General Announcements

AUSTRALIAN FISH DESCRIPTIONS, A CALL FOR PAPERS. OzFishNet, a consortium comprising Australian based fish taxonomists, announce the intention to publish a special edition of one of the major Australian museum journals, devoted to papers naming currently undescribed Australian fish species.   The impetus behind the initiative is the growing confusion about species identities arising from the increasing number of undescribed Australian species appearing in popular books and other publications.  A grant proposal has been submitted to fully fund peer reviewed, concise descriptions to appear in an internationally recognised and distributed journal around the middle of 2003.  If funded, it is anticipated that a limited number of color plates will be available, on a first come, first serve basis.   Systematists, both within and outside Australia, who plan to propose names for undescribed fish species, that occur at least in part in Australian waters, are encouraged to consider this vehicle.  Those interested should contact Jeff Leis [jeffl@austmus.gov.au] or Martin Gomon [mgomon@museum.vic.gov.au] to reserve a place.

THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM FISH DATABASE can now be queried online at www.amonline.net.au/fishes/about/data/index.htm.  At this stage queries can be performed by any or all of genus, species and subspecies.  Each record displays taxon, general locality (country, state or ocean), habitat, year of collection, specimen form, capture depth and size range.  We have also developed a simple online mapping facility that is available at www.amonline.net.au/fishes/about/maps/index.htm. This site allows users to query by genus, species, subspecies or family number, and display the results as dot points on maps of New South Wales, Australia, or the world. Clicking on a dot retrieves a summary of data for the record. More images are in the process of being added to the types database at www.amonline.net.au/fishes/about/types/index.htm. Enquiries to Mark McGrouther, markm@austmus.gov.au

BIOGEOGRAPHY SPREADSHEET FOR INDO-PACIFIC SHOREFISHES: Work continues on a biogeographic table of shorefish fish distributions for the Indo-Pacific in the form of a spreadsheet. The purpose of the spreadsheet is to compare biodiversity across regions and aid in producing detailed species distribution maps.  It includes all species of shorefishes that occur down to 200 m, including freshwater gobioids as well as deeper-dwelling species within certain families that include shorefishes (e.g. many eels, dragonets, scorpaeniforms). It is based primarily on published checklists, taxonomic revisions and periodic reviews of key journals, but also utilizes much unpublished information from  other sources such as museum collection data bases and verifiable underwater photographs. So far, I've completed data entry for localities that are the subject of recent comprehensive faunal studies or checklists. I am interested in contributions from anyone with recent, accurate lists of fishes from their area, especially lists that can be emailed as electronic files convertible to MS Word or Excel. Of course, I would be happy to share information from my spreadsheet. Since this is an unfunded project that gets “shelved” for long periods of time, I ask past and future collaborators to please bear with me and I will eventually get back to you. Since it now occupies nearly 100 pages of near-microscopic text, I rarely print it and prefer to share it or portions of it as an electronic file. Robert F. Myers, P.O. Box 21153, GMF, Guam 96921  USA; ph.: (671) 734-1092 call first to fax from ca. 1300-2200 GMT); E-mail: rmyers@netpci.com.

CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES—DIGITAL IMAGES OF PRIMARY TYPE SPECIMENS. Digital images of  the primary type specimens (holotype, lectotype, neotype, syntype) housed in the Department of Ichthyology are now available over the Internet at the Academy’s website and linked to the Ichthyology Department’s homepage [http://www.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/types/index.html]. Lateral, dorsal, and ventral views (4671 shots in total) of almost all of the primary types (about 1570 specimens) in the collection were taken with a digital camera.  The images were touched up and made into a seamless montage at two different levels of resolution.  X-radiographs (about 1580 images) of the primary types were also taken, digitized and entered into the imagebase separately, again at two levels of resolution. In addition, original figures of type specimens taken from the literature have been scanned in for 290 species.  Nomenclatural and related information on the species were taken from William N. Eschmeyer’s 1988 Catalog of Fishes and incorporated into the heading legend for each species.  Information provided include the correct scientific name, original reference, type locality, and where available, depository of other types (including catalog numbers), and species status with references for status statement.

Work on the imagebase will continue on a time-available basis, with emphasis on adding images of primary types that were not available during the project (either out on loan or missing) and images of newly acquired primary types. Images of secondary types and non-types will be added as requested by the ichthyological community.  It is hoped that in most cases the images will obviate the need for researchers to borrow the type specimens. The obvious benefits to this include (1) eliminating the unnecessary handling of these invaluable specimens, thereby reducing the cumulative damage accrued each time the specimens are taken out of their container, (2) avoiding the possibility of loss and damage from shipping, (3) eliminating the time and expense involved in sending out specimens, and (4) having the images immediately available on-line and down-loadable.  Request for  additional views of a specimen can be made by emailing dcatania@calacademy.org or tiwamoto@calacademy.org.   The one-year project was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF DBI-9876822, Tomio Iwamoto, David Catania, and Carl Ferraris, Co-Principal Investigators), for which we express our thanks.

DEEP FIN RESEARCH COORDINATION NETWORK: A website (www.deepfin.org) will be established with the aim of coordinating systematic research of fishes. The goal of Deep Fin is to foster coordination of independent research groups by establishing an organic structure that will nurture collaboration and minimize isolation and duplication of efforts by molecular and morphological ichthyologists. Specific aims include the definition of fundamental exemplar taxa and the discussion of mechanisms that will make these available for study to all participants; the development of strategies to compile and integrate comprehensive data sets of morphological, molecular, and fossil data.  Subsequent goals are to explore ways in which morphological and molecular data for all common taxa can be effectively integrated into a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of living fishes including Chondrichthyes, Actinopterygii, lungfishes and coelacanths. The ultimate goal is to be able to synthesize a global phylogenetic framework based on molecules, morphology and palentological data. Antecedents for this proposal are rooted in preliminary talks among participants at the 2000 Joint Annual Meeting of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

EUROPEAN ICHTHYOLOGICAL SOCIETY.  European Ichthyology is alive and well! 284 ichthyologists from 41 countries attended the 10th European Ichthyological Congress (ECI 10) organised by Petr Ráb from 3 to 7 September 2001 in Prague (Czech Republic). ECIs are the tri-annual meetings of the European Ichthyological Society (EIS) which also had its business meeting during the congress. There have been numerous formal and informal discussions regarding the future of the congresses and of the society and the members unanimously supported their continuation. The structures of EIS have been renovated a few years ago and during ECI 10 several members have volunteered to work in various committees. An electronic newsletter should be established shortly, a committee is investigating the feasibility of electronic publication. EIS now counts around 150 members.

The General Assembly of the EIS met on 6 September 2001. It elected a new Board with Maurice Kottelat (president), Menachem Goren (vice-president), Maria João Collares-Pereira (secretary), Maria Th. Stoumboudi (treasurer), Sven O. Kullander (information technologies) and Petr Ráb (congress issues), and adopted a budget. The next congress will be held in 2004 at a site to be decided in December 2001; the Board is presently evaluating three proposals. Between congresses, EIS also will be involved in co-sponsoring other activities (meetings, workshops, courses) of interest to European ichthyologists. EIS will work at a list of common names of European fishes. The board welcomes other proposals by members. Membership fees for the period 2001-2004 for ordinary members are 20 Euro per year; students under 35 years pay a single 10 Euro entrance fee (no annual fee); ordinary members from eastern Europe pay 10 Euro per year (case by case, lower fees can be decided by the Board for members under unfavourable social or economical conditions).

EIS is an international, non governmental organisation of scientists and individuals interested in ichthyology (the study of fishes). Historically, EIS was first established to promote international co-operation between scientists of the western and eastern blocks and to coordinate scientific collaboration. With the change in the European political landscape, its emphasis has now shifted to become a forum for the exchange and dissemination of information and experience, the promotion of original research and intra- and extra-European collaboration; it will also have to connect ichthyological research to European Union policies. These aims are presently achieved by organising or supporting international scientific meetings and promoting publications. Students are most welcome and EIS is working at making ECIs more attractive for them. Students are expected to have an important role to play in the society and, obviously, in the future of ichthyology.

There has been a continuing misperception that EIS is a federation of national ichthyological societies and that being member of a national society member of EIS was automatically implying membership into EIS. This may have been true in some countries in the early history of the society, but it is no longer the case as EIS membership is now made only of individual members.

For membership applications, please visit EIS website http://www.nrm.se/ve/pisces/eis/ or contact the treasurer Maria Stoumboudi (mstoum@ncmr.gr). For other information, contact the secretary Maria João Collares-Pereira (mcolares@fc.ul.pt) or other board members.

FISH-LARVAE FROM THE CANARIES: more than 4.600 fish-larvae (among them 321 Leptocephali) caught in two cruises in the area of the Canary Islands are deposited at the Zoological Museum of Copenhagen (ZMUC). If you wish to work on them and for further information please contact Dr. Franz Uiblein, Institute of Zoology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstr. 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria. Email franz.uiblein@sbg.ac.at

GIBBS AWARD FOR EXELLENCE IN SYSTEMATIC ICHTHYOLOGY.  Nominations are invited for the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) Robert H. Gibbs Jr. Memorial Award for Excellence in Systematic Ichthyology. The prize is awarded for an outstanding body of published work in systematic ichthyology to a citizen of a Western Hemisphere nation who has not been a recipient of the award.  The award is offered annually and consists of an appropriate plaque and a cash award (approximately $7500).  The award recipient is announced at the annual meeting of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Nomination may be made by any ichthyologist, including self-nominations, and should include the nominee’s curriculum vitae, details of the nominee’s specific contributions and their impacts on systematic ichthyology. Nominations should be submitted by 1 March 2001 for the nominee to be eligible for that year’s award.  Nominations will be effective for three award periods (2001-2003). Four copies of each nomination should be sent to Maureen A. Donnelly, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, 3000 Northeast 151^st Street, North Miami, Florida 33181-3000. -- The award for 2001 was presented to Lawrence M. Page, Illinois Principal Scientist, Illinois Natural History Survey, for his outstanding contributions to our knowledge of North and South American freshwater fishes, percid systematics, graduate education in systematic ichthyology, and support of systematic collections.

I S R MUNRO ICHTHYOLOGICAL COLLECTION.  At the end of last year we moved into a new purpose-built facility, which features specialist collection storage areas and modern research laboratories, including formalin processing lab, x-ray, photographic, and darkroom facilities.  The facility, focusing primarily on marine species from the Australian region, contains comprehensive collections of the region’s chondrichthyans and deepwater fishes.  It comprises approximately 41,000 lots and more than 100,000 adult & 50,000 larval specimens.  In addition to local material, it contains significant collections from Macquarie Island & South-East Asia. Collection data are fully computerised using "Texpress" software.  It also houses a photographic index of Australian fishes (PIAF), which contains approximately 30,000 slides, representing more than 2500 species. For further information please contact the collection manager, Alastair Graham, CSIRO Div. Marine Research, Hobart, Australia 7000. (Alastair.Graham@marine.csiro.au).

INTERNATIONAL FISH COLLECTION MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP/CONFERENCE  This is a call for expressions of interest in an International Fish Collection Management Workshop or Conference to be held in conjunction with the Indo-Pacific Fish Conference (every four years).  The next conference will be in Taiwan, 2005.  We are particularly interested in hearing from collection managers, as well as researchers.  Potential topics - electronic databasing, data format, data access and security, database networking, curation techniques/labelling and materials, storage and field techniques, etc.  We would appreciate emails from interested persons and encourage any and all comments on this proposal. Send inquiries, etc. to: Dianne Bray, Collection Manager, Ichthyology, Museum Victoria, PO Box 666E, Melbourne, Victoria 3001 Australia (dbray@museum.vic.gov.au); Alastair Graham, Collection Manager, I.S.R. Munro Fish Collection, CSIRO Division of Marine Research, GPO Box 1538, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia (Alastair.Graham@marine.csiro.au); Mark McGrouther, Collection Manager, Fishes, Australian Museum, 6 College Street, Sydney, NSW 2010 Australia (markm@austmus.gov.au)

JOB OPPORTUNITY . We are going to be hiring a technician in fall 2001 to operate the new Beckman-Coulter capillary automated DNA sequencing facility, which processes 96-well plates. Applicants need an M.S. degree and experience in DNA sequencing and data analysis.  A postdoctoral fellowship position may become available in early 2002, contingent on funding.  We welcome applications from highly motivated students to work on their Ph.D. or M.S. degrees in molecular systematics, phylogeography, and population genetics of fishes.  Research assistantships are available to cover stipend, tuition, and student medical coverage. -  Carol A. Stepien, Ph.D. Director, Great Lakes Environmental Genetics Laboratory Center for Environmental Science, Technology, and Policy (CESTP) 1899 East 22nd Street, MC 219 Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH  44114-4435 216-523-7311 Fax 216-687-5393 c.stepien@csuohio.edu

LABORATÓRIO DE ICTIOLOGIA OF THE UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL, along with the fish collection, has moved to a new facility into other University Campus. The new address of its fish collection is: Laboratório de Ictiologia, Departamento de Zoologia – IB, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500 - bloco IV - Prédio 43435, 90540-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.

LARVAL FISH IMAGES. The Division of Fishes, National Museum of Natural History has prepared an exhibit on its website of larval fishes photographed at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize. These larvae were photographed shortly after capture, many while still alive, and display the transparent bodies and the elaborate and delicate color patterns that disappear after preservation. These are larval fishes as you have probably never seen them. The exhibit was first posted in May, 2001 and will be expanded and updated by the end of 2001, http://www.nmnh.si.edu/vert/larval/

MOSS LANDING MARINE LABORATORIES. We would be very interested in pursuing additional age-validation studies on deep-water and/or long-lived fishes from around the world.  We are especially interested in working on orange roughy, coelacanth, or toothfish otolith material. In addition, we continue to be interested in submersible or ROV studies of deep-water habitats and their fish assemblages. Please contact Gregor Cailliet (address in Synopsis).

MUSEUM VICTORIA FISH COLLECTION contains some significant historic collections acquired during the latter part of the 1800’s, including fishes from the British Museum (collections from Central and South America, West Africa, Madeira and other localities), a Bleeker collection (840+ lots), a Museum Godeffroy collection (550+ lots) and material from Castelnau, among others.  These collections all include type material and the Museum Victoria Ichthyology Type catalogue will be on-line within the next few months.  The collection also contains ethanol fixed and frozen tissues, primarily from fishes found in southern Australian waters.  Inquiries may be directed to Dianne Bray, Collection Manager, Ichthyology, Museum Victoria, PO Box 666E, Melbourne, Victoria, 3001, AUSTRALIA; Tel (03) 8341 7448; Intl 613 8341 7448; Fax (03) 8341 7442 Intl 613 8341 7442; Email dbray@museum.vic.gov.au; or Martin Gomon, Senior Curator, Ichthyology, Museum Victoria, PO Box 666E, Melbourne, Victoria, 3001, AUSTRALIA; Tel (03) 8341 7435; Intl 613 8341 7435; Fax (03) 8341 7442 Intl 613 8341 7442; Email mgomon@museum.vic.gov.au

NEW CATALOG OF FISHES PROJECTS. Annotated Checklists for Fishes and Preparation of the Official List Of Names in Ichthyology. The first goal is to have specialists author annotated checklists (typically by families) for all Recent fishes -- these to be published by the California Academy of Sciences and prepared with assistance from CAS staff working on the Catalog of Fishes project.  The longer goal is to use these checklists to create a list to use Art. 79 of the 1999 code to eliminate unneeded and undesirable names from being available for use in Ichthyology (see Art. 79).  The project at this time is especially appropriate to take advantage of the many ichthyologists in their 50s and above who were the monographers of the 1950s-80s.  They have much information in files and accumulated unpublished data that can be made available in the checklists, particularly for such things as status of nominal species. The checklists will consolidate our level of knowledge and at the same time reveal areas in need of further investigation. CAS staff will assist with your literature needs, translations, nomenclatural problems, research dates for you, check spellings, and provide advice.  We will generate your manuscripts and work closely with you. The format will be similar to the Parenti [Paolo] and Randall 2000, "An annotated checklist of the species of the labroid fish families Labridae and Scaridae."  Ichth. Bull. J.L.B.Smith Inst. No. 68.  Paolo Parenti will join the above-mentioned project, and brings to the project much interest and skills (particularly an interest in old works, and he can translate Latin and visit European museums).  I contacted about 15 ichthyologists, and responses were great (one did not respond).  A small NSF grant is pending; if funded, that would greatly facilitate the project.  If you have a special interest and knowledge in particular taxa, we would like to hear from you.  The established workers are known to us and will be contacted in January/February.

PROJECT SEAHORSE has an extensive collection of dried seahorses which may be borrowed for research purposes. Please contact Sara Lourie, Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Avenue Dr. Penfield, Montréal, H3A 1B1, Québec, CANADA. Email: slouri@po-box.mcgill.ca; Tel: +1 (514) 398 5112; Fax: +1 (514) 398 5069, for more information.

REQUEST FOR RECENT COMPARATIVE MATERIAL by Henri Cappetta, Université Montpellier II, France. (address in Synopsis). I repeat my unsuccessfull request of the previous year: in the course of study on Recent dasyatids and urolophids dental morphologies, I should be very grateful to colleagues who could provide me jaws of North American Atlantic species (Dasyatis centroura, D. americana, D. guttata, D. say, D. sabina ... and possibly other ones) as well as jaws of the genera Plesiobatis, Hexatrygon and Urogymnus.

RETIRING -  After more than 41 years of work in the Laboratory of Ichthyology of the Museum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris, it is time for me to  retire...almost completely. During that long period, which seemed in fact very short, I have been very happy to have met most of you and to have worked with you, either in ichthyology or on Antarctic affairs. Starting from September 3rd, 2001, all your requests concerning  the MNHN collections of fishes should be addressed directly to my colleagues Guy Duhamel (Professor-Curator of fishes) or Patrice Pruvost (Collection  manager). For any general question concerning the laboratory of ichthyology, please contact our laboratory Director, Professor François Meunier. Concerning the international databases on fish, please

contact Nicolas Bailly. Concerning the Antarctic affairs (SCAR in particular), I will remain Delegate of France to SCAR (in the capacity of Chairman of the French National Committee on Antarctic Research) only for a few  more months, and  will be replaced in 2002 by another chairman, after the next SCAR meeting. I will stay and work in the MNHN (with the same electronic address hureau@cimrs1.mnhn.fr) for another few months only and on a part-time basis. After that transitional period, you will be able to contact me at my private e-mail address  (jean-claude.hureau@wanadoo.fr), and my home (10, allée Claude Debussy,  78110 Le Vésinet, France) will remain open to all my friends. Thanks again for the good cooperation I have had in the past years, and for all the good memories which I will keep with me from all of you. --   Au revoir.  Jean-Claude Hureau.

UNIVERSITY OF GUAM MARINE LABORATORY FISH COLLECTION. Duplicate lots will be made available for donation to any interested persons or institutions. For further details, please contact Terry Donaldson, Marine Laboratory, UOG Station, Mangilao, Guam 96923 USA, fax (671)-734-6767.