A new nemacheilid loach, Schistura obliquofascia, is described from Kalsa, a stream near Chanfi, tributary of Gola River, Ganga basin in Uttarakhand, India. The new species is readily distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: 12–14 oblique olivaceous dark bars on the body and three rows of black spots on the dorsal fin; lateral line complete with 104–112 pores, do...

Non-random species associations occur in naturally sampled parasite communities. The processes resulting in predictable community structure (e.g. particular host behaviours, cross-immunity, interspecific competition) could be affected by traits that vary within a parasite species, like growth or antigenicity. We experimentally infected three-spined sticklebacks with a large tapeworm (Schistocep...

The egg nest of male three-spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus is constructed with a gluelike secretion that this study demonstrates has antimicrobial properties. Glue collected from reproductively active males decreased the growth rate of bacteria and opportunistic fungi, and eggs were more likely to mature and hatch after exposure to their father’s glue. This phenomenon may represent a...

A new species of Heterotanoides is described from Waiheke Island, in the warm Aupourian zoogeographic province of New Zealand, and its relationships to other members of the genus are discussed. New characters for Heterotanoides, such as plumose epimeral setae, cap-like antennule segment, and four-spined maxilliped endites are presented, and their phylogenetic relevance examined. Based on phylog...

The structure of spined loaches diploid-poliploid complex Cobitis genera representatives as well Sabanjeewia aurata the Eastern Ukraine river systems were investigated by allozyme analysis and cytometry. In total 39 samples 1412 specimens from upper left tributaries Dnieper River, Donets Basin, coastal rivers Azov Sea Lower studied. We identified C. (superspecies taenia) (51,6% all researched s...

Abstract We studied the probability of occurrence, distribution and abundance eight small fish species in 512 rivers at eastern edge Europe a region high geographical environmental heterogeneity. Stone loach, common minnow, gudgeon were recorded more than 50% study sites. Common minnow was most abundant species, contributing 66% all captures. Elevation, depth, width river main factors influenci...

Three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) are a powerful evolutionary model system due to the rapid and repeated phenotypic divergence of freshwater forms from a marine ancestor throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Many of these recently derived populations are found in overlapping habitats, yet are reproductively isolated from each other. This scenario provides excellent opportunities ...