• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.276-281
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• 2007

The toxicity of two species of puffer fish, Takifugu xanthopterus and T. stictonotus, collected from coastal regions of Korea, was determined using a mouse bioassay. The highest toxin scores in the muscle, skin, fins, and testis in both species were below 50 mouse units (MU) per gram, and for each organ of both species the proportion of toxic specimens containing ${\geq}10MU/g$ was less than about 10%. In T. xanthopterus, the highest toxin levels in the liver, gallbladder, and ovary exceeded 1,000 MU/g (1,275-1,910), while less than 200 MU/g (12-136) was detected in the same organs of T. stictonotus. Therefore, the toxicities of muscle, skin, and testis in both species of puffer fish were within acceptable levels for human consumption.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.367-375
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• 2019

Pufferfish (Takifugu spp.) are economically important edible marine fish. Mistakes in pufferfish classification can lead to poisoning; therefore, accurate species identification is critical. In this study, we used the mtDNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI) to design specific primers for six Takifugu species among the 21 domestic or imported pufferfish species legally sold for consumption in Korea. We rapidly and simultaneously identified these pufferfish species using a highly efficient, multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system with the six species-specific primers. The results showed that species-specific multiplex PCR (multiplex species-specific polymerase chain reaction; MSS-PCR) either specifically amplified PCR products of a unique size or failed. MSS-PCR yielded amplification fragment lengths of 897 bp for Takifugu pardalis, 822 bp for T. porphyreus, 667 bp for T. niphobles, 454 bp for T. poecilonotus, 366 bp for T. rubripes, and 230 bp for T. xanthpterus using the species-specific primers and a control primer (ca. 1,200 bp). We visualized the results using agarose gel electrophoresis to obtain accurate contrasts of the six Takifugu species. MSS-PCR analysis is easily performed and provides identification results within 6 h. This technique is a powerful tool for the discrimination of Takifugu species and will help prevent falsified labeling, protect consumer rights, and reduce the risk of pufferfish poisoning..

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.404-410
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• 2018

Takifugu rubripes, T. chinensis, T. pseudommus and an unidentified species were morphologically and genetically studied. Morphology was compared using external morphology and the genetic analysis was conducted using mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and cytochrome b (Cyt b). The morphological characteristics of T. rubripes, T. chinensis and T. pseudommus were confirmed, as reported previously. The unidentified species was confirmed to have the characteristics of T. rubripes and T. chinensis. The COI sequences of the four species were 99-100% similar; genetic distance was d=0.0000 and Cyt b genetic distance was d=0.0000-0.00834. Species in the phylogenetic tree belonging to the same group could not be classified genetically. In conclusion, the unidentified species was considered to be a hybrid between T. rubripes and T. chinensis.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.708-715
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• 2023

Hybridization is a major production method used to combine beneficial traits from two different species to obtain a potentially dominant trait. In China, Takifugu obscurus and T. rubripes were artificially crossed, and the resulting hybrids had an average body weight 38.06-8.93% higher than that of the parental species, which enabled the hybrids to be grown in freshwater. This study aimed to provide the basic data necessary for the classification of T. obscurus♀×T. rubripes♂ hybrids in terms of economic value and market potential. Morphological comparing the morphology of hybrids and parental species, we discovered that the hybrids had intermediate traits of the parental species. In morphometrics, the hybrid index (HI) value of head length against standard length was close to the trait of T. rubripes, and the HI values of preanal length and predorsal length were close to those of T. obscurus; however, the HI values of nasal length, snout length, length of anal fin, length of pectoral fin, caudal peduncle depth and caudal peduncle length were found to be unique characteristics of the hybrids. Regarding molecular analysis, a 99.8% nucleotide sequence similarity was found between the hybrid and T. obscurus.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.269-275
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• 2007

The toxicity of two species of puffer fish, Takifugu pardalis and T. niphobles, collected from the coastal regions of Korea was determined using a mouse bioassay. In T. pardalis collected at Tongyeong, the proportion of toxic specimens containing ${\geq}10MU/g$ exceeded 90% for the skin, fins, liver, intestine, ovary, and gallbladder, 11.1% for the testis, and 6.9% for the muscle. In each of the organs, the highest toxin levels were several tens (14-39) of mouse units (MU) per gram in the muscle, testis, and eyeball, but thousands (1,444-5,755) of MU per gram in the skin, liver, intestine, ovary, and gallbladder. The organs of T. pardalis exhibited remarkable variation in toxicity. In T. niphobles, the proportion of toxic specimens exceeded 90% for the ovary and skin, 60-80% for the fins, liver, intestine, and gallbladder, and 4.5% for the muscle; no toxicity was detected in the testis or eyeball using the mouse bioassay. The highest toxin levels were thousands (2,291-7,777) of MU per gram in the liver, intestine, ovary, and gallbladder, hundreds(146-328) of MU per gram in the skin and fins, and 18 MU/g in the muscle. Takifugu niphobles toxicity also exhibited remarkable regional variation. The toxicity in the edible muscle of T. pardalis and T. niphobles was at acceptable levels for human consumption, while the toxicity of the skin of both species of puffer fish was very high, so that care must be taken when used for human consumption.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.6-15
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• 2021

Various biometric and geometric measures were used to discriminate between the morphologically similar river puffer, Takifugu obscurus, tiger puffer, T. rubripes, their hybrids, and their triploid hybrids. The hybrids and triploid hybrids had greater anal fin width, nostril width, and snout length than the parental species (p<0.05). However, they had less caudal peduncle depth, inter-orbital width, head length, and head width(p<0.05). The morphometric and meristic characteristics of the hybrids and triploid hybrids were either intermediate between the parental species or more similar to those of one parental species. However, the external morphology of the hybrids and triploid hybrids was predominantly maternal. The triploid hybrids had asymmetry in the fin rays and gill raker numbers. This study identified phenotypic characteristics by distinguishing the morphological variables of river puffer, tiger puffer, their hybrids, and their triploid hybrids.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.119-127
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• 1998

Two species of the parasitc copepods, Clavellopsis hugu (Lemaeopodidae; Siphonostomatoida) and Taeniacanthus yamagutii (Taeniacanthidae; Poecilostomatoida) from cultured Korean fish, Takifugu obscurus, is described and reported for the first time in Korea. The parasite was recovered from the buccal cavity, nose and skin. Clavellopsis hugu is easily identified by the body shape, 2nd antenna, mandible and 2nd maxillae. In female, cephalothorax flexed dorsally, second antenna biramose, mandible with serrate blade, second maxillae completely fused at base of cephalothorax. In male, cephalothorax and trunk fused into an ovoid, two pairs of maxillipeds chelate. The most distinctive features of Taeniacanthus yamagutii are terminal process of second maxilla stout, maxilliped claw with conspicuous digitiform process at base and a setiform element at the tip of each exopod spine of legs 2-4. Both parasitic copepod species are new to the Korean fauna. The korean fish, Takifugu obscurus should be considered as an additional host of this species because these parasite were recovered from the western coast of Korea (Boryung Hatchery).

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.41-52
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• 1993

During the investigation of fish fauna from the Kokunsan Islands off west coast of Korea from 1989 to 1993, authors confirmed 102 fish species belonging to 81 genera, 50 families and 12 orders. Of these the following 8 species were common : Herengila zunasi, Engraulis japonica, Johnius grypotus, Pholis fangi, Repomucenus ornatipinnis, Chasmichthys gulosus, Tridentiger trigonocephalus, and Cynoglossus joyneri. Of the twelve orders recognized herein, Perciformes, Scorpaeniformes and Pleuronectiformes include approximately 74% of the fish fauna in this area. The largest family is the Gobiidae representing 12 species. Pholis fangi, Repomucenus ornatipinnis, Repomucenus koreanus, Takifugu flavidus and Takifugu obscurus collected are endemic to the Yellow Sea. Fifteen specimens of an unknown Sebastes species was collected. This species resembles Sebastes hubbsi and Sebastes longispinnis, but the species differs from other sebastes species reported in Korea in the number of dorsal fin rays, lateral line pores, gill rakers and in color patterns of body sides.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.725-732
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• 2013

To identify the food component characteristics of seven edible pufferfishes (five wild pufferfishes including striped puffer Takifugu xanthopterus; eyespot puffer Takifugu chinensis; purple puffer Takifugu porphyreus; rough-backed puffer Lagocephalus wheeleri; and grass puffer Takifugu niphobles; and two cultured pufferfishes including yellow puffer Takifugu obscurus, and tiger puffer Takifugu rubripes) in Korea, the proximate, fatty/amino acid, chemical and taste compositions were investigated. The proximate compositions were not significantly different among the sampled pufferfishes, whereas grass puffer had lower moisture and crude lipid levels contents, and higher crude protein and ash contents than the other species. The total amino acid levels in wild and cultured pufferfishes were 14,941.6-16,427.9 mg/100 g, and the major amino acids were aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, alanine, leucine, lysine and arginine. Regarding the fatty acid and mineral compositions, the major fatty acids included 22:6n-3, 16:0, 18:1n-9, 20:5n-3, 18:0, 20:4n-3, and 22:5n-3 in that order, and there was a little difference among the sampled pufferfishes. Grass puffer had a higher monoenes ratio, i.e., 16:1n-7 and 18:1n-9, and a lower polyenes ratio than the other pufferfishes. The main minerals detected K, P, Na, S and Ca. Regarding the taste-active compounds, the free amino acid contents of pufferfish extracts were 236.4-428.1 mg/100 g, consisting primarily of taurine, lysine, proline, glycine, alanine and arginine in that order. The amino nitrogen content of the pufferfishes was 84.5-156.4 mg/100 g, and there was a little difference among the species. As for taste intensity, the total taste value of the purple puffer was higher than that of the other pufferfishes.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.172-192
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• 1994

The fish fauna from the Yellow Sea was reviewed based on the published materials from Korea and China. As a results, author confirmed 389 species belonging to 257 genera, 123 families and 27 orders. Among them, the ascertained species in the western coast of Korean were 233 species belonging to 161 genera, 80 families and 20 orders, and those distributed in the Chinese water were 300 species belonging to 213 genera, 115 families and 27 orders. The largest fish group in this area was order Perciformes having 164 species belonging to 114 genera and 51 families, followed by order Scorpaeniformes comprising 45 species belong to 27 genera and 11 families, and order Pleuronectiformes having 34 species belong to 24 genera and 5 families. The important species in Korea economically were families Rajidae, Anguillidae, Clupeidae, Engraulidae, Scorpaenidae, Serranidae, Platycephalidae, Sciaenidae, Mugilidae, Trichiruridae, Stromateidae, Cynoglossidae, Pleuronectidae, Tetraodontidae. There were 9 endemic species in the westernsea of Korea : Neosalanx jordani, Pseudosciaena poliactis, Repomucenus koreanus, Repomucenus leucopoecilus, Achanthogobius elongata, Scartelaos sp., Cynoglossus joyneri, Takifugu flavidus and Takifugu obscurus.