Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-8bljj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-22T09:08:43.634Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

First record of albinism in a tropical anguillid eel Anguilla bengalensis bengalensis from Malaysia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2015

Siti Raudah Abdul Kadir ,
Mohamad Hafiz Farhan Abdul Rasid ,
Li Lian Wong ,
Kok Onn Kwong  and
Takaomi Arai
Siti Raudah Abdul Kadir
Affiliation:
Institute of Oceanography and Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
Mohamad Hafiz Farhan Abdul Rasid
Affiliation:
Institute of Tropical Aquaculture, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia School of Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
Li Lian Wong
Affiliation:
Institute of Tropical Aquaculture, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia School of Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
Kok Onn Kwong
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden, Penang, Malaysia
Takaomi Arai*
Affiliation:
Institute of Oceanography and Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: T. Arai, Institute of Oceanography and Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia email: arai@umt.edu.my
Get access

Abstract

This study reports the first occurrence of partial albinism in a tropical anguillid eel Anguilla bengalensis bengalensis from Malaysia. This paper also describes the first record of albinism in the genus Anguilla. The occurrence of albinism in our specimen of Anguilla might have been caused by three factors: (1) contamination effects; (2) random genetic alterations; or (3) genetic alteration due to small population size. The present results suggest that the albinism in A. bengalensis bengalensis is probably caused by random genetic alteration. Partial albinism may not be a handicap in the life of the present specimen because the eel could still potentially grow to more than 1 m in total length, just like a normal adult eel.

Keywords

abnormalitiescatadromous eelfish albinismpigmentationtropical fish
Type
Research Article
Information
Marine Biodiversity Records , Volume 8 , 2015 , e114
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Acevedo, J. and Aguayo, M. (2008) Leucistic South American sea lion in Chile, with a review of anomalously colour in otariids. Revista de Biología Marina y Oceanografía 43, 413–417.Google Scholar
Arai, T. (2014a) First record of a tropical mottled eel, Anguilla bengalensis bengalensis (Actinopterygii: Anguillidae) from the Langkawi Islands, Peninsular Malaysia, Malaysia. Marine Biodiversity Records 7, e38, doi: 10.1017/S1755267214000426.Google Scholar
Arai, T. (2014b) Evidence of local short-distance spawning migration of tropical freshwater eels, and implications for the evolution of freshwater eel migration. Ecology and Evolution 4, 3812–3819.Google Scholar
Arai, T. (2014c) Do we protect freshwater eels or do we drive them to extinction? SpringerPlus 3, 534.Google Scholar
Arai, T., Aoyama, J., Limbong, D. and Tsukamoto, K. (1999) Species composition and inshore migration of the tropical eels Anguilla spp. recruiting to the estuary of the Poigar River, Sulawesi Island. Marine Ecology Progress Series 188, 299–303.Google Scholar
Arai, T., Chin, T.C., Kwong, K.O. and Siti Azizah, M.N. (2015) Occurrence of the tropical eels, Anguilla bengalensis bengalensis and A. bicolor bicolor in Peninsular Malaysia, Malaysia and implications for the eel taxonomy. Marine Biodiversity Records 8, e28, doi: 1017/S1755267215000056.Google Scholar
Arai, T., Chino, N., Zulkifli, S.Z. and Ismail, A. (2012) Notes on the occurrence of the tropical eel Anguilla bicolor bicolor in Peninsular Malaysia, Malaysia. Journal of Fish Biology 80, 692–697.Google Scholar
Arai, T. and Wong, L.L. (2016) Validation of the occurrence of the tropical eels, Anguilla bengalensis bengalensis and A. bicolor bicolor at Langkawi Island in Peninsular Malaysia, Malaysia. Tropical Ecology 57, 21–29.Google Scholar
Castle, P.H.J. and Williamson, G.R. (1974) On the validity of the freshwater eel species Anguilla ancestralis Ege, from Celebes. Copeia 1974, 569–570.Google Scholar
Ege, V. (1939) A revision of the Genus Anguilla Shaw. Dana Report 16, 8–256.Google Scholar
Ivanova, N.V., Zemlak, T.S., Hanner, R.H. and Hebert, P.D. (2007) Universal primer cocktails for fish DNA barcoding. Molecular Ecology Notes 7, 544–548.Google Scholar
Leal, M.E., Schulz, U.H., Lehmann, P.A., Machado, R. and Ott, P.H. (2013) First record of partial albinism in two catfish species of Genidens (Siluriformes: Ariidae) in an estuary of southern Brazil. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology 56, 237–240.Google Scholar
Oliveira, C. and Foresti, F. (1996) Albinism in the banded knifefish, Gymnotus carapo. Tropical Fish Hobbyist 44, 92–96.Google Scholar
Reum, J.C.P., Paulsen, C.E., Pietsch, T.W. and Parker-Stetter, S.L. (2008) First record of an albino Chimaeriform fish, Hydrolagus colliei Northw. Nature 89, 60–62.Google Scholar
Sanabria, E.A., Quiroga, L.B. and Laspiur, A. (2010) First record of partial albinism and scoliosis in Odontophrynus occidentalis Tadpoles (Anura: Cycloramphidae). Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology 53, 641–642.Google Scholar
Wakida-Kusunoki, A.T. and Amador-del-Ángel, L.E. (2013) First record of albinism in gafftopsail catfish Bagre marinus (Pisces: Ariidae) from southeast Mexico. Revista de Biología Marina y Oceanografía 48, 203–206.Google Scholar
Wang, J., Hou, L., Zhang, R., Zhao, X., Jiang, L., Sun, W., An, J. and Li, X. (2007) The tyrosinase gene family and albinism in fish. Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology 25, 191–198.Google Scholar
Watanabe, S., Aoyama, J. and Tsukamoto, K. (2004) Reexamination of Ege's (1939) use of taxonomic characters of the genus Anguilla. Bulletin of Marine Science 74, 337–351.Google Scholar
Watanabe, S., Aoyama, J. and Tsukamoto, K. (2009) A new species of freshwater eel Anguilla luzonensis (Teleostei: Anguillidae) from Luzon Island of the Philippines. Fisheries Science 75, 387–392.Google Scholar
Westerman, G.W. and Birge, W.J. (1978) Accelerated rate of albinism in channel catfish exposed to metals. Progressive Fish-Culturist 40, 143–146.Google Scholar
Zhang, J. and Hanner, R. (2012) Molecular approach to the identification of fish in the South China Sea. PloS One 7, e30621, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030621.Google Scholar