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Morphological and genetic identification of formalin-fixed gobioid larvae and description of postflexion larvae of Paragunnellichthys sp. and Ctenogobiops feroculus

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Abstract

Gobioid larvae collected from the coast of Okinawa Island, southern Japan, were identified on the basis of a combination of morphological characters and a sequence of a hypervariable region of mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA (12S rRNA) gene (138–145 base pairs). A short-term formalin fixation technique enabled identification using both morphological and genetic methods. Thirteen of the 21 types of gobioid larvae assessed were identified to the species level. Additionally, we described the morphology of the postflexion larvae of wormfish Paragunnellichthys sp. and shrimp-associated goby Ctenogobiops feroculus, identified for the first time in their respective genera.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Takeshi Kon (University of the Ryukyus), Ken Maeda (Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University), and Taiki Ishihara (Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency) for providing information on DNA barcoding and gobioid fishes. This work was supported by the admission fees for the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium.

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  1. Okinawa Churashima Foundation Research Center, 888 Ishikawa, Motobu-cho, Okinawa, 905-0206, Japan

    Nozomi Hanahara, Kei Miyamoto & Shin-ichiro Oka

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  1. Nozomi Hanahara
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  2. Kei Miyamoto
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  3. Shin-ichiro Oka
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Correspondence to Nozomi Hanahara.

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Hanahara, N., Miyamoto, K. & Oka, Si. Morphological and genetic identification of formalin-fixed gobioid larvae and description of postflexion larvae of Paragunnellichthys sp. and Ctenogobiops feroculus. Ichthyol Res 68, 182–190 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-020-00769-z

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