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Descriptions of eggs of snailfishes (family Liparidae) from the Bering Sea and eastern North Pacific Ocean

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Abstract

Eggs of liparid fishes were collected by bottom trawl in the southeastern Bering Sea and removed from an oceanographic mooring cable off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. Eggs were large with embryos most commonly in late flexion to postflexion stages. Based on meristic counts and collection localities, eggs were identified as Elassodiscus tremebundus, Paraliparis rosaceus, and Careproctus sp. (either Careproctus colletti or Careproctus melanurus). Eggs of E. tremebundus are oval with a smooth, opaque chorion. Eggs of P. rosaceus are spherical and the chorion is sculptured with a uniformly pebbled texture. Eggs of Careproctus sp. are slightly oval and the chorion is smooth and opaque. Embryos of all species are unpigmented. A pelvic disk is present in embryos of E. tremebundus, but it is rudimentary: a small patch of tissue that was visible only after embryos were cleared and stained. Adults of the genus Paraliparis do not have a pelvic disk and no disk was observed in developing embryos. Embryos of Careproctus sp. have a large disk with rays visible in later stages. Hatching glands are present on the head and nape of embryos of all three species. Hatching glands of E. tremebundus are separated into bands across the snout, along the jaws and opercle, and in a patch on the nape, while those of P. rosaceus and Careproctus sp. are evenly distributed over the head and nape. This is the first full description of the embryonic stages of these taxa.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Jay Orr and Duane Stevenson (NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, AFSC: 7600 Sandpoint Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115), for collecting eggs, providing reference photos of the Elassodiscus tremebundus eggs at sea, and for sharing valuable data regarding Careproctus colletti eggs. Jay Orr helped navigate his liparid database and reviewed an earlier version of this manuscript. We also thank Moira Galbraith (Institute of Marine Sciences, B.C. Canada) for providing the eggs of Paraliparis rosaceus, Theodore Pietsch, Katherine Maslenikov, and Dawn Roje (UW Fish Collection) for cataloging material, Ann Matarese for reviewing an earlier version of this manuscript, as well as Beverly Vinter (AFSC, retired) and Rachael Cartwright (formerly AFSC) for providing illustration instruction to the senior author.

The findings and conclusions in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Marine Fisheries Service. Collection methods of fish eggs described in this study follow RACE division standard practices and are compliant with the laws and regulations for the use of fish in research of the United States of America.

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  1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Resource Assessment and Conservation Engineering Division, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98115-6349, USA

    Ashlee A. Overdick, Morgan S. Busby & Deborah M. Blood

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  1. Ashlee A. Overdick
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  2. Morgan S. Busby
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  3. Deborah M. Blood
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Correspondence to Ashlee A. Overdick.

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This article was registered in the Official Register of Zoological Nomenclature (ZooBank) as F27AF888-BC6E-4A86-86D3-6CB08EA38584.

This article was published as an Online First article on the online publication date shown on this page. The article should be cited by using the doi number.

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Overdick, A.A., Busby, M.S. & Blood, D.M. Descriptions of eggs of snailfishes (family Liparidae) from the Bering Sea and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Ichthyol Res 61, 131–141 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-013-0384-5

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