Sains Malaysiana 45(1)(2016): 1–7

Morphological Variations of Plicofollis Species (Siluriformes: Ariidae) in Peninsular Malaysia: An Insight into Truss Network Approach

(Variasi Morfologi Spesies Plicofollis (Siluriformes: Ariidae) di Semenanjung Malaysia:

Pemerhatian Pendekatan Rangkaian Truss)

SITI WAZNAH ABDURAHMAN¹, MOHD AZMI AMBAK², SHAHREZA MD SHERIFF², SEAH YING GIAT^2,3,4,5, AHMAD AZFAR MOHAMED¹ & AHMED JALAL KHAN CHOWDHURY¹*

¹Department of Marine Science, Kulliyyah of Science (KOS), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), 25200 Kuantan, Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia

²School of Fisheries Science and Aquaculture (PPSPA), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)

21030 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu Darul Iman, Malaysia

³Fish Division, South China Sea Repository and Reference Center, Institute of Oceanography and Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), 21030 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu Darul Iman, Malaysia

⁴Marine Ecosystem Research Center, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

⁵National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, 2, Houwan Road, Checheng, Pingtung, 944, Taiwan, Republic of China

Received: 10 July 2014/Accepted: 27 November 2014

ABSTRACT

Ariid catfishes, belong to family Ariidae is considered as one of the taxonomically problematic groups, which is still under review by fish taxonomist globally. Species level identification of some ariids often resulted in species misidentification because of their complex characters and very similar morphological characters within genera. A vigilant and detail observation is very important during the species level identification of ariid species. In these contexts, this study was carried out in order to determine the morphological variations of one of the ariid genera, Plicofollis, which have been giving misleading taxonomic information in the south-east Asian countries. A Truss network technique was used throughout the study period. The study was conducted based on 20 truss measurements using 22 to 23 specimens per species, namely P. argyropleuron, P. nella and P. tenuispinis found in Peninsular Malaysian waters. Morphological variations were determined using a multivariate technique of discriminant function analysis (DFA). The results obtained in this study showed that discriminant analysis using truss network measurements has produced very clear separations of all the species in Plicofollis group. Several important morphological characters have been identified, which represent body depth and caudal regions of the fish. The documentary evidences of these variables could be considered as the constructive functional features, which could enable us to assess more accurately to distinguish the species within this complex Ariidae family.

Keywords: Ariidae; DFA; morphology; Plicofollis; P. argyropleuron; P. nella; P. tenuispinis; Truss network

ABSTRAK

Ikan ariid yang tergolong dalam keluarga Ariidae merupakan kumpulan ikan yang mempunyai masalah daripada segi pengelasan taksonominya dan masih dikaji di seluruh dunia. Ciri morfologi yang hampir sama sesama spesies dalam genus ariid sering menyebabkan kesalahan dalam pengenalpastian spesies. Pemerhatian yang khusus seringkali diperlukan semasa mengenal pasti spesies ariid ini. Oleh itu, kajian ini dijalankan bertujuan untuk menentukan variasi morfologi salah satu genus ikan ariid, iaitu Plicofollis, yang mempunyai maklumat taksonomi yang mengelirukan di negara-negara Asia Tenggara. Kaedah rangkaian Truss telah diguna dalam kajian ini berdasarkan 20 ukuran truss dengan menggunakan 22 ke 23 spesimen bagi setiap spesies ikan (P. argyropleuron, P. nella dan P. tenuispinis) yang ditemui di perairan Semenanjung Malaysia. Variasi morfologi telah ditentukan menggunakan analisis tinggi diskriminan (DFA). Keputusan menujukkan bahawa ketiga-tiga spesies Plicofollis telah dipisahkan dengan jelas dalam kumpulan spesies masing-masing. Beberapa ciri morfologi yang berperanan dalam pemisahan spesies Plicofollis telah dikenal pasti, iaitu kawasan yang mewakili kedalaman badan dan ekor ikan. Bukti yang diperoleh ini membolehkan kami menilai dengan lebih tepat dalam proses pengenalpastian spesies daripada keluarga Ariidae yang kompleks ini.

Kata kunci: Ariidae; DFA; morfologi; Plicofollis; P. argyropleuron; P. nella; P. tenuispinis; rangkaian Truss

REFERENCES

Acero, P.A. & Betancur-R, R. 2007. Monophyly, affinities, and subfamilial clades of sea catfishes (Siluriformes: Ariidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 18(2): 133-143.

Acero, P.A., Bermingham, E. & Cooke, R. 2007. Systematics and biogeography of New World sea catfishes (Siluriformes: Ariidae) as inferred from mitochondrial, nuclear, and morphological evidence. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 45(1): 339-357.

Ahmed, Q., Yousuf, F., Sarfraz, M., Mohammad, Q.A., Balkhour, M., Safi, S.Z. & Ashraf, M.A. 2015. Euthynnus affinis (little tuna): Fishery, bionomics, seasonal elemental variations, health risk assessment and conservational management. Frontiers in Life Science 8(1): 71-96.

Ahmed, Q., Yousuf, F., Sarfraz, M., Bakar, N.K.A., Balkhour, M.A. & Ashraf, M.A. 2014. Seasonal elemental variations of Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn and conservational management of Rastrelliger kanagurta fish from Karachi fish harbour, Pakistan. Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment 12(3&4): 405-414.

Akbar, J.B., Jalal, K.C.A., Ummu Nasuha, M.A., Noor Faizul, H.N. & Ambak, M.A. 2015a. DNA barcoding of caged pengasiids in Pahang River, Malaysia. Jurnal Teknologi 77(25): 31-36.

Akbar, J.B., Jalal, K.C.A., Aizat, K., Ummu Nasuha, M.A., Noor Faizul, H.N. & Ambak, M.A. 2015b. DNA barcoding of selected endangered and commercial fishes of Pahang River, Malaysia. International Conference on Clean Water, Air & Soil (CLEAN-WAS 2015). International Water, Air & Soil Conservation Society. p. 51.

Ashraf, M.A., Maah, M.J. & Yusoff, I. 2012. Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in fish species collected from former tin mining catchment. International Journal of Environmental Research 6(1): 209-218.

Ashraf, M.A., Maah, M.J. & Yusoff, I. 2011. Assessment of heavy metals in the fish samples of mined out ponds Bestari Jaya, Peninsular Malaysia. Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy 77(1): 57-67.

Barletta, M. & Blaber, S.J. 2007. Comparison of fish assemblages and guilds in tropical habitats of the Embley (Indo-West Pacific) and Caeté (Western Atlantic) estuaries. Bulletin of Marine Science 80(3): 647-680.

Barletta, M., Amaral, C.S., Correa, M.F.M., Guebert, F., Dantas, D.V., Lorenzi, L. & Saint-Paul, U. 2008. Factors affecting seasonal variations in demersal fish assemblages at an ecocline in a tropical-subtropical estuary. Journal of Fish Biology 73(6): 1314-1336.

Barriga-Sosa, I.D.L.A., Jiménez-Badillo, M.D.L., Ibáñez, A.L. & Arredondo-Figueroa, J.L. 2004. Variability of tilapias (Oreochromis spp.) introduced in Mexico: Morphometric, meristic and genetic characters. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 20(1): 7-14.

Barton N.H. & Turelli, M. 1989. Evolutionary quantitative genetics: How little do we know? Ann. Rev. Genet. 23: 337-370.

Betancur-R, R. 2009. Molecular phylogenetics and evolutionary history of ariid catfishes revisited: A comprehensive sampling. BMC Evolutionary Biology 9(1): 175.

Betancur-R, R. & Acero, A. 2006. A new species of Notarius (Siluriformes: Ariidae) from the Colombian Pacific. Zootaxa 1249: 47-59.

Betancur-R, R. & Acero, A. 2005. Description of Cathorops mapale, a new species of sea catfish (Siluriformes: Ariidae) from the Colombian Caribbean, based on morphological and mitochondrial evidence. Zootaxa 1045: 45-60.

Betancur-R, R. & Acero, A. 2004. Description of Notarius biffi n. sp. and redescription of N. insculptus (Jordan and Gilbert) (Siluriformes: Ariidae) from the eastern Pacific, with evidence of monophyly and limits of Notarius. Zootaxa 703: 1-20.

Blaber, S.J. 2008. Tropical Estuarine Fishes: Ecology, Exploration and Conservation. New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc. p. 384.

Bookstein, F.L. 1982. Foundations of morphometrics.  Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 13: 451-470.

Borcard, D., Gillet, F. & Legendre, P. 2012. Numerical ecology with R. Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics 17(2): 308-309.

Çakmak, E. & Alp, A. 2010. Morphological differences among the mesopotamian spiny eel, Mastacembelus mastacembelus (Banks & Solander 1794), populations. Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 10: 87-92.

Cavalcanti, M.J., Monteiro, L.R. & Lopes, P.R. 1999. Landmark-based morphometric analysis in selected species of serranid fishes (Perciformes: Teleostei). Zoological Studies-Taipei 38(3): 287-294.

Dantas, D.V., Barletta, M., Costa, M.F., Barbosa-Cintra, S.C.T., Possatto, F.E., Ramos, J.A. & Saint-Paul, U. 2010. Movement patterns of catfishes (Ariidae) in a tropical semi-arid estuary. Journal of Fish Biology 76(10): 2540-2557.

Elliott, N.G., Haskard, K. & Koslow, J.A. 1995. The truss: Morphometric analysis of orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) off the continental slope of southern Australia. J. Fish Biol. 46: 202-220.

Erguden, D. & Turan, C. 2005. Examination of genetic and morphologic structure of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax, 1758) population in Turkish coastal waters. Turk. J. Vet. Anim. Sci. 29: 727-733.

Jaferian, A., Zolgharnein, H., Mohammadi, M., Salari-Aliabadi, M.A. & Hossini, S.J. 2010. Morphometric study of Eleutheronema tetradactylum in Persian Gulf based on the truss network. World Journal of Fish and Marine Sciences 6: 499-504.

Kailola, P.J. 1999. Ariidae (= Tachysuridae). Sea catfishes (fork-tailed catfishes) In FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 3. Batoid Fishes, Chimaeras and Bony Fishes part I (Elopidae to Linophynidae), edited by Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. Food and Agriculture Organisation, Rome. pp. 1827-1879.

Kailola, P.J. & Pierce, B.E. 1988. A new freshwater catfish (Pisces: Ariidae) from northern Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 14: 73-89.

Kong, C.P. 1998. Marine Food Fishes and Fisheries of Sabah. Kota Kinabalu: Natural History Publications.

Lim, H.C., Ahmad, A.T., Nuruddin, A.A. & Mohd Nor, S.A. 2014. Cytochrome b gene reveals panmixia among Japanese Threadfin Bream, Nemipterus japonicus (Bloch, 1791) populations along the coasts of Peninsular Malaysia and provides evidence of a cryptic species. Mitochondrial DNA: The Journal of DNA Mapping, Sequencing, and Analysis DO I:10.3109/19401736.2014.908354.

Mansor, M.I., Kohno, H., Ida, H., Nakamura, H. T., Aznan, Z. & Abdullah, S. (eds.), 1998. Field Guide to important commercial marine fishes of the South China Sea. SEAFDEC/ MFRDMD/SP/2.

Marceniuk, A.P. & Acero, P. 2009. A new species of Cathorops (Siluriformes; Ariidae) from Mesoamerica, with redescription of four species from the eastern Pacific. Bulletin of Marine Science 85(3): 245-280.

Marceniuk, A.P. & Menezes, N.A. 2007. Systematics of the Family Ariidae (Ostariophysi, Siluriformes), with a Redefinition of the Genera. Auckland: Magnolia Press.

Matsunuma, M., Motomura, H., Matsuura, K., Shazili, N.A.M. & Ambak, M.A. 2011. Fishes of Terengganu: East Coast of Malay Peninsula, Malaysia. National Museum of Nature and Science, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu and Kagoshima University Museum, ix + 251 pp.

Mazlan, A.G., Abdullah, S., Shariman, M.G. & Arshad, A. 2008. On the biology and bioacoustic characteristic of spotted catfish Arius maculatus (Thunberg 1792) from the Malaysian Estuary. Research Journal of Fisheries and Hydrobiology 3(2): 63-70.

Mcconnell, R. & Lowe-Mcconnell, R.H. 1987. Ecological Studies in Tropical Fish Communities. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Muchlisin, Z.A. 2013. Morphometric variations of Rasbora group (Pisces: Cyprinidae) in Lake Laut Tawar, Aceh Province, Indonesia, based on truss character analysis. HAYATI: Journal of Biosciences 20(3): 138-143.

Muhamad, N.A. & Mohamad, J. 2012. Fatty acids composition of selected Malaysian fishes. Sains Malaysiana 41(1): 81-94

Murta, A.G., Pinto, A.L. & Abaunza, P. 2008. Stock identification of horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) through the analysis of body shape. Fisheries Research 89(2): 152-158.

Ng, H.H. 2012. The ariid catfishes of Singapore. Nature in Singapore 5: 211-222.

Reist, J. 1985. An empirical evaluation of several univariate methods that adjust for size variation in morphometric data. Can. J. Zoo. l63: 1429-1439.

Said, M., Zaki, M., Mohsin, M. & Khair, A. 1992. Discriminant analysis of morphometrics of Nemipterus species. Pertanika 15(2): 127-129.

Sen, S., Jahageerdar, S., Jaiswar, A., Chakraborty, S., Sajina, A. & Dash, G. 2011. Stock structure analysis of Decapterus russelli (Ruppell, 1830) from east and west coast of India using truss network analysis. Fisheries Research 112(1): 38-43.

Strauss, R.E. & Bond, C.E. 1990. Taxonomic methods: Morphology. In Methods for Fish Biology, edited by Moyle, P. & Schreck, C. Bethesda, Maryland: American Fisheries Society. pp. 109-140.

Strauss, R.E. & Bookstein, F.L. 1982. The truss: Body form reconstruction in morphometrics. Syst. Zool. 31: 113-135.

Sullivan, J.P., Lundberg, J.G. & Hardman, M. 2006. A phylogenetic analysis of the major groups of catfishes (Teleostei: Siluriformes) using rag1 and rag2 nuclear gene sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 41(3): 636-662.

Turan, C., Gürlek, M., Ergüden, D., Yağlioğlu, D. & Öztürk, B. 2011. Systematic status of nine mullet species (Mugilidae) in the Mediterranean Sea. Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 11: 315-321.

*Corresponding author; email: jkchowdhury@iium.edu.my