made to accurately capture relevant data descriptions for phenotypes. We present an example of the kind of integration across domains that computable phenotypes would enable, and we call upon the broader biology community, publishers, and relevant funding agencies to support efforts to surmount today's data barriers and facilitate analytical reproducibility.

The gas bladder of puffers and porcupinefishes (Acanthomorpha: Tetraodontiformes): phylogenetic interpretations.

The anatomy of the gas bladder of Diodontidae (porcupinefishes) and Tetraodontidae (pufferfishes) was studied on the basis of dissections and magnetic resonance imaging. Among the examined taxa of Tetraodontiformes, only puffers and porcupinefishes possess a thick walled and dorsally U-shaped or crescent-moon-shaped gas bladder. In the tetraodontid genus Lagocephalus the gas bladder is reduced to a rudiment. The species belonging to the genera Canthigaster, Arothron, and some species of Tetraodon differ in the positioning of their crescent-moon-shaped gas bladder. These observations confirm the close relationship of: (i) Diodontidae and Tetraodontidae and (ii) Canthigaster, Arothron, and some species of Tetraodon. The heterogeneity of the genus Tetraodon is supported by the gas bladder morphology, as previously suggested by molecular studies.

Proposition for a protocol for anatomical studies on collection specimens by magnetic resonance imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations for anatomical studies on collection specimens are becoming more and more frequent. As the presence of metallic objects within the specimens can disturb the acquisition of images and damage both specimens and materials, a simple protocol using radiographs is here proposed to detect these objects in collection specimens before conducting an MRI examination.

Visceral anatomy of ocean sunfish (Mola mola (L., 1758), Molidae, Tetraodontiformes) and angler (Lophius piscatorius (L., 1758), Lophiidae, Lophiiformes) investigated by non-invasive imaging techniques.

The purpose of this work is to examine the gross visceral anatomy of ocean sunfish and angler using non-invasive imaging techniques: computed tomography imaging (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Similarities and differences in the internal organisation of these two species are verified. Both species lack a swimbladder and present a significant asymmetry in the hepatic lobes, an elongated bile duct terminating close to the stomach, a compact thyroid embedded in a blood lacuna, and very reduced brain and spinal cord. These observations are important in regard to the close relationships between Tetraodontiformes and Lophiiformes, established by several molecular works, but not yet confirmed by morpho-anatomical data. However the occurrence of these features has to be examined in other taxa before phylogenetic hypotheses are proposed.

No need to open the jar: a comparative study of Magnetic Resonance Imaging results on fresh and alcohol preserved common carps (Cyprinus carpio (L. 1758), Cyprinidae, Teleostei).

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) examinations have been conducted both on fresh and alcohol-preserved common carps (Cyprinus carpio). The images have been compared to those of a sagittally-cut frozen animal of the same species. This work shows that the images obtained are globally similar, and that the MRI technique can be applied to investigate the gross anatomy of alcohol-preserved specimens without destroying them. Unfortunately, this kind of study does not provide precise enough anatomical data for small specimens (less than 10 cm in total length) with a 1 Tesla magnetic field. Nevertheless, leaving the specimen in the jar during MRI examinations does not affect the quality of the final images.

Structural peculiarities of the tubercles in the skin of the turbot, Scophthalmus maximus (L., 1758) (Osteichthyes, Pleuronectiformes, Scophthalmidae).

The structure of the bony tubercles of the turbot, Scophthalmus maximus (L., 1758), was examined using ground sections, microradiography, SEM, and TEM. The tubercles are small, isolated, mineralized conical plates randomly distributed in the eyed side of the body. They are composed of three layers: the outer limiting layer, the external layer, and the basal plate, which make up the thin and flat elasmoid scales of Teleostei. The main difference between regular elasmoid scales and bony tubercles lies in the organization and the growth of the basal plate. Indeed, the conical shape of the tubercle is the result of a prominent thickening of the central part of the basal plate where the collagen matrix is organized in a complicated three-dimensional network. Densely packed thick collagen fibrils form superimposed plies organized in a plywood-like structure that resembles that of the elasmoid scales but it is criss-crossed by numerous vertical sheets of thin collagen fibrils. The tubercles originate from thin and flat plates located in the skin of larvae and juveniles, whose structure is that of regular-developing elasmoid scales. Thus, the tubercles of Scophthalmus maximus could be considered as modified elasmoid scales rather than bony structures. They might be the result of specific arrangements related to the general trend of reduction of the dermal skeleton in the teleostean lineage.