BIOLOGIYA MORYA, 2011, Vol. 37, No. 6, pp. 447-454

Variation of coloration in Lycodes yamatoi Toyoshima, 1985 (Pisces: Zoarcidae) in the northern Sea of Japan

© 2011 A. A. Balanov¹, A. D. Kukhlevsky^{1, 2}

1A.V. Zhirmunsky Institute of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok 690059;
²Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok 690950

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Specimens of eelpouts were found in the northern Sea of Japan that were externally similar to Lycodes yamatoi Toyoshima, 1985, but their coloration differed from the coloring known for this species. Comparative analysis of meristic characters and sequence comparison of mtDNA COI and cytb gene fragments did not reveal distinctions between specimens with different types of coloration. All studied specimens belong to L. yamatoi. The live color pattern of L. yamatoi is characterized by high variation, with two main types of coloration - "dark" and "bright."

Key words: Sea of Japan, Lycodes yamatoi, coloration, description, COI, cytb, comparative analysis.