The authors report on the complete mitochondrial genome sequencing of Oxycarenus laetus from two ... more The authors report on the complete mitochondrial genome sequencing of Oxycarenus laetus from two geographically distinct regions of India, using MiSeq Illumina sequencer to generate paired-end reads of length 75 bp. The paper in general carefully written. The Raw data generated were submitted to NCBI's SRA Archives (PRJNA520830). Finally, the complete genome was 15,672 bp identified, it consisting of 13 PCGs, 2 rRNA, 23 tRNA genes, and a 962 bp control region. This was an article whose findings are important to those with closely related hemipteran super-families research interests.
The forecasting of gas production from mature gas wells, due to their complex end-of-life behavio... more The forecasting of gas production from mature gas wells, due to their complex end-of-life behaviour, is challenging and often associated with uncertainties (both measurements and modelling uncertainties). Yet, having good forecasts are crucial for operational decision making. In this paper, we present a purely black-box based approach, which combines the use of a data assimilation method, the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) and a modified deep LSTM model as the prediction model within the approach. This approach is tested on two mature gas wells in the North Sea which were suffering from salt precipitation. Results showed that the approach of combining a deep LSTM model within EnKF can be effective when deployed in a real-time production optimization environment. We observed that having the EnKF increases the robustness of the forecasts by the black box prediction model while reducing computational cost of retraining the black-box models for every individual well.
The authors report on the complete mitochondrial genome sequencing of Oxycarenus laetus from two ... more The authors report on the complete mitochondrial genome sequencing of Oxycarenus laetus from two geographically distinct regions of India, using MiSeq Illumina sequencer to generate paired-end reads of length 75 bp. The paper in general carefully written. The Raw data generated were submitted to NCBI's SRA Archives (PRJNA520830). Finally, the complete genome was 15,672 bp identified, it consisting of 13 PCGs, 2 rRNA, 23 tRNA genes, and a 962 bp control region. This was an article whose findings are important to those with closely related hemipteran super-families research interests.
Combined multiple 2D views (proximal, anterior and ventral aspects) of the sagittal otolith are p... more Combined multiple 2D views (proximal, anterior and ventral aspects) of the sagittal otolith are proposed here as a method to capture shape information for fish classification. Classification performance of single view compared with combined 2D views show improved classification accuracy of the latter, for nine species of Sciaenidae. The effects of shape description methods (shape indices, Procrustes analysis and elliptical Fourier analysis) on classification performance were evaluated. Procrustes analysis and elliptical Fourier analysis perform better than shape indices when single view is considered, but all perform equally well with combined views. A generic content‐based image retrieval (CBIR) system that ranks dissimilarity (Procrustes distance) of otolith images was built to search query images without the need for detailed information of side (left or right), aspect (proximal or distal) and direction (positive or negative) of the otolith. Methods for the development of this au...
Zooplankton samples collected before (1985-86) and after (2013-14) the establishment of Kapar pow... more Zooplankton samples collected before (1985-86) and after (2013-14) the establishment of Kapar power station (KPS) were examined to test the hypothesis that increased sea surface temperature (SST) and other water quality changes have altered the zooplankton community structure. Elevated SST and reduced pH were detected between before and after impact pairs, with the greatest impact at the station closest to KPS. Present PAHs and heavy metal concentrations are unlikely causal factors. Water parameter changes did not affect diversity but community structure of the zooplankton. Tolerant small crustaceans, salps and larvaceans likely benefited from elevated temperature, reduced pH and shift to a more significant microbial loop exacerbated by eutrophication, while large crustaceans were more vulnerable to such changes. It is predicted that any further rise in SST will remove more large-bodied crustacean zooplankton, the preferred food for fish larvae and other meroplankton, with grave consequences to fishery production.
A background study is important for the conservation and stock management of a species. Terapon j... more A background study is important for the conservation and stock management of a species. Terapon jarbua is a coastal Indo-Pacific species, sourced for human consumption. This study examined 134 samples from the central west and east coasts of Peninsular (West) Malaysia and East Malaysia. A 1446-bp concatenated dataset of mtDNA COI and Cyt b sequences was used in this study and 83 haplotypes were identified, of which 79 are unique haplotypes and four are shared haplotypes. Populations of T. jarbua in Malaysia are genetically heterogenous as shown by the high level of haplotype diversity ranging from 0.9167-0.9952, low nucleotide diversity ranging from 0.0288-0.3434, and high F ST values (within population genetic variation). Population genetic structuring is not distinct as shown by the shared haplotypes between geographic populations and mixtures of haplotypes from different populations within the same genetic cluster. The gene flow pat
Gymnothorax poikilospilus sp. nov. is described based on two specimens collected from Penghu Isla... more Gymnothorax poikilospilus sp. nov. is described based on two specimens collected from Penghu Islands, western Taiwan. It is a medium-sized brown moray that body covered with several rows of inconspicuous large dark brown patches on the back of body and dorsal fin. It has slightly elongated and arched jaws similar to the common characteristic of the genus Enchelycore Kaup, but the dentition supports it belongs to typical morays of the genus Gymnothorax Bloch. The new species can be distinguished from other similar Indo-Pacific brown morays by the combination of dentition, vertebral formula, and morphometric measurements. Molecular analyses based on 612 bp of mitochondrial COI gene also support it as a distinct species.
The main focus of this study has been on the distinctive pre-spawning snout-gripping behaviors an... more The main focus of this study has been on the distinctive pre-spawning snout-gripping behaviors and mate choice of two moray species (Gymnothorax pictus and G. thyrsoideus). The behavior of snout-gripping means that the male grips the female’s snout with its jaws. It is the most distinctive behavior to confirm the success of mating pair formation naturally and was rarely described on moray eels or other coral reef fishes. The reproductive behaviors of the two moray species were also first observed and photographed in the laboratory aquaria. Over 22 reproductive events including 9 spawning events by 28 adult individuals of G. pictus were recorded. Eight sequential behaviors were recorded in the successful spawning events of G. pictus searching, courting, inviting, snout-gripping, rushing toward the water surface, turning around, spawning, separating and settling to the bottom. G. thyrsoideus also exhibited similar pre-spawning behaviors as G. pictus, but showed more aggressive behaviors between the males than G. pictus. Courtships and mating affairs occurred about 23 times by 32 adult individuals of G. thyrsoideus, but without spawning. Both species mated mainly between a female and a male at night (8:00PM-2:00AM). It only took a shorter time for G. pictus to go from snout-gripping to spawning (3-7 seconds), but a longer time for G. thyrsoideus to go from snout-gripping to separating (35-43 seconds).
We report the complete mitogenome of Hydrophis curtus, which is 17,702 bp in size and includes 13... more We report the complete mitogenome of Hydrophis curtus, which is 17,702 bp in size and includes 13 protein-coding (PCGs), two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and two control regions. PCGs, with 13 genes, are 11,261 bp in length. All PCGs use as the start codon ATN except ND1 (CTA) and COX1 (GTG); ATP8, ATP6, ND4L, ND5, and Cytb use the typical stop codon TAA; but COX2 and ND4 with a single T-. Phylogeny reconstructed using the Bayesian inference (BI) method with 13 PCGs indicates that H. curtus at the root of Laticaudinae.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Dec 31, 2011
Gymnothorax melanosomatus new species, is described here on the basis of eight specimens collecte... more Gymnothorax melanosomatus new species, is described here on the basis of eight specimens collected from eastern coastal Taiwan at a depth 50-180 m. This new moray eel is distinguished from a closely similar species, G. prolatus, by a combination of the following characters: a uniformly black body when fresh (vs. brown), a relatively long preanal length 58.5 % of TL (vs. 48.9), shorter snout length 17.8 % of HL (vs. 20.0), interobital width 12.2 % of HL (vs. 14.3); more preanal vertebrae 105-109 (vs. 74-86) and total vertebrae 201-211 (vs. 174-190). The male and female are not different in body color and pattern, but the numbers of median intermaxillary teeth are different between the sexes, 0 in male and 2-3 in female.
Combined multiple 2D views (proximal, anterior and ventral aspects) of the sagittal otolith are p... more Combined multiple 2D views (proximal, anterior and ventral aspects) of the sagittal otolith are proposed here as a method to capture shape information for fish classification. Classification performance of single view compared with combined 2D views show improved classification accuracy of the latter, for nine species of Sciaenidae. The effects of shape description methods (shape indices, Procrustes analysis and elliptical Fourier analysis) on classification performance were evaluated. Procrustes analysis and elliptical Fourier analysis perform better than shape indices when single view is considered, but all perform equally well with combined views. A generic content-based image retrieval (CBIR) system that ranks dissimilarity (Procrustes distance) of otolith images was built to search query images without the need for detailed information of side (left or right), aspect (proximal or distal) and direction (positive or negative) of the otolith. Methods for the development of this automated classification system are discussed.
Abstract Changes in larval fish assemblages were studied before (1985–86) and after (2013–2014) r... more Abstract Changes in larval fish assemblages were studied before (1985–86) and after (2013–2014) rapid coastal development in the Klang Strait, Malaysia, based on a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) experimental design. Fish larvae were sampled by bongo-nets along an 18-km transect from the impact station at the Kapar power station (KPS) to four control stations in increasingly offshore waters. Families Gobiidae, Clupeidae, Sciaenidae and Engraulidae were most abundant at both sampling periods, demonstrating their adaptability and resilience to the natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Coastal development has reduced larval fish abundance at KPS, inevitably shifting higher larval abundance to the control stations. This shift is related to lower sea surface temperature and higher pH. Despite the coastal disturbances, there was an overall increase in total larval fish abundance attributed to the preflexion stage of the Gobiidae, Sciaenidae, Engraulidae, Cynoglossidae and Callionymidae, and the yolk-sac and preflexion larvae of unidentified taxa.
A new identification of Gymnothorax minor (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) is documented based on morp... more A new identification of Gymnothorax minor (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) is documented based on morphological characteristics and DNA barcoding. Sixty-one individuals of G. minor were collected from the East China Sea and the South China Sea. This species was previously reported as Gymnothorax reticularis Bloch, 1795 in China because of the similarity in external shape and color. Gymnothorax minor can be easily distinguished from G. reticularis by its color pattern of 18-20 irregular dark brown vertical bars and the body having scattered small brown spots. Additionally, the teeth are uniserial on both jaws, and the vertebrae number 137-139. By combining congener sequences of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene from GenBank, two groups were detected among all the COI sequences of the currently named G. minor, which further indicated that two valid species were present based on genetic distance. A divergence also occurred on the number of vertebrae between the northern and southern populations. The phylogenetic and morphological analysis strongly supports that the northern and southern populations of G. minor are two different species. Furthermore, the distribution area of the northern G. minor has expanded southward to 5°15'N in the South China Sea. More specimens of G. minor and G. reticularis are crucial in order to define their geographical distribution boundaries and provide the correct DNA barcoding.
The following nine elongate unpatterned muraenid species of the subfamily Muraeninae, including o... more The following nine elongate unpatterned muraenid species of the subfamily Muraeninae, including one new species, are recognized from Taiwan and adjacent waters: Gymnothorax albimarginatus (Temminck & Schlegel), G. dorsalis Seale, G. melanosomatus Loh, Shao & Chen, G. phasmatodes (Smith), G. prolatus Sasaki & Amaoka, G. sagmacephalus Böhlke, Pseudechidna brummeri (Bleeker), Strophidon sathete (Hamilton) and G. pseudomelanosomatus new species, described from two specimens. This new moray eel is distinguished from its similar species, G. melanosomatus, by the following features: grey brown body (vs. black), snout length 20.5% (vs. 17.8%) of head length, smaller eye diameter 8.2% (vs. 10.0%) of head length; preanal length 49.5% (vs. 58.5%) total length, and preanal vertebrae 89-89 (vs. 105-109). Phylogenetic relationships of the nine species were examined using nucleotide sequence data from partial sequences of mitochondrial ND5 gene (600 bp), and seven species form COI (600 bp). The genetic analyses suggest that G. pseudomelanosomatus is distinct from G. melanosomatus and the other six species of Gymnothorax. Morphological features and mitogenetic affinities strongly suggest that "G." dorsalis should be placed in Strophidon rather than in Gymnothorax. The results also suggest that employment of ND5 and COI gene sequences are rather useful for identification of species and for obtaining reasonable insights into the phylogeny of the muraenid species.
Due to the highly similar external morphology of the Pampus species, misidentifications frequentl... more Due to the highly similar external morphology of the Pampus species, misidentifications frequently occur and hinder the understanding of the taxonomy and species distributions of the genus. In this study, we generated 271 mitochondrial sequences and obtained 1,226 sequences from the public databases to understand the species diversity and distributions of the genus Pampus. Most phylogenetic analyses and species delimitations congruently concluded seven valid species within the genus Pampus (i.e., P. argenteus, P. candidus, P. chinensis, P. cinereus, P. liuorum, P. minor, and P. punctatissimus). Sequences of P. argenteus are reported through the northern South China Sea to the Japan Archipelago, which covered the type locality of P. echinogaster. Sequences of P. echinogaster in the public databases are all identified as P. argenteus, suggesting that the species should be synonymized with P. argenteus. Furthermore, sequences of P. griseus were identical to our P. cinereus data and, therefore, should be treated as a synonym of the latter. Inference on divergence time and ancestral distribution implied that the genus Pampus originated in the central Indo-Pacific region around 8.35-11.33 million years ago (the late Miocene), associated with the rise of the Indonesian-Australian Archipelago biodiversity hotspot. The divergence between P. cinereus and P. liuorum dated back to 1.20-1.72 million years ago, which might be related to glacial isolation during the Mid-Pleistocene transition.
Zooplankton samples collected before (1985-86) and after (2013-14) the establishment of Kapar pow... more Zooplankton samples collected before (1985-86) and after (2013-14) the establishment of Kapar power station (KPS) were examined to test the hypothesis that increased sea surface temperature (SST) and other water quality changes have altered the zooplankton community structure. Elevated SST and reduced pH were detected between before and after impact pairs, with the greatest impact at the station closest to KPS. Present PAHs and heavy metal concentrations are unlikely causal factors. Water parameter changes did not affect diversity but community structure of the zooplankton. Tolerant small crustaceans, salps and larvaceans likely benefited from elevated temperature, reduced pH and shift to a more significant microbial loop exacerbated by eutrophication, while large crustaceans were more vulnerable to such changes. It is predicted that any further rise in SST will remove more large-bodied crustacean zooplankton, the preferred food for fish larvae and other meroplankton, with grave consequences to fishery production.
A new ophichthid worm-eel, Neenchelys gracilis sp. nov., is described from a specimen collected f... more A new ophichthid worm-eel, Neenchelys gracilis sp. nov., is described from a specimen collected from southwestern Taiwan. It differs from its congeners by having: a minute pectoral fin, many filamentous cirri on the anterior nostril rim; a very slender body; a very small gill opening; and a vertebral formula of 30-78-200.
An annotated checklist of eels, orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes, occurring in Taiwa... more An annotated checklist of eels, orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes, occurring in Taiwanese waters is presented. The checklist is the result of a series of systematic studies conducted by the authors in the past few years. The eel fauna of Taiwan is one of the richest in the world with a total of 206 species in 74 genera and 13 families in Anguilliformes and a single species in Saccopharyngiformes. The most species-rich families are the Muraenidae with 71 species, followed by the Ophichthidae with 60 species, the Congridae with 29 species, and the Synaphobranchidae with 17 species. Moreover, three genera and 42 species have been described based on at least one type specimen collected from Taiwan. Of these, 36 species are recognized as valid and 23 species are known only from Taiwanese waters at present. Historical records of all Taiwanese eel species are reviewed by examining the original descriptions and figures, vouchers, as well as the recently collected specimens, where available. This represents the first detailed checklist of eels from Taiwanese waters.
The authors report on the complete mitochondrial genome sequencing of Oxycarenus laetus from two ... more The authors report on the complete mitochondrial genome sequencing of Oxycarenus laetus from two geographically distinct regions of India, using MiSeq Illumina sequencer to generate paired-end reads of length 75 bp. The paper in general carefully written. The Raw data generated were submitted to NCBI's SRA Archives (PRJNA520830). Finally, the complete genome was 15,672 bp identified, it consisting of 13 PCGs, 2 rRNA, 23 tRNA genes, and a 962 bp control region. This was an article whose findings are important to those with closely related hemipteran super-families research interests.
The forecasting of gas production from mature gas wells, due to their complex end-of-life behavio... more The forecasting of gas production from mature gas wells, due to their complex end-of-life behaviour, is challenging and often associated with uncertainties (both measurements and modelling uncertainties). Yet, having good forecasts are crucial for operational decision making. In this paper, we present a purely black-box based approach, which combines the use of a data assimilation method, the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) and a modified deep LSTM model as the prediction model within the approach. This approach is tested on two mature gas wells in the North Sea which were suffering from salt precipitation. Results showed that the approach of combining a deep LSTM model within EnKF can be effective when deployed in a real-time production optimization environment. We observed that having the EnKF increases the robustness of the forecasts by the black box prediction model while reducing computational cost of retraining the black-box models for every individual well.
The authors report on the complete mitochondrial genome sequencing of Oxycarenus laetus from two ... more The authors report on the complete mitochondrial genome sequencing of Oxycarenus laetus from two geographically distinct regions of India, using MiSeq Illumina sequencer to generate paired-end reads of length 75 bp. The paper in general carefully written. The Raw data generated were submitted to NCBI's SRA Archives (PRJNA520830). Finally, the complete genome was 15,672 bp identified, it consisting of 13 PCGs, 2 rRNA, 23 tRNA genes, and a 962 bp control region. This was an article whose findings are important to those with closely related hemipteran super-families research interests.
Combined multiple 2D views (proximal, anterior and ventral aspects) of the sagittal otolith are p... more Combined multiple 2D views (proximal, anterior and ventral aspects) of the sagittal otolith are proposed here as a method to capture shape information for fish classification. Classification performance of single view compared with combined 2D views show improved classification accuracy of the latter, for nine species of Sciaenidae. The effects of shape description methods (shape indices, Procrustes analysis and elliptical Fourier analysis) on classification performance were evaluated. Procrustes analysis and elliptical Fourier analysis perform better than shape indices when single view is considered, but all perform equally well with combined views. A generic content‐based image retrieval (CBIR) system that ranks dissimilarity (Procrustes distance) of otolith images was built to search query images without the need for detailed information of side (left or right), aspect (proximal or distal) and direction (positive or negative) of the otolith. Methods for the development of this au...
Zooplankton samples collected before (1985-86) and after (2013-14) the establishment of Kapar pow... more Zooplankton samples collected before (1985-86) and after (2013-14) the establishment of Kapar power station (KPS) were examined to test the hypothesis that increased sea surface temperature (SST) and other water quality changes have altered the zooplankton community structure. Elevated SST and reduced pH were detected between before and after impact pairs, with the greatest impact at the station closest to KPS. Present PAHs and heavy metal concentrations are unlikely causal factors. Water parameter changes did not affect diversity but community structure of the zooplankton. Tolerant small crustaceans, salps and larvaceans likely benefited from elevated temperature, reduced pH and shift to a more significant microbial loop exacerbated by eutrophication, while large crustaceans were more vulnerable to such changes. It is predicted that any further rise in SST will remove more large-bodied crustacean zooplankton, the preferred food for fish larvae and other meroplankton, with grave consequences to fishery production.
A background study is important for the conservation and stock management of a species. Terapon j... more A background study is important for the conservation and stock management of a species. Terapon jarbua is a coastal Indo-Pacific species, sourced for human consumption. This study examined 134 samples from the central west and east coasts of Peninsular (West) Malaysia and East Malaysia. A 1446-bp concatenated dataset of mtDNA COI and Cyt b sequences was used in this study and 83 haplotypes were identified, of which 79 are unique haplotypes and four are shared haplotypes. Populations of T. jarbua in Malaysia are genetically heterogenous as shown by the high level of haplotype diversity ranging from 0.9167-0.9952, low nucleotide diversity ranging from 0.0288-0.3434, and high F ST values (within population genetic variation). Population genetic structuring is not distinct as shown by the shared haplotypes between geographic populations and mixtures of haplotypes from different populations within the same genetic cluster. The gene flow pat
Gymnothorax poikilospilus sp. nov. is described based on two specimens collected from Penghu Isla... more Gymnothorax poikilospilus sp. nov. is described based on two specimens collected from Penghu Islands, western Taiwan. It is a medium-sized brown moray that body covered with several rows of inconspicuous large dark brown patches on the back of body and dorsal fin. It has slightly elongated and arched jaws similar to the common characteristic of the genus Enchelycore Kaup, but the dentition supports it belongs to typical morays of the genus Gymnothorax Bloch. The new species can be distinguished from other similar Indo-Pacific brown morays by the combination of dentition, vertebral formula, and morphometric measurements. Molecular analyses based on 612 bp of mitochondrial COI gene also support it as a distinct species.
The main focus of this study has been on the distinctive pre-spawning snout-gripping behaviors an... more The main focus of this study has been on the distinctive pre-spawning snout-gripping behaviors and mate choice of two moray species (Gymnothorax pictus and G. thyrsoideus). The behavior of snout-gripping means that the male grips the female’s snout with its jaws. It is the most distinctive behavior to confirm the success of mating pair formation naturally and was rarely described on moray eels or other coral reef fishes. The reproductive behaviors of the two moray species were also first observed and photographed in the laboratory aquaria. Over 22 reproductive events including 9 spawning events by 28 adult individuals of G. pictus were recorded. Eight sequential behaviors were recorded in the successful spawning events of G. pictus searching, courting, inviting, snout-gripping, rushing toward the water surface, turning around, spawning, separating and settling to the bottom. G. thyrsoideus also exhibited similar pre-spawning behaviors as G. pictus, but showed more aggressive behaviors between the males than G. pictus. Courtships and mating affairs occurred about 23 times by 32 adult individuals of G. thyrsoideus, but without spawning. Both species mated mainly between a female and a male at night (8:00PM-2:00AM). It only took a shorter time for G. pictus to go from snout-gripping to spawning (3-7 seconds), but a longer time for G. thyrsoideus to go from snout-gripping to separating (35-43 seconds).
We report the complete mitogenome of Hydrophis curtus, which is 17,702 bp in size and includes 13... more We report the complete mitogenome of Hydrophis curtus, which is 17,702 bp in size and includes 13 protein-coding (PCGs), two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and two control regions. PCGs, with 13 genes, are 11,261 bp in length. All PCGs use as the start codon ATN except ND1 (CTA) and COX1 (GTG); ATP8, ATP6, ND4L, ND5, and Cytb use the typical stop codon TAA; but COX2 and ND4 with a single T-. Phylogeny reconstructed using the Bayesian inference (BI) method with 13 PCGs indicates that H. curtus at the root of Laticaudinae.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Dec 31, 2011
Gymnothorax melanosomatus new species, is described here on the basis of eight specimens collecte... more Gymnothorax melanosomatus new species, is described here on the basis of eight specimens collected from eastern coastal Taiwan at a depth 50-180 m. This new moray eel is distinguished from a closely similar species, G. prolatus, by a combination of the following characters: a uniformly black body when fresh (vs. brown), a relatively long preanal length 58.5 % of TL (vs. 48.9), shorter snout length 17.8 % of HL (vs. 20.0), interobital width 12.2 % of HL (vs. 14.3); more preanal vertebrae 105-109 (vs. 74-86) and total vertebrae 201-211 (vs. 174-190). The male and female are not different in body color and pattern, but the numbers of median intermaxillary teeth are different between the sexes, 0 in male and 2-3 in female.
Combined multiple 2D views (proximal, anterior and ventral aspects) of the sagittal otolith are p... more Combined multiple 2D views (proximal, anterior and ventral aspects) of the sagittal otolith are proposed here as a method to capture shape information for fish classification. Classification performance of single view compared with combined 2D views show improved classification accuracy of the latter, for nine species of Sciaenidae. The effects of shape description methods (shape indices, Procrustes analysis and elliptical Fourier analysis) on classification performance were evaluated. Procrustes analysis and elliptical Fourier analysis perform better than shape indices when single view is considered, but all perform equally well with combined views. A generic content-based image retrieval (CBIR) system that ranks dissimilarity (Procrustes distance) of otolith images was built to search query images without the need for detailed information of side (left or right), aspect (proximal or distal) and direction (positive or negative) of the otolith. Methods for the development of this automated classification system are discussed.
Abstract Changes in larval fish assemblages were studied before (1985–86) and after (2013–2014) r... more Abstract Changes in larval fish assemblages were studied before (1985–86) and after (2013–2014) rapid coastal development in the Klang Strait, Malaysia, based on a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) experimental design. Fish larvae were sampled by bongo-nets along an 18-km transect from the impact station at the Kapar power station (KPS) to four control stations in increasingly offshore waters. Families Gobiidae, Clupeidae, Sciaenidae and Engraulidae were most abundant at both sampling periods, demonstrating their adaptability and resilience to the natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Coastal development has reduced larval fish abundance at KPS, inevitably shifting higher larval abundance to the control stations. This shift is related to lower sea surface temperature and higher pH. Despite the coastal disturbances, there was an overall increase in total larval fish abundance attributed to the preflexion stage of the Gobiidae, Sciaenidae, Engraulidae, Cynoglossidae and Callionymidae, and the yolk-sac and preflexion larvae of unidentified taxa.
A new identification of Gymnothorax minor (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) is documented based on morp... more A new identification of Gymnothorax minor (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) is documented based on morphological characteristics and DNA barcoding. Sixty-one individuals of G. minor were collected from the East China Sea and the South China Sea. This species was previously reported as Gymnothorax reticularis Bloch, 1795 in China because of the similarity in external shape and color. Gymnothorax minor can be easily distinguished from G. reticularis by its color pattern of 18-20 irregular dark brown vertical bars and the body having scattered small brown spots. Additionally, the teeth are uniserial on both jaws, and the vertebrae number 137-139. By combining congener sequences of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene from GenBank, two groups were detected among all the COI sequences of the currently named G. minor, which further indicated that two valid species were present based on genetic distance. A divergence also occurred on the number of vertebrae between the northern and southern populations. The phylogenetic and morphological analysis strongly supports that the northern and southern populations of G. minor are two different species. Furthermore, the distribution area of the northern G. minor has expanded southward to 5°15'N in the South China Sea. More specimens of G. minor and G. reticularis are crucial in order to define their geographical distribution boundaries and provide the correct DNA barcoding.
The following nine elongate unpatterned muraenid species of the subfamily Muraeninae, including o... more The following nine elongate unpatterned muraenid species of the subfamily Muraeninae, including one new species, are recognized from Taiwan and adjacent waters: Gymnothorax albimarginatus (Temminck & Schlegel), G. dorsalis Seale, G. melanosomatus Loh, Shao & Chen, G. phasmatodes (Smith), G. prolatus Sasaki & Amaoka, G. sagmacephalus Böhlke, Pseudechidna brummeri (Bleeker), Strophidon sathete (Hamilton) and G. pseudomelanosomatus new species, described from two specimens. This new moray eel is distinguished from its similar species, G. melanosomatus, by the following features: grey brown body (vs. black), snout length 20.5% (vs. 17.8%) of head length, smaller eye diameter 8.2% (vs. 10.0%) of head length; preanal length 49.5% (vs. 58.5%) total length, and preanal vertebrae 89-89 (vs. 105-109). Phylogenetic relationships of the nine species were examined using nucleotide sequence data from partial sequences of mitochondrial ND5 gene (600 bp), and seven species form COI (600 bp). The genetic analyses suggest that G. pseudomelanosomatus is distinct from G. melanosomatus and the other six species of Gymnothorax. Morphological features and mitogenetic affinities strongly suggest that "G." dorsalis should be placed in Strophidon rather than in Gymnothorax. The results also suggest that employment of ND5 and COI gene sequences are rather useful for identification of species and for obtaining reasonable insights into the phylogeny of the muraenid species.
Due to the highly similar external morphology of the Pampus species, misidentifications frequentl... more Due to the highly similar external morphology of the Pampus species, misidentifications frequently occur and hinder the understanding of the taxonomy and species distributions of the genus. In this study, we generated 271 mitochondrial sequences and obtained 1,226 sequences from the public databases to understand the species diversity and distributions of the genus Pampus. Most phylogenetic analyses and species delimitations congruently concluded seven valid species within the genus Pampus (i.e., P. argenteus, P. candidus, P. chinensis, P. cinereus, P. liuorum, P. minor, and P. punctatissimus). Sequences of P. argenteus are reported through the northern South China Sea to the Japan Archipelago, which covered the type locality of P. echinogaster. Sequences of P. echinogaster in the public databases are all identified as P. argenteus, suggesting that the species should be synonymized with P. argenteus. Furthermore, sequences of P. griseus were identical to our P. cinereus data and, therefore, should be treated as a synonym of the latter. Inference on divergence time and ancestral distribution implied that the genus Pampus originated in the central Indo-Pacific region around 8.35-11.33 million years ago (the late Miocene), associated with the rise of the Indonesian-Australian Archipelago biodiversity hotspot. The divergence between P. cinereus and P. liuorum dated back to 1.20-1.72 million years ago, which might be related to glacial isolation during the Mid-Pleistocene transition.
Zooplankton samples collected before (1985-86) and after (2013-14) the establishment of Kapar pow... more Zooplankton samples collected before (1985-86) and after (2013-14) the establishment of Kapar power station (KPS) were examined to test the hypothesis that increased sea surface temperature (SST) and other water quality changes have altered the zooplankton community structure. Elevated SST and reduced pH were detected between before and after impact pairs, with the greatest impact at the station closest to KPS. Present PAHs and heavy metal concentrations are unlikely causal factors. Water parameter changes did not affect diversity but community structure of the zooplankton. Tolerant small crustaceans, salps and larvaceans likely benefited from elevated temperature, reduced pH and shift to a more significant microbial loop exacerbated by eutrophication, while large crustaceans were more vulnerable to such changes. It is predicted that any further rise in SST will remove more large-bodied crustacean zooplankton, the preferred food for fish larvae and other meroplankton, with grave consequences to fishery production.
A new ophichthid worm-eel, Neenchelys gracilis sp. nov., is described from a specimen collected f... more A new ophichthid worm-eel, Neenchelys gracilis sp. nov., is described from a specimen collected from southwestern Taiwan. It differs from its congeners by having: a minute pectoral fin, many filamentous cirri on the anterior nostril rim; a very slender body; a very small gill opening; and a vertebral formula of 30-78-200.
An annotated checklist of eels, orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes, occurring in Taiwa... more An annotated checklist of eels, orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes, occurring in Taiwanese waters is presented. The checklist is the result of a series of systematic studies conducted by the authors in the past few years. The eel fauna of Taiwan is one of the richest in the world with a total of 206 species in 74 genera and 13 families in Anguilliformes and a single species in Saccopharyngiformes. The most species-rich families are the Muraenidae with 71 species, followed by the Ophichthidae with 60 species, the Congridae with 29 species, and the Synaphobranchidae with 17 species. Moreover, three genera and 42 species have been described based on at least one type specimen collected from Taiwan. Of these, 36 species are recognized as valid and 23 species are known only from Taiwanese waters at present. Historical records of all Taiwanese eel species are reviewed by examining the original descriptions and figures, vouchers, as well as the recently collected specimens, where available. This represents the first detailed checklist of eels from Taiwanese waters.
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Papers by Kar-Hoe Loh