Abstract
Differences in distributional range and morphological characters between two color morphotypes of a snailfish, Crystallichthys matsushimae, were investigated. Specimens with yellow stripes (yellow morphotype) were collected only from southern part of the Sea of Japan, whereas those with rounded red markings (red morphotype) were collected from northern part of the Sea of Japan, the southern Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific coast of northern Japan. Although principal component analysis based on 24 morphometric characters did not result in clear separation of the two color morphotypes, the combination of anal and pectoral-fin ray counts clearly distinguished them. These differences in distributional ranges and counts suggest that the two color morphotypes represent two difference species or subspecies, although some differences in measurements and counts among local populations (northern Sea of Japan, southern Sea of Okhotsk and Pacific coast of northern Japan) of the red morphotype were also evident. Because snailfishes usually bear large demersal eggs and have no planktonic stage, the results suggested that migration among local populations is probably restricted due to their low dispersal ability.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abe T (1955) New, rare or uncommon fishes from Japanese waters. III. Description, redescription and records of rare fishes of the genus Liparis. Bull Biogeogr Soc 16–19: 319–325
Able KW, McAllister DE (1980) Revision of the snailfish genus Liparis from Arctic Canada. Can Bull Fish Aquat Sci 208:1–52
Amaoka K, Nakaya K, Yabe M (2011) Fishes of Hokkaido. The Hokkaido Shimbun Press, Sapporo
Andriashev AP, Stein DL (1998) Review of the snailfish genus Careproctus (Liparidae, Scorpaeniformes) in Antarctic and adjacent waters. Contrib Sci Nat Hist Mus LA Country 470:1–63
Balushkin AV (2012) Volodichthys gen. nov. new species of the primitive snailfish (Liparidae: Scorpaeniformes) of the Southern Hemisphere. Description of new species V. Solovjevae sp. nov. (Cooperation Sea, the Antarctic). J Ichthyol 52:1–10
Busby MS, Orr JW, Blood DM (2006) Eggs and late-stage embryos of Allocareproctus unangas (family Liparidae) from the Aleutian Islands. Ichthyol Res 53: 423–426
Chernova NV, Stein DL, Andriashev AP (2004) Family Liparidae Scopoli 1777-Snailfishes. Calif Acad Sci Annotated Checklists of Fishes 31:1–72
Cowman PF, Bellwood DR (2013) Vicariance across major marine biogeographic barriers: temporal concordance and the relative intensity of hard versus soft barriers. Proc R Soc Lond B 280(1768):20131541
Gilbert CH, Burke CV (1912a) Fishes from Bering Sea and Kamchatka. Bull Bureau Fish 30(754):31–96
Gilbert CH, Burke CV (1912b) New cyclogasterid fishes from Japan. Proc US Nat Mus 42:351–380, pls. 41–48
Jordan DS and Evermann BW (1898) The fishes of North and Middle America: a descriptive catalogue of the species of fish-like vertebrates found in the waters of North America north of the Isthmus of Panama. Part III. Bull US Nat Mus 47:2183–3136
Jordan DS, Snyder JO (1902) A review of the discobolous fishes of Japan. Proc US Nat Mus 24(1259):343–351
Kai Y, Orr JW, Sakai K, Nakabo T (2011) Genetic and morphological evidence for cryptic diversity in the Careproctus rastrinus species complex (Liparidae) of the North Pacific. Ichthyol Res 58:143–154
Kido K (1988) Phylogeny of the family Liparidae, with taxonomy of the species found around Japan. Mem Fac Fish Hokkaido Univ 35:125–256
Knudsen SW, Møller PR, Gravlund P (2007) Phylogeny of the snailfishes (Teleostei: Liparidae) based on molecular and morphological data. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 44:649–666
Krøyer HN (1862) Nogle Bidrag til Nordisk ichthyologi. Naturhistorisk Tidsskrift (Kjøbenhavn) (Ser. 3) 1: 233–310
Mayr E (1970) Populations, species, and evolution. An abridgment of animal species and evolution. Belknap Press of Harvard University, London
Mecklenburg CW, Mecklenburg TA, Thorsteinson LK (2002) Family Liparidae–Snailfishes. In: Fishes of Alaska. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, pp 571–645
Nakabo T (2013) Biogeography of East Asian Fishes. In: Nakabo T (ed) Fishes of Japan with pictorial keys to the species. Tokai University Press, Hadano, pp 2289–2338
Nakabo T, Kai Y (2013) Liparidae. In: Nakabo T (ed) Fishes of Japan with pictorial keys to the species. Tokai University Press, Hadano, pp 1205–1218, 2072–2076
Nelson JS (2006) Fishes of the world: 4th edition. Wiley, Hoboken, New Jersey
Nishimura S (1965a) The zoological aspect of the Japan Sea, Part I. Publ Seto Mar Biol Lab 13:35–79
Nishimura S (1965b) The zoological aspect of the Japan Sea, Part II. Publ Seto Mar Biol Lab 13:81–101
Nishimura S (1966) The zoological aspect of the Japan Sea, Part III. Publ Seto Mar Biol Lab 13:365–384
Nishimura S (1967) The zoological aspect of the Japan Sea, Part IV. Publ Seto Mar Biol Lab 15:329–352
Nishimura S (1969) The zoological aspect of the Japan Sea, Part V. Publ Seto Mar Biol Lab 17:67–142
Overdick A, Busby MS, Deborah BM (2014) Descriptions of eggs of snailfishes (family Liparidae) from the Bering Sea and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Ichthyol Res 61:131–141
Schmidt PY (1904) Fishes of the eastern Seas of the Russian Empire. Russian Emperor Geographic Society Publishing. St. Petersburg
Schmidt PY (1950) Fishes of the Sea of Okhotsk. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Leningrad
Stein DL (1978) A review of the deepwater Liparidae (Pisces) from the coast of Oregon and adjacent waters. Occ Pap Calif Acad Sci 127:1–55
Stein DL (2012a) A review of the snailfishes (Liparidae, Scorpaeniformes) of New Zealand, including descriptions of a new genus and sixteen new species. Zootaxa 3588: 1–54
Stein DL (2012b) Snailfishes (family Liparidae) of the Ross Sea, Antarctica, and closely adjacent waters. Zootaxa 3285:1–120
Tanaka S (1916) Four new species of Japanese fishes. Zool Mag 28: 173–174
Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to K. Matsuura, G. Shinohara and M. Nakae (NSMT), M. Yabe, H. Imamura and T. Kawai (HUMZ), and J. K. Kim (PKU) for loans of specimens and K. Watanabe (Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University) for assistance in taking radiographs. We sincerely thank K. Fujiwara (Japan Sea National Fisheries Research Institute, Fisheries Research Agency), A. Yamasaki (Kyoto Prefectural Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Technology Center), T. Noda (Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute, Fisheries Research Agency), A. Ohtake and J. Yamada (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Akita), K. Sakuma and T. Noguchi (Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, the University of Tokyo), and officers and crews of T/V Tanshu-maru (Kasumi High School), and R/Vs Heian-maru (Kyoto Prefectural Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Technology Center) and Kaiyo-maru No. 5 (Fuyo Ocean Development and Engineering Co. LTD.) for helping in collecting specimens. We also thank G.S. Hardy for his critical reading of the manuscript. This study was supported in part by a grant-in-aid for scientific research (B) from JSPS (24370036) and the Fisheries Agency of Japan under the projects of ‘Assessment of Fisheries Stocks in the Waters around Japan’.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
This article was registered in the Official Register of Zoological Nomenclature (ZooBank) as D9FAFA4D-ABEA-4F5D-A8C4-F4A7CC8481A4.
This article was published as an Online First article on the online publication date shown on this page. The article should be cited by using the doi number.
About this article
Cite this article
Tohkairin, A., Kai, Y., Ueda, Y. et al. Morphological divergence between two color morphotypes of Crystallichthys matsushimae (Cottoidei: Liparidae). Ichthyol Res 62, 145–155 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-014-0414-y
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-014-0414-y