Microdesmidae

Abstract: Events that occur dunnq the t r ans~ t~on betwcrn phases In a con~plex life historv can have major conscquences for the demography of populations. Lifc-history theory suggests that transitions should be abrupt to maxlnlize survival in each life stage. We compare the transition from dispersive larva to settled juvenile In 3 cornnlon coral reef fishes. which wcre chosen to span a wide range of trophic groups, morphological forrns dnd adult ecologies: a benthic m~crocarnivorc, the goatfish Parupeneus multifasciat~~s (family: Mullitiae); d planktivore, the dartfish Pterolcotris crvdcs (Microdesmidae) ; and a largely herbivorous damselfish. Ponrdcentrus amboinen.sis (Pomacrntridae). Transitions from settled post-larva to juvcnile varied in coml)lexity and ranged from immcdiatc to a gradual process lasting 3 wk. The goatfish displayed 3 distlnct shlfls in h ~ ~ b i t a t and associations with othrr species within 2 kvk of settlcmcnt brforc jolning the juven~le populat~on, while the dar t f~sh displayed 2 major shifts in a 3 wk pcsr~od. Thcsc habitat shifts coincided with changes in morpholoqy associated \hy1th metdmorphosis. In rontrasl, thc damsclflsh settled ciircctly into its adult habitat, dnd d1splayc.d n t l ther sh~f ts In habitat or species association nor a dramatic metamorphos~s. Evidence suggests that the magnitude and durdtion of ecologirdl shifts during thr scttlement trdns~tion can be predicted from inforn>ation on the extent of n~etamorphosis.

Abstract: Microdesmidae (sensu stricto) includes 30 species of elongate, cryptic, benthic gobioid fishes. The phylogenetic relationships among microdesmid species have been unknown, and the sister taxon to Microdesmidae has been a matter of debate. In this study, the relationships of microdesmid species are hypothesized based on morphological characters, analyzed with cladistic parsimony methods. Characters previously used as evidence for a sister-taxon relationship between Microdesmidae, s.s., and five genera classified as a subfamily (Ptereleotrinae) in an expanded Microdesmidae are reexamined and found to be invalid. Microdesmidae s.s. is restored, including only Cerdale, Clarkichthys, Microdesmus, Gunnellichthys, and Paragunnellichthys. Monophyly of the microdesmid genera is confirmed, and characters diagnosing each genus, and other clades revealed in this analysis, are discussed. The five genera formerly placed in Ptereleotrinae are referred to Ptereleotridae (incertae sedis within Gobioidei), bringin...

Abstract: Th e family Gobiidae includes what are considered the typical gobies: small, usually marine fishes, with separate spinous and rayed dorsal fins and pelvic fi ns oft en joined into a disc, that live on or in the substrate and are generally inconspicuous. Color patterns may range from brightly patterned to drab and camoufl aged. Th e composition of this family has changed since the description of the fi rst Gobius by Linnaeus (1758), but it has always been the most speciose of gobioid taxa, and the one that contains the most well-known examples of goby biology and ecology. Various classifi cations based on morphology have delineated Gobiidae as the largest of six to nine gobioid families (Miller, 1973; Hoese, 1984; Harrison, 1989; Pezold, 1993; Nelson, 2006); reevaluations of gobioid systematics based on molecular data have shown that the smaller, distinctive families historically separated from the bulk of gobioid taxa are actually nested within the larger groups (Akihito et al., 2000; Wang et al., 2001; Th acker, 2003; Ruber and Agorreta, 2011, Chapter 1.2 of this volume). A revised six-family clade-based classifi cation (Th acker, 2009) identifi es a Gobiidae that includes all genera of the former taxa Gobiinae, Microdesmidae, Ptereleotridae, Schindleriidae,