Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Discovery of fossil Ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis) from the Upper Miocene of Shimane Prefecture, Japan

  • Full Paper
  • Published:
Ichthyological Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Ayu, Plecoglossus altivelis, comprising three subspecies, is the only species in the genus Plecoglossus in the family Osmeridae. Here, we describe for the first time the discovery of fossil specimens of P. altivelis from the Upper Miocene sediment of Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. The fossil individuals are subadult and have comb teeth in the second and third generations. These fossil specimens are clearly similar to the recent P. altivelis, the former’s meristic characters being included in the three recent subspecies. In terms of numbers of pectoral fin rays and vertebrae, the fossil specimens are more similar to the subspecies Plecoglossus altivelis ryukyuensis than the other subspecies, but they also show different dorsal fin shapes and anal fin ray counts. This discovery of fossil P. altivelis indicates the persistence of the species for at least 10 million years, from the Late Miocene to the present.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bleeker P (1859) Enumeratio specierum piscium hucusque in Archipelago indico observatarum, adjectis habitationibus citationibusque, ubi descriptions earum recentiores reperiuntur, nec non speciebus Musei Bleekeriani Bengalensibus, Japonicis, Capensibus Tasmanicisque. Acta Societa Scienza Indo-Neerlandica 6:1–276

    Google Scholar 

  • Chapman WM (1941) The osteology and relationships of the isospondylous fish, Plecoglossus altivelis Temminck & Schlegel. J Morphol 68:425–455

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fukuhara O, Fushimi T (1986) Development and early life history of the Ayu reared in laboratory. Bull Jpn Soc Sci Fish 52:75–80

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hosoya K (1993) Plecoglossidae. In: Nakabo T (ed) Fishes of Japan with pictorial keys to the species. Tokai University Press, Tokyo, p 254

    Google Scholar 

  • Howes GJ, Stanford GPJ (1987) Oral ontogeny of the Ayu, Plecoglossus altivelis and comparisons with the jaws of other salmoniform fishes. Zool J Linn Soc 89:133–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huxley TH (1880) On the application of the laws of evolution to the arrangement of the vertebrate and more particularly of the Mammalia. Proc Zool Soc London 1880:649–662

    Google Scholar 

  • Iguchi K, Tanimura Y, Nishida M (1997) Sequence divergence in the mtDNA control region of amphidromous and landlocked forms of ayu. Fish Sci 63:901–905

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ishiguro NB, Miya M, Nishida M (2003) Basal euteleostean relationships: a mitogenomic perspective on the phylogenetic reality of the “Protacanthopterygii”. Mol Phylogenet Evol 27:476–488

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ishiguro NB, Miya M, Inoue JG, Nishida M (2005) Sundasalanx (Sundasalangidae) is a progenetic clupeiform, not a closely-related group of salangids (Osmeriformes): mitogenomic evidence. J Fish Biol 67:561–569

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kano K, Nakano T (1985) Stratigraphic correlation of the Neogene in the San-in district, southwest Japan, in the light of radiometric dating. Bull Geol Surv Japan 36:427–438

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kawanabe H (1972) An evolutionary aspect of the territoriality of Ayu-fish, Plecoglossus altivelis, with the social structure at the southern end of its distribution. Jpn J Ecol 22:141–149

    Google Scholar 

  • Matsukuma A, Okamoto K (1986) New Cenozoic glycymerid bivalves (Mollusca) from Japan. Mem Natn Sci Mus Tokyo 19:91–100

    Google Scholar 

  • Morris PA (1986) Geochemistry of some Miocene to Quaternary igneous rocks bordering an insialic marginal basin—an example from eastern Shimane Prefecture and Oki Dozen Island, southweast Japan. Mem Fac Sci Shimane Univ 20:115–133

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelosn JS (2006) Fishes of the world, 4th edn. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Nishida M (1988) A new subspecies of the Ayu Plecoglossus altivelis (Plecoglossidae) from the Ryukyu Islands. Jpn J Ichthyol 35:236–242

    Google Scholar 

  • Okubo M (1981) A fossil of prawn. In: Okubo M, Akagi S (eds) A fossil story of San-in Region. Tatara Shobou, Yonago, pp 96–102

    Google Scholar 

  • Regan CT (1913) The Antarctic fishes of the Scottish National Antarctic expedition. Trans R Soc Edinburgh 49:229–292

    Google Scholar 

  • Sasagawa I (1979) The development and replacement of the dentition in Ayu Plecoglossus altivelis Temminck et Schlegel. Fossil Club Bull 12:53–67

  • Sasagawa I (1983) A morphological and developmental study on teeth in Plecoglossus altivelis. Shigaku 71:257–275

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seki S, Taniguchi N, Jeon SR (1988) Genetic divergence among natural populations of Ayu from Japan and Korea. Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi 54:559–568

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seki S, Murakami N, Takamichi A, Taniguchi N (1997) Comparative study on circulus formation of scales from tow geographical races and one subspecies of Ayu Plecoglossus altivelis. Bull Mar Sci Fish Kochi Univ 17:131–139

    Google Scholar 

  • Shan X, Wu Y, Kang B (2005) Morphological comparison between Chinese Ayu and Japanese Ayu and establishment of Plecoglossus altivelis chinensis Wu & Shan subsp. nov. J Ocean Univ China 4:61–66

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tachihara K, Kawaguchi K (2003) Morphogical development of eggs, larvae and juveniles of laboratory-reared Ryukyu-ayu Plecoglossus altivelis ryukyuensis. Fish Sci 69:323–330

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Takayasu K (1980) Fossils from Nange of Matsue City—Molluscan fossils from various locations in Shimane Prefecture, Part 1. Mem Fac Sci Shimane Univ 14:313–145

    Google Scholar 

  • Takeshima H, Iguchi K, Nishida M (2005) Unexpected ceiling of genetic differentiation in the control region of the mitochondrial DNA between different subspecies of the ayu Plecoglossus altivelis. Zool Sci 22:401–410

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Temminck CJ, Schlegel H (1846) Fauna Japonica, sive descriptio animalium quae in itinere per Japopniam, suscepto annis 1823–30 collegit, notis observationibus et abumbrationibus illustravit P. F. de Siebold. Conjunetis studiis C. J. Temminck et H. Schlegel pro vertebratis, atque W. de Haan pro invertebratis elaborata. Part 2, Pisces, pp 1–323 (reprinted Tokyo, 1932)

  • Woodward AS (1891) Catalogue of the fossil fishes in the British Museum (Natural History). Part II. Trust British Mus (Nat Hist) XLIV:567

  • Yamauchi Y (1987) The Matsue layer. In: Igi S, Murakami N, Okubo M (eds) Regional geology of Japan. Part 7: Chugoku. Kyoritsu Shuppan, Tokyo

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Dr. K. Takayasu (Shimane University) for permission to study the fossil specimens. We also thank Mr. T. Nishii (Takashima, Japan) for providing recent specimens from Lake Biwa. Dr. T. Goto (Kinki University) is thanked for contributing unpublished data. We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers and Dr. H. Imamura (Section Editor of Ichthyological Research) for valuable comments on the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, Tsurumi University School of Dental Medicine, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-8501, Japan

    Haruto Kodera

  2. Hamabun, Imazu, Takashima, Shiga, 520-1604, Japan

    Yoshio Tomoda

Authors
  1. Haruto Kodera
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yoshio Tomoda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Haruto Kodera.

About this article

Cite this article

Kodera, H., Tomoda, Y. Discovery of fossil Ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis) from the Upper Miocene of Shimane Prefecture, Japan. Ichthyol Res 59, 26–37 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-011-0252-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-011-0252-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation