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During June 2017, we collected two postflexion larvae (6.01 and 7.56 mm in standard length [SL]) and two juveniles (7.72 and 9.62 mm SL) belonging to Myctophidae in the waters of Jejudo Island. Those four individuals were identified as Diaphus garmani, which had not been reported in Korea. They were distinguished from Benthosema pterotum by melanophores in the abdominal cavity (absent in D. garmani vs. present in B. pterotum) and the development of photophores (developed in D. garmani vs. rudimentary in B. pterotum) when shorter than 10.0 mm SL. Analysis of 16S rRNA sequences showed that the sequences of four individuals matched those of adult D. garmani (Kimura 2-parameter distance: 0.6-0.8%). This is the first record of larvae and juveniles of D. garmani in Korean waters, and we propose a new Korean name, Gar-ma-ni-sat-bi-neul-chi.

This paper presents preliminary data on the genetic diversity and population structure of Hyporhamphus sajori by analysing a 510 bp sequence in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region and eight polymorphic microsatellite DNA loci. The H. sajori individuals from different locations were indistinguishable from one another based on mtDNA variation, as demonstrated with a neighbour-joining tree and minimum spanning network analysis. Low level of genetic diversity and the absence of population structure in H. sajori from the north-west Pacific Ocean, combined with negative indices for neutral evolution in these populations, suggest that H. sajori underwent a population expansion after a recent bottleneck. The Structure analysis, discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) and the pair-wise Φ values after Bonferroni correction using eight microsatellite loci provided no clear inference on the genetic differentiation and thus no evidence of population structure of H. sajori. The genetic connectivity among locations might be due to fairly high gene flow via transport of eggs and larvae by the Kuroshio and Tsushima warm current. This study revealed low levels of genetic diversity and suggested high level of contemporary gene flow among populations of H. sajori in the East (Japan) Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

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AbstratThe goldeye rockfish, Sebastes thompsoni, commercial rockfish catch in the Northwest Pacific Ocean, may influence its population structure. To clarify the population genetic structure of Korean S. thompsoni and its degree of hybridization with the most close species, Sebastes joyneri, we analyzed a mitochondrial (mt) DNA control region and eleven polymorphic microsatellite (ms) loci. S. joyneri individuals were clearly distinguished from S. thompsoni by the mtDNA control region and ms loci results, with single interspecific hybridization between two species suggesting no impact on genetic structure of S. thompsoni. Analysis of mtDNA revealed no population structure within S. thompsoni, suggesting the survival of a single population in southern refugia during the glacial period. The ms loci results, in contrast, showed two genetically distinct clusters within S. thompsoni: One was predominant throughout Korean coasts (from the Yellow Sea, via the Korea Strait to the East Sea); the other was predominant at Dokdo Island in the East Sea; and both occurred in similar ratios at Wangdolcho Reef in the East Sea. A possible factor that restricts gene flow between Korean coastal and offshore populations in the East Sea may be related to the complex oceanic current patterns such as eddies and upwelling, which represent impermeable barriers to population connectivity for this species. Our findings highlight that these two populations might be representative of two separate stock within Korean waters and maintain their geographically related genetic structure.

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The osteological development in Sebastes koreanus is described and illustrated on the basis of 32 larvae [6.11-11.10 mm body length (BL)] and a single juvenile (18.60 mm BL) collected from the Yellow Sea. The first-ossified skeletal elements, which are related to feeding, swimming, and respiration, appear in larvae of 6.27 mm BL; these include the jaw bones, palatine, opercular, hyoid arch, and pectoral girdle. All skeletal elements are fully ossified in the juvenile observed in the study. Ossification of the neurocranium started in the frontal, pterotic, and parietal regions at 6.27 mm BL, and then in the parasphenoid and basioccipital regions at 8.17 mm BL. The vertebrae had started to ossify at~7.17 mm BL, and their ossification was nearly complete at 11.10 mm BL. In the juvenile, although ossification of the pectoral girdle was fully complete, the fusion of the scapula and uppermost radial had not yet occurred. Thus, the scapula and uppermost radial fuse during or after the juvenile stage. The five hypurals in the caudal skeleton were also fused to form three hypural elements. The osteological results are discussed from a functional viewpoint and in terms of the comparative osteological development in related species.

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