Meeting Abstract
The gunnels, of the family Pholidae, form a group of 15 species of generally small, elongated, laterally compressed, blenny-like fishes. They are found throughout the intertidal and coastal zones in the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans. They are currently recognized in three genera: Pholis (11 species), Apodichthys (3 species), and Rhodymenichthys (1 species). These fishes are unique in possessing haemonephropophyses, which are structurally similar to haemal arches and spines, but are found throughout the abdominal region (i.e., from the third centrum posterior to the caudal region of the vertebral column). Previous comparative and phylogenetic studies of this family have suffered from a lack of sufficiently detailed fundamental morphological data. In this study, we provide a complete description of the osteology of P. laeta, a member of the family found in the North Pacific from the Yellow Sea to Washington State, USA, based on cleared and stained specimens and x-rays. In addition to staining and x-rays of P. laeta, anatomical comparisons were made to other species of the family. We discovered new morphological characters, including significant taxonomic variation in the insertion pattern of anal-fin pterygiophores between haemal spines. In a preliminary systematic analysis, the family was well supported as a monophyletic group, and the three genera were each recovered as monophyletic as well, although the phylogenetic resolution within the genera was poorly resolved.
