rugae), rat (8) and golden hamster (7). We showed that palatal growth rate, spacing and addition rate in mouse/rat were remarkably similar (with respect to the embryo size difference), and that increase to 9 rugae in mouse is achieved by postponing the end of the addition process (hypermorphosis). Such a heterochronic shift may be typical of 1 variations observed among muroid rodents. In contra...

Metric and meristic characters are important to identify fish species and their habitat peculiarities. There are many species that belong to the fish genus Barbus, which is found in tropical and extratropical regions, but there are few studies covering the Coruh basin. Two subspecies of Barbus were found in the Coruh River system of Eastern Anatolia, Turkey: Barbus plebejus escherichi and Barbu...

Two colour types were revealed in a zoarcid fish of the subgenus Furcimanus, genus Lycodes, in the Sea of Japan. A comparison of morphometric, meristic and genetic characters in dark coloured and light coloured individuals suggests that the two colour morphs represent a single species, determined to be Lycodes nakamurae (Tanaka, 1914). Variability in colouration within L. nakamurae and a lack o...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS DNA barcoding strongly suggests that specimens of the slender codling (Halargyreus johnsonii) from New Zealand and Tasmania belong to a different species to H. johnsonii reported from other areas. RESULTS Sequence divergence between the two groups averaged 3.95%, much higher than within-group divergences of 0.03 and 0.02% for specimens, respectively, from New Zealand-Tasma...

Recent taxonomic and molecular work on the eagle rays (Family Myliobatidae) revealed a cryptic species in the northwest Pacific. This species is formally described as Aetobatus narutobiei sp. nov. and compared to its congeners. Aetobatus narutobiei is found in eastern Vietnam, Hong Kong, China, Korea and southern Japan. It was previously considered to be conspecific with Aetobatus flagellum, bu...

Several studies of the ecology of mesopelagic fishes off Hawaii published in the 1970s and 1980s reported the existence of as many as two undescribed species in the Pacific Ocean. Diagnosed primarily on the basis of postorbital and accessory orbital photophore size and size at maturity, three new species are described: P. liemi, new species, and P. tantillux, new species, both endemic to tropic...

we report observations on the natural history of lizards in the gando protected area, within the sistan and baluchestan province, iran. the identity of the lizards is recorded, along with remarks on some meristic characteristics. brief descriptions of their habitats are also given with a distribution map. lizards (n = 132) were collected and photographed in 2008-09. twelve species belonging to ...