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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.

Eighteen specimens of juvenile Mugilidae were collected in October 2012 from the southern coastal waters of Jeju Island, and identified based on analysis of their mitochondrial DNA16S rRNA sequences. Seventeen specimens of Oedalechilus labiosus and a single specimen of Ellochelon vaigiensis were found, constituting a new record for these species among Korean ichthyofauna. O. labiosus is identified by the angle at the posterior end of its mouth, which contains a round notch, a darkish dorsal margin of the pectoral fin, the presence of 33-36 lateral line scales, and 23-24 vertebrae. E. vaigiensis is identified by dark dorsal and pectoral fins, the presence of 26 lateral line scales, and 25 vertebrae. The proposed Korean name for Oedalechilus is 'Sol-ip-sung-eo-sok' and that for Ellochelon is 'Nup-jeok-ggo-ri-sung-eo-sok.' The proposed Korean names for the species are 'Sol-ip-sung-eo' and 'Nup-jeok-ggo-ri-sung-eo' for O. labiosus and E. vaigiensis, respectively. We present a key for identification of the Mugilidae family of species from Korea, and include these two newly recorded species.

Echeneidae are distributed worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas (Nelson, 2006). The family is charac terized by an elongate body, flattened head, sucking disc on the dorsal surface of the head, lower jaw projecting past the upper jaw, absence of spines on the dorsal and anal fins, and no swim bladder (Nelson, 2006). Echeneidae species attach to numerous species of marine vertebrates including sharks, rays, marlins, sea turtles, whales, and dugong (Car penter, 2002), and also to ships and various floating objects. Some species show considerable host specificity (Paulin and Habib, 1982), and some are freeswimming (Gomon et al., 2008). Some Remora species feed on the ectoparasites of their host, as well as on any available small prey (Heemstra, 1986).The remoras have been the subject of numerous studies, including studies on the ontogeny and homology of the skel etal elements (Britz and Johnson, 2012), molecular phylog

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The movement of fish eggs and larvae in bay and estuarine systems is affected by freshwater discharge. In this study, the assemblage structures of ichthyoplankton eggs and larvae were assessed for the first time in Jinju Bay, South Korea, to identify the spawning and nursery functions of the bay. Fish eggs and larvae and several environmental parameters were sampled monthly from April 2015 to March 2016 inside and outside of the bay. Within the bay we collected eggs and larvae from 25 and 35 species, respectively, indicating greater diversity than outside the bay, where we collected eggs and larvae of 20 and 28 species, respectively. Fluctuations in water temperature and salinity were larger inside than outside of the bay, and chlorophyll-a concentration was higher within the bay, likely due to discharge from the Namgang Dam, which causes water to flow from the inside to the outside of the bay. This process influences fish larva abundance, such that more larvae are found outside than inside the bay. We also found that 28 fish species use Jinju Bay as a spawning ground. For some species, the timing of egg and larva appearance differed inside and outside of the bay, suggesting that the timing of spawning may differ between the two environments.

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One specimen (38.3 mm SL) of Neoclinus lacunicola Fukao, 1980, belonging to the family Chaenopsidae, was first recorded from Ulleung Island, Korea (East Sea, otherwise known as the Sea of Japan) on 5 January 2021. This species was characterized by paired external pores of incomplete lateral line running from the upper margin of the opercle, seven pairs of supraorbital cirri arranged in two rows, occipital region with a pair of cirri, and 13 rays of pectoral fin. This species is morphologically similar to the Neoclinus toshimaensis Fukao, 1980, but differs in the number of cirri on the supraorbital (6–7 versus 9–11 cirri). This study documents the first report of N. lacunicola in Korean waters and proposes the new Korean name of ‘eol-lug-bi-neul-be-do-la-chi’ for the species. For the confirmation of the identity of the species, a partial gene sequence of the mt COI (570 bp) of N. lacunicola was obtained for the first time.