Archaeoichthyological Research of Settlements of the Golden Horde Period of the Saratov Volga Region

The article presents a study of fish remains from the Bagaevka settlement with the involvement of the results of identifications of fish remains from other settlements in the region of the Golden Horde city Ukek, functioning in the second half of the 13th – 14th century. The purpose of the work was a comprehensive analysis of the remains of fishes from the Bagaevka settlement, as a large Golden Horde rural settlement of Ukek region, including species, quantitative, dimensional and age composition of the fishes on the basis of the archaeoichthyological collection and interpretation of the obtained results taking into account archaeological data. The 19 species of fishes were determined from bone remains and scales, the main species of which were large-sized: Russian sturgeon, Beluga, Starred sturgeon, Catfish and Zander. The predominance of large-sized species indicates that fishing was carried out on the Volga. The identified dimensional-species composition of fishes (large species with a large body weight), as well as the discovered fishing equipment, directly indicate the presence of collective fishing of the inhabitants of the Bagaevka settlement. Cutting and processing of all incoming fish was carried out on the territory of the settlement. Fishing in this settlement, as well as throughout the Saratov Volga region, has already acquired the features of a specialized subsidiary farming.

Viral Infection Drives the Regulation of Feeding Behavior Related Genes in Salmo salar

The feeding behavior in fish is a complex activity that relies on the ability of the brain to integrate multiple signals to produce appropriate responses in terms of food intake, energy expenditure, and metabolic activity. Upon stress cues including viral infection or mediators such as the proinflammatory cytokines, prostaglandins, and cortisol, both Pomc and Npy/Agrp neurons from the hypothalamus are stimulated, thus triggering a response that controls both energy storage and expenditure. However, how appetite modulators or neuro-immune cues link pathogenesis and energy homeostasis in fish remains poorly understood. Here, we provide the first evidence of a molecular linkage between inflammation and food intake in Salmon salar. We show that in vivo viral challenge with infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) impacts food consumption by activating anorexic genes such as mc4r, crf, and pomcb and 5-HT in the brain of S. salar. At the molecular level, viral infection induces an overall reduction in lipid content in the liver, favoring the production of AA and EPA associated with the increment of elovl2 gene. In addition, infection upregulates leptin signaling and inhibits insulin signaling. These changes are accompanied by a robust inflammatory response represented by the increment of Il-1b, Il-6, Tnfa, and Pge2 as well as an increased cortisol level in vivo. Thus, we propose a model in which hypothalamic neurons respond to inflammatory cytokines and stress-related molecules and interact with appetite induction/inhibition. These findings provide evidence of crosstalk between pathogenesis-driven inflammation and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical axes in stress-induced food intake behavior in fish.

medieval fisheries of Galicia (Northwestern Iberia): A preliminary archaeozoological overview

The origin and development of the Iberian Medieval fisheries is a poorly documented phenomenon both from the standpoint of historical (documentary) and material (archaeological) evidence. Such dearth of knowledge can be explained in terms of proximal (i.e., a deficient retrieval of fish remains) and ultimate causes. Among the latter, the Muslim invasion, that lasted ca. 800 years of the “medieval millennium” in the Iberian Peninsula, needs to be taken into account as it probably delayed the development of fishing fleets within the Christian kingdoms for a substantial period of time. Be it as it may, the lack of knowledge does not allow one to explore a range of critical issues of Spanish and Portuguese history, such as the role played by the ever-expanding fishing fleets of Portugal and Castilla in the process of maritime discovery and colonization that these two kingdoms fostered by the end of the Middle Ages. In this paper, the results from a comparative analysis of selected fish assemblages from primary (i.e. coastal) deposits of the northern Iberian shores are presented. The aim is to check whether changes can be documented both at the level of (1) the range of species occurring in sites from the late Iron Age (Castreña culture, IV-I BC) to the Late Middle Ages (XV AD), and (2) the skeletal spectra of certain species that could reveal a differential processing of taxa meant for local consumption and those that appear in inland sites.

A candiru, Paracanthopoma sp. (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae), associated with a thorny catfish, Doras phlyzakion (Siluriformes: Doradidae), in a tributary of the middle Rio Negro, Brazilian Amazon

Amazonian vampire catfish, known regionally as “candiru”, are recognized as hematophagous fishes, but information on their ecology remains limited. We provide the first report of Paracanthopoma sp. (Vandelliinae) found attached to the body surface of a thorny catfish, Doras phlyzakion Sabaj Pérez et Birindelli, 2008, bellow the lateral bony plates, rather than at the gills where they have usually been found. The specimens had not recently ingested blood or other identifiable fish remains (flesh, skin, or mucus), which could be an indication they have been using this host for protection or as a phoretic association, rather than for feeding. Thus, the interaction of vampire fish with the host catfish may be more complex than previously understood.

A candiru, Paracanthopoma sp. (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae), associated with a thorny catfish, Doras phlyzakion (Siluriformes: Doradidae), in a tributary of the middle Rio Negro, Brazilian Amazon

Amazonian vampire catfish, known regionally as “candiru”, are recognized as hematophagous fishes, but information on their ecology remains limited. We provide the first report of Paracanthopoma sp. (Vandelliinae) found attached to the body surface of a thorny catfish, Doras phlyzakion Sabaj Pérez et Birindelli, 2008, bellow the lateral bony plates, rather than at the gills where they have usually been found. The specimens had not recently ingested blood or other identifiable fish remains (flesh, skin, or mucus), which could be an indication they have been using this host for protection or as a phoretic association, rather than for feeding. Thus, the interaction of vampire fish with the host catfish may be more complex than previously understood.

Stomach Content of Tillapia zilli and Oreochromis nilocticus from Wanzun River, Lavun Local Government, Niger State Nigeria

This study was conducted to investigate the stomach contents of two commercially important fish species (Tilapia zilli and Oreochromis nilocticus) from Wanzun River, Northcentral Nigeria using frequency of occurrence and volumetric methods between January to April 2019. Fish samples were collected monthly with help of Fishermen using various fishing nets and traps. One hundred (100) individual fish of each species were collected and their stomach contents were examined. The results obtained expressed in mean percentage indicated that out of the one hundred (100) individual fish of each species examined,Twelve (12%) fish had an empty stomach contents in Tilapia zilli, and out of the 100 samples examined, Seventeen (17%) fish had an empty stomach content in Oreochromis nilocticus. The stomach contents of both Tilapia zilli and Oreochromis nilocticus consist of detritus, insects, fish remains. Algae/protozoans plant materials and molluscs. Both fish species are omnivorous feeders and occupy the same ecological niche.The study reveals the importance of algae, fish, insects and plant materials as food for fishes and they form important part in the diet of the species examined.

Bioerosion traces and borings in the Upper Devonian vertebrate remains from the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland Bioerosion in fish remains

Among the hundreds of collected Devonian vertebrate macrofossils in the Holy Cross Mountains, placoderms dominate and provide data on their morphology, distribution and taphonomy. So far 17 out of more than 500 studied specimens have revealed bones with surfaces covered by sediment-filled trace fossils. The traces have been made on the vertebrate remains before their final burial. The borings, oval in cross-section, include dendroidal networks of shallow tunnels or short, straight or curved individual scratches and grooves, which frequently create groups on the both sides of the bones. ?Karethraichnus isp. from Kowala and ?Osteocallis isp. from Wietrznia are the oldest record of these ichnogenera. Sedimentological clues indicate a shallow water environment, probably from the slope below the storm wave base.

Issues of species diagnostics of fossil fishes

The article is devoted to the methodological problems of diagnostics of the palaeoich-thyological material from alluvial sediments and to the search for ways of their solu-tion on the example of processing fish remains from late Cenozoic deposits in the south of Eastern Europe. The complexity of such studies (determination to the species level based on skeletal elements) is noted given the limited amount of respective information in the diagnoses accepted in ichthyology. The importance of creation and enrichment of comparative osteological collections is emphasised and possible alternative sources of information for species diagnostics of fossil fish remains from sediments of different age are proposed. Accurate and detailed identification of the palaeoichthyological ma-terial directly depends on the state of its preservation. A set of skeletal structures and features is presented, according to which the author has described extinct species of bony fishes as new to science. The specifics of the use of open nomenclature during the processing of palaeoichthyological material are explained. A new approach to deter-mining the systematic affiliation of fish remains is described and the contradiction be-tween morphological and molecular data is clarified.