Squalomix: shark and ray genome analysis consortium and its data sharing platform.

The taxon Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) contains one of the long-established evolutionary lineages of vertebrates with a tantalizing collection of species occupying critical aquatic habitats. To overcome the current limitation in molecular resources, we launched the Squalomix Consortium in 2020 to promote a genome-wide array of molecular approaches, specifically targeting shark and ray species. Among the various bottlenecks in working with elasmobranchs are their elusiveness and low fecundity as well as the large and highly repetitive genomes.

Redescription of Tetragonurus pacificus (Teleostei: Stromateoidei: Tetragonuridae), based on specimens collected from Taiwan and Tarawa Atoll.

The rare squaretail Tetragonurus pacificus Abe 1953 was described on the basis of a single poor-condition specimen obtained from the stomach of a yellowfin tuna collected from west of the Solomon Islands. A fresh specimen of T. pacificus was recently collected from southwestern Taiwan and its morphology and the fresh coloration are herein described in detail.

Preliminary report on bycatch fish species collected from the Tokyo Submarine Canyon, Japan.

An ichthyofaunal list of bycatch species was compiled, the fish captured by bottom gill-nets set at approximately 300 m depth in the Uraga Suido Channel central Japan. Fragmentary ichthyofaunal lists are available for this area; these lists have focused on chondrichthyans or commercial actinopterygians, but voucher specimens have not been prepared for museum storage. An initial list of the fish fauna was compiled with vouchers, and seven species not previously recorded from the channel are reported.

Biodiversity data mining from Argus-eyed citizens: the first illegal introduction record of Lepomis macrochirus macrochirus Rafinesque, 1819 in Japan based on Twitter information.

An apparent illegal introduction of Lepomis macrochirus macrochirus from Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, is reported based on a juvenile specimen and a photograph of two adults collected on 14 June 2015 and deposited in the Kangawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History. The specimens and photographs were initially reported on the internet-based social networking site, Twitter. Two specimens of Carassius auratus, including an aquarium form, were also reported at the same locality and date, suggesting that the illegal introductions originated from an aquarium release.