A new record of a rare labrid, Suezichthys notatus (Actinopterygii: Labridae), from Taiwan, with comparison to related species from Taiwan

Three specimens of a rare labrid, Suezichthys notatus (Kamohara, 1958) were recently collected from local markets, which were captured from deep-water off northern and southwestern Taiwan, and represent a new record for Taiwan. Suezichthys notatus can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of characters: scale rows above lateral line 2½; low scaly sheath present at base of dorsal and anal fins; dorsal-fin element IX, 11; anal-fin elements III, 10; lateral line scales 25‒26, each with simple, unbranched laterosensory canal tube; cheek scale rows behind and below eye 2 and 2‒3 respectively; a group of prominent dark blotches extending from the interorbital region dorsoposteriorly; body depth at dorsal-fin origin 3.7‒3.9 in standard length; short pelvic fin without filamentous extension, 2.2‒2.5 in head length. Suezichthys resembles the labrid genus Pseudolabrus, comparison of Taiwanese species of Suezichthys with those of Pseudolabrus are given.

Shifts in the Assemblage of Summer Mesopelagic Fish Larvae in the Gaoping Waters of Southwestern Taiwan: A Comparison between El Niño Events and Regular Years

We investigated changes in the assemblages of summer mesopelagic fish larvae between El Niño events and regular years in 2014–2018 and evaluated their relationships with the hydrographic conditions of the Gaoping waters off southwestern Taiwan. Seventy-five taxa or morphotypes were identified, with five types of Benthosema pterotum (31.2%), Diaphus slender type (19.9%), Cyclothone alba (7.2%), Diaphus stubby type (5.9%), and Vinciguerria nimbaria (4.4%) being most common during the study period. The hydrographic conditions of the Gaoping waters were likely influenced by large-scale climate change via oceanic physical processes. Apparently higher seawater temperature, mixed layer depth, and lower salinity in the upper 100 m were observed at the end of the strong El Niño events (summer 2016). In addition, the certain dominant taxa exhibited contrasting patterns between El Niño events and regular years. In this study, although the abundance and composition of mesopelagic fish larvae assemblage were not influenced directly by changes in large-scale climatic conditions, the occurrence of mesopelagic fish larvae was related to seawater temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll a concentration. We speculated that despite the abundant food availability and the more mesopelagic fish larvae onto the Gaoping waters transported by the increased inflow of the South China Sea Surface Current during El Niño events, the higher temperature and lower salinity at the inshore upper waters might be unsuitable for mesopelagic fish larvae, possibly resulting in low egg and larval survival.

Rediscovery of Orientotlos iishibai Sakai, 1980 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Leucosiidae) in Taiwan

The leucosiid crab Orientotlos iishibai Sakai, 1980 was described from one female collected off western Japan and had never been reported since. The species is now recorded from southwestern Taiwan for the first time, and is redescribed and figured at length. Although Sakai argued that Orientotlos Sakai, 1980, is closely related to Oreophorus Rüppell, 1830 and Atlantotlos Doflein, 1904, the genus is actually morphologically most similar to Merocryptus A. Milne-Edwards, 1873. The two genera, however, still differ markedly in a number of key carapace and cheliped characters.

Developing SSR Individual Identification System and Tracking the Geographical Origin of Timber for the Endangered Species Chamaecyparis Formosensis

Chamaecyparis formosensis is an endemic species of Taiwan, threatened from intensive use and illegal felling. An individual identification system for C. formosensis is required to provide scientific evidence for court use and deter illegal felling. In this study, 36 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were developed. By applying up to 28 non-linkage of the developed markers, it is calculated that the cumulative random probability of identity (CPI) is as low as 1.652×10-12, the combined power of discrimination (CPD) is as high as 0.999999999998348, and the identifiable population size is up to 60 million, which is greater than the known C. formosensis population size in Taiwan. Biogeographical analysis data show that C. formosensis from four geographic areas belong to the same genetic population which can be further divided into three clusters: SY (Eastern Taiwan), HV and GW (Northwestern Taiwan), and MM (Southwestern Taiwan). The developed system was applied to assess the provenance of samples with 88.44% of accuracy rate, and therefore can serve as a pre-screening tool to reduce the range required for comparison. The system developed in this study is a potential crime-fighting tool against illegal felling.