Keeltail Pomfret

biology_ecology

Biology. The specimen was a male at the II stage of gonadal maturity according to the scale proposed by Holden & Raitt (1974). The observation that the present specimen, like the individual reported by Fiorentino et al. (2016), was in a developing (maturing) gonadal stage is noteworthy, although it must be interpreted with caution given the extremely limited number of records available from the Mediterranean Sea. In both cases, the gonads showed clear signs of active development but no evidence of full sexual maturity or imminent spawning. This may simply reflect the reproductive condition of the individuals at the time of capture rather than indicating any broader reproductive pattern within the basin.

On a record of Taractes rubescens (Teleostei: Scombriformes: Bramidae) from the Mediterranean Sea

description

Description. Counts and proportional measurements are given in Tables 1 and 2. Body deep, compressed laterally; maximum body depth 37.9 % SL; dorsal profile of head almost straight; snout pointed; mouth extremely oblique and lower jaw greatly projecting; pectoral- fin origin just above the pelvic fin, its tip extending beyond dorsal and anal-fin mid-length; caudal fin falcate with upper lobe longer than lower lobe; lateral line absent; precaudal grooves well developed; strong lateral keel made of enlarged fused scales on each side of caudal peduncle (Fig. 2 c); dorsal-fin rays 30; anal-fin rays 22; pectoral-fin rays 20; lateral line scales 47, extending to origin of caudal peduncle’s keel; first gill arch with 1 (developed) + 4 (rudimentary) rakers on upper limb and 7 (developed) + 4 (rudimentary) rakers on lower limb. Gill filaments more than three times length of rakers; scales on sides of body cycloid and smooth; both jaws with numerous sharp, conical teeth of moderate size, arranged irregularly in multiple series; a single row of small palatine teeth. Colouration. Head, body and fins dark brown with shiny appearance; pectoral fins translucent on the rear underside; caudal fin w

On a record of Taractes rubescens (Teleostei: Scombriformes: Bramidae) from the Mediterranean Sea

description

Molecular analysis. The COI sequence obtained from our specimen (653 bp) showed 99.8 % and 99.2 % similarity to sequences of Taractes rubescens DPND 3311 - 17 (BOLD database) and NC _ 028079.1 (GenBank), respectively, from reference specimens collected in the Gulf of Mexico and the western-central Pacific Ocean. The phylogenetic tree (Fig. 3) showed that our specimen clustered closely with sequences of the two aforementioned T. rubescens specimens, with maximum support (posterior probability = 1.0). Within this clade, it formed a sub-clade with the T. rubescens specimen from the Gulf of Mexico (BOLD: DPND 3311 - 17), with a posterior probability = 0.85.

On a record of Taractes rubescens (Teleostei: Scombriformes: Bramidae) from the Mediterranean Sea

discussion

Moreover, the clade containing the specimen from the present study is sister to a well-supported clade (posterior probability = 0.95) comprising Taractes rubescens specimens from the Eastern Indian Ocean, the South China Sea, and the Sea of Japan. Taractes rubescens and its congener, T. asper (GenBank: NC _ 022486.1), formed a well-supported cluster (posterior probability = 0.92) distinct from the other Bramidae taxa (Eumegistus illustris, Brama brama and Taractichthys steindachneri). The seahorse Hippocampus mohnikei (GenBank: KF 557651.1) was recovered outside the Bramidae group.

On a record of Taractes rubescens (Teleostei: Scombriformes: Bramidae) from the Mediterranean Sea