In order to prove the fisheries-related hypothesis of the presence of two local populations of the mottled skate, Beringraja pulchra in the Yellow Sea (Sensu Jo et al., 2011), the geographic variations of 90 individuals (in molecule) and 129 individuals (in morphology) were investigated. The skates were collected from the middle Yellow Sea (Daechungdo), southern Yellow Sea (Heuksando), and the middle East Sea (Ulleungdo) using gill nets, bottom trawls and longlines. Comparing 471 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtDNA COI) sequences, only three haplotypes (BR1-BR3) were found. The Daechungdo and Heuksando individuals displayed all three haplotypes, whereas the Ulleungdo individuals displayed a single haplotype (BR3). Pairwise fixation indices (FST) showed that the Daechungdo and Heuksando individuals were not genetically distinguishable (with a value of −0.0344), whereas the Ulleungdo individuals were clearly distinct from both the Daechungdo and Heuksando individuals (with values of 0.6875 and 0.6871, respectively). Similar to the molecular result, a canonical discriminant analysis based on seven morphometric characters showed that the Ulleungdo individuals had positive values on the first axis, whereas those from the other two locations had negative values, slightly differentiating the two populations (East Sea population vs Yellow Sea population). This study is the first to identify two populations of mottled skate in the northwest Pacific.

Seventeen specimens of leptocephali [9.8-44.5 mm total length (TL)], of the family Ophichthidae, were collected from southeastern waters off Jeju Island and the Korea-Japan intermediate zone, and identified by means of morphology and genetics. These specimens were identified as belonging to the subfamily Ophichthinae based on various combinations of morphological characters: 211-215 total myomeres; 7 gut swellings; 2 liver lobes connected with the gall bladder on the second lobe; 6-7 postanal pigments present from anus to caudal margin. An analysis of the partial 12S rRNA sequences (849 base pairs) of mitochondrial DNA showed that our specimens must be Ophisurus macrorhynchos because their sequences were concordant with those of the adult O. macrorhynchos (genetic distance = 0.000). Furthermore, their total myomeres were consistent with those of the O. macrorhynchos adult. This is the first time that the morphological characteristics of O. macrorhynchos leptocephali have been described for Korean waters, and we suggest diagnostic characteristics for the genus Ophisurus leptocephali. We hypothesize that one of the spawning grounds of O. macrorhynchos is located in the southeastern part of Jeju Island.

A new prickleback is described based on six specimens collected by fish trap in southern Korea (water depth 5-12 m) in 2009 and 2010. The new prickleback is most similar to Dictyosoma burgeri and Dictyosoma rubrimaculatum in general morphology, but differs in the following combination of characters: dorsal contour of head almost a straight line; anal-fin rays 45-47; vertebrae 70-74; no blackish-brown blotches on head. In addition, mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences and recombination activating gene 2 (RAG2) sequences were analyzed for clarifying their genetic relationship. The neighbor-joining tree using mtDNA COI and nDNA RAG2 shows the reciprocal monophyly of the new prickleback. Accordingly, our specimens are regarded as a new species, named Dictyosoma tongyeongensis, after its type locality (Tongyeong).

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A single specimen (134.3 mm standard length) of a snailfish, Careproctus notosaikaiensis was collected from a fish trap in Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do, East Sea, Korea. It is characterized by having the teeth strongly trilobed; dorsal fin rays 52; anal fin rays 47; pectoral fin rays 35; caudal fin rays 10; vertebrae 58; ribs 2 pairs; cephalic pores, 2-6-7-2; gill slit extending to the fifth pectoral fin ray; chin pores paired and equal in size; dorsal and anal fins with distinct reddish margins. We describe this species as the first record to Korea, and proposed the new Korean name, "Dong-hae-bun-hong-ggom-chi" for this species.

A new snake eel, Pisodonophis sangjuensis, is described based on 24 specimens collected from the South Sea of Korea (water depth 5–100 m) between 2005 and 2010. This species is characterized by the following morphological features: fleshy protrusions before and behind the posterior nostril; 1–2 regular rows of conical teeth in both jaws, prevomer and vomer are slightly separated from each other; the origin of the dorsal fin above the middle of the pectoral fin; and the pectoral fin is rounded and not elongated. Pisodonophis sangjuensis is most similar to P. cancrivorus in morphology, but the two species differ in their teeth shape (conical in P. sangjuensis vs. granular in P. cancrivorus), and their numbers of vertebrae (143–153 vs. 153–164, respectively). Pisodonophis sangjuensis differs from P. boro in the origin of the dorsal fin (above the middle of the pectoral fin in P. sangjuensis vs. far behind the pectoral fin in P. boro), their numbers of vertebrae (143–153 vs. 170–177, respectively), and their teeth shape (conical in P. sangjuensis vs. granular in P. boro). Pisodonophis sangjuensis is also easily distinguishable morphologically from the remaining seven Pisodonophis spp. worldwide. Molecular analysis using mitochondrial DNA 12S rRNA sequences supported that P. sangjuensis is a new species because of the considerable genetic distance from what appears to be its most closely related species, P. cancrivorus (d=0.068).

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