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Incidence of a skeletal deformity (truncated upper jaw) in an isolated population of white-spotted charr Salvelinus leucomaenis

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Abstract

Although dorsal and caudal fin deformities (curvature), abnormal body color patterns, and fluctuating asymmetry of meristic characters have been previously reported for white-spotted charr (Salvelinus leucomaenis), the incidence of skeletally deformed individuals in the wild are extremely rare. Here, we report on skeletally deformed individuals of white-spotted charr with extremely truncated upper jaw, in a headwater reach of the Yoneshiro River, northern Honshu, Japan. In this study, we examined the genetic diversity of deformed and non-deformed populations of white-spotted charr using polymorphic microsatellite DNA markers. We also compared individual growth histories of deformed individuals with normal individuals using a back-calculation of fish lengths at previous ages from otolith annuli. We collected 41 and 100 individuals from the below- and above-waterfall sites, respectively. Of these, two individuals from the above-waterfall site were skeletally deformed, whereas the other individuals had a normal morphology. Microsatellite DNA genetic diversities of the above-waterfall population were notably lower than those of the just below-waterfall population. Individuals of the above-waterfall population had significantly higher internal relatedness and lower standardized heterozygosity values compared with those of the below-waterfall population, indicating higher inbreeding situation of the above-waterfall individuals compared with individuals in the below-waterfall site. Back-calculation of individual growth using otoliths revealed that deformed individuals grew significantly slower than sympatric normal individuals. Although incidence of deformed individuals in the wild might be related with accumulated inbreeding as suggested for other fishes, mechanisms for their long-term persistence in the wild remain unclear.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Institute of Aquaculture, Fisheries Research Agency, Nikko, Tochigi, 321-1661, Japan

    S. Yamamoto, R. Yokoyama & K. Miyamoto

  2. Hokkaido National Fisheries Research Institute, Fisheries Research Agency, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 062-0922, Japan

    K. Morita

  3. Akita Prefectural Institute of Fisheries, Oga, Akita, 010-0531, Japan

    M. Sato

  4. Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0809, Japan

    K. Maekawa

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  1. S. Yamamoto
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  2. K. Morita
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  3. R. Yokoyama
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  4. K. Miyamoto
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  5. M. Sato
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  6. K. Maekawa
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Correspondence to S. Yamamoto.

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Yamamoto, S., Morita, K., Yokoyama, R. et al. Incidence of a skeletal deformity (truncated upper jaw) in an isolated population of white-spotted charr Salvelinus leucomaenis . J. Ichthyol. 53, 889–893 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0032945213100159

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0032945213100159

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