Flying fishes (Beloniformes: Exocoetidae) of the Socotra Archipelago with comments on status of Exocoetus socotranus Steindachner

A checklist of the flying fishes found in the waters off Socotra Archipelago, northwestern part of the Indian Ocean, is provided based on published and original data. Thirteen species from five genera occur in the study area, and four more species found nearby. Keys for the species identification are provided. The type specimen of Exocoetus socotranus Steindachner, 1902 was examined and is determined to be a junior synonym of Cypselurus naresii (Günther, 1889).

Novel regulators of growth identified in the evolution of fin proportion in flying fish

Identifying the genetic foundations of trait variation and evolution is challenging as it is often difficult to parse meaningful signals from confounding signatures such as drift and epistasis. However, identification of the genetic loci underlying morphological and physiological traits can be honed through the use of comparative and complementary genetic approaches, whereby shared sets of genes that are repeatedly implicated across large evolutionary time periods as under selection can illuminate important pathways and epistatic relationships that function as novel regulators of trait development. Here we intersect comparative genomic analyses with unbiased mutagenesis screens in distantly related species to define the control of proportional growth, as changes in the size and relative proportions of tissues underlie a large degree of the variant forms seen in nature. Through a phylogenomic analysis of genome-wide variation in 35 species of flying fishes and relatives, we identify genetic signatures in both coding and regulatory regions underlying the convergent evolution of increased paired fin size and aerial gliding behaviors, key innovations for flying fishes and flying halfbeaks. To refine our analysis, we intersected convergent phylogenomic signatures with mutants identified in distantly related zebrafish with altered fin size. Through these paired approaches, we identify a surprising role for an L-type amino acid transporter,lat4a, and the potassium channel,kcnh2a, in the regulation of fin proportion. We show that specific epistatic interaction between these genetic loci in zebrafish closely phenocopies the observed fin proportions of flying fishes. The congruence of experimental and phylogenomic findings point to a conserved, non-canonical signaling interaction that integrates bioelectric cues and amino acid transport in the establishment of relative size in development and evolution.

The Complete Mitochondrial Genomes of two Flying Fishes, Cheilopogon pinnatibarbatus japonicus and Hirundichthys rondeletii

Background: Genome-scale approaches have played a significant role in the analysis of evolutionary relationships. Because of rich polymorphisms, high evolutionary rate and rare recombination, mitochondrial DNA sequences are commonly considered as effective markers for estimating population genetics, evolutionary and phylogenetic relationships. Flying fishes are important components of epipelagic ecosystems. Up to now, only few complete mitochondrial genomes of flying fishes have been reported. In the present study, the complete mitochondrial DNA sequences of the Cheilopogon pinnatibarbatus japonicus and Hirundichthys rondeletii had been determined. Methods: Based on the published mitogenome of Cheilopogon atrisignis (GenBank: KU360729), fifteen pairs of primers were designed by the software Primer Premier 5.0 to get the complete mitochondrial genomes of two flying fishes. According to the reported data, the phylogenetic position of two flying fishes were detected using the conserved 12 protein-coding genes. Result: The complete mitochondrial genomes of Cheilopogon pinnatibarbatus japonicus and Hirundichthys rondeletii are determined. They are 16532bp and 16525bp in length, respectively. And they both consists of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and a control region. The OL regions are conserved in these two flying fishes and might have no function. From the tree topologies, we found C.p. japonicus and H. rondeletii clustered in a group. The findings of the study would contribute to the phylogenetic classification and the genetic conservation management of C.p. japonicus and H. rondeletii.

A review of the flying fish genus Cypselurus (Beloniformes: Exocoetidae). Part 1. Revision of the subgenus Zonocypselurus Parin and Bogorodsky, 2011 with descriptions of one new subgenus, four new species and two new subspecies and reinstatement of one species as valid

The first part of the review of the four-winged flying fishes of the genus Cypselurus is presented, and shows that seven species belonging to two genera were mixed under the name Cypselurus (Zonocypselurus) hexazona, none of which is identical to Exocoetus hexazona Bleeker. A new subgenus of flying fish (Amustotrogon subgen. nov.) and four new species (Cheilopogon marisrubri, Cheilopogon katherinae, Cypselurus bosha, Cypselurus olpar) are described. The validity of Cypselurus formosus Kotthaus, 1969 is reinstated (as Cheilopogon (Amustotrogon) formosus). Three subspecies of Cheilopogon formosus are recognized: Ch. formosus formosus, Ch. f. pseudospilopterus subsp. nov. and Ch. f. andamanicus subsp. nov. Morphology of species and subspecies at different stages of ontogeny is described. Maps of their geographical distribution are presented. A key for identification of flying fish taxa described in the work is included.

KEBIASAAN MAKAN IKAN TERBANG, Hirundicthys oxycephalus DAN Cheilopogon cyanopterus, DI PERAIRAN SELAT MAKASSAR

Aspek kebiasaan makan dan komposisi makanan dari 2 jenis ikan terbang, Hirundicthys oxycephalus dan Cheilopogon cyanopterus, yang tertangkap di perairan Selat Makassar, dipelajari selama bulan Maret sampai dengan Juli 2005. Hasil yang diperoleh menunjukkan bahwa jenis makanan Hirundicthys oxycephalus dan Cheilopogon cyanopterus adalah sama, yaitu copepoda (71,4 dan 68,7%) sebagai makanan utama. Sedangkan makanan tambahan ke-2 jenis ikan ini berupa algae (8,4 dan 12,0%), malacostraca (3,2 dan 3,1%), dan chaetognatha (6,8 dan 6,2%). Luas relung makanan ke-2 jenis ikan ini relatif kecil, berkisar antara 1,79 sampai dengan 2,16, memberikan indikasi bahwa ikan terbang selektif dalam memilih makanan. Selang tumpang tindih relung makanan yang relatif rapat, berkisar antara 0,87 sampai dengan 0,98 menunjukkan bahwa jenis makanan yang dimanfaatkan sama, dan dapat memicu ada persaingan dalam mendapatkan makanan, saat sumber makanan yang tersedia terbatas. This research was conducted during March to July 2005 to obtain the food compotitions of two species of the flying fishes are in Makassar Strait, i. e. Hirundicthys oxycephalus and Cheilopogon cyanopterus. The results show that the food of the flying fishes Hirundicthys oxycephalus and Cheilopogon cyanopterus is similar, which is copepods (71.36 and 68.75%) as the primary food. The additional foods are algae (8.4 and 12.0%), malacostraca (3.2 and 3.1%), and chaetognatha (6.8 and 6.2%). Niche breath of flying fishes is narrow from 1.79 to 2.16, that means flying fishes are selective in collecting their foods. Niche overlap of the flying fishes is narrow from 0.87 to 0.98, it shows that the foods are similar and can cause a competition when the food source is limited.