One of the most diverse vertebrate communities is found on tropical coral reefs. Coral-reef fishes are not only remarkable in color and shape, but also in several aspects of physiological performance. Early in life, at the end of the pelagic larval stage, coral-reef fishes are the fastest swimmers of all fishes in relation to body size, and show the highest specific rates of maximum oxygen upta...

Initial stages of salmonid fishes development are carried out in freshwater. At the first stage young fishes form structures and systems connected with ability to live in freshwater. At the second stage a complex of structural, physiological and biochemical changes directed on preparation of the organism for downstream migration and seawater entry takes place[1]. After completion of smoltificat...

Ingestion of microplastics by fishes could be an emerging environmental crisis because of the proliferation of plastic pollution in aquatic environments. Microplastics in marine ecosystems are well documented, however only one study has reported percent occurrence of microplastics in freshwater fishes. The purpose of this study was to quantify the occurrences and types of microplastics ingested...

The trace amine-associated receptors (TAARs) form a specific family of G protein-coupled receptors in vertebrates. TAARs were initially considered neurotransmitter receptors, but recent study showed that mouse TAARs function as chemosensory receptors in the olfactory epithelium. To clarify the evolutionary dynamics of the TAAR gene family in vertebrates, near-complete repertoires of TAAR genes ...

This review examines the neurobehavioral nature of fishes and addresses the question of whether fishes are capable of experiencing pain and suffering. The detrimental effects of anthropomorphic thinking and the importance of an evolutionary perspective for understanding the neurobehavioral differences between fishes and humans are discussed. The differences in central nervous system structure t...

The evolutionary adaptations of functional genes to life at high pressure are not well understood. To elucidate the mechanisms of protein adaptation to high pressure, we cloned the myosin heavy chain (MyHC) cDNA from skeletal muscle of two deep-sea fishes, Coryphaenoides yaquinae and C. armatus, and two non-deep-sea fishes, C. acrolepis and C. cinereus. The MyHCs of deep-sea fishes have a uniqu...

Annual fishes are found in both Africa and South America occupying ephemeral ponds that dried seasonally. Neotropical annual fishes are members of the family Rivulidae that consist of both annual and non-annual fishes. Annual species are characterized by a prolonged embryonic development and a relatively short adult life. Males and females show striking sexual dimorphisms, complex courtship, an...

Introduced freshwater fishes impact native Hawaiian stream fishes in two important ways. In addition to direct negative effects associated factors such as predation, competition, and interference, indirect effects may occur when exotic fishes transfer their parasites to native hosts. Six species of helminths that have been introduced with alien live-bearing fishes, including guppies, green swor...

This study investigated the hematological parameters of the tropical estuarine fish Centropomus parallelus and their use as a non-destructive biomarker for aquatic pollution. Individuals were collected, in summer and winter, at two estuaries, Cananéia (CAN) and São Vicente (SVE), and blood was extracted by caudal puncture. The evaluated parameters were hematocrit (Ht), red blood cells (RBC), Me...

A newly developed computer-based method for the analysis of length-frequency data (ELEFAN I & II) is applied to data on reef fishes. It is shown that the growth of reef fishes often oscillates seasonally, and that adjusting for this effect considerably increases the accuracy of growth parameter estimates. This is also confirmed by a re-analysis of tagging data from the Caribbean. Potential caus...