在四種不同屬的發光鯛科魚類（包括棘臀擬發光鯛、赤鮭、裂鰭新鯥以及日本尖牙鱸）的頭骨發現具有靠近內耳的兩個孔洞，稱為基枕孔，而牠們的魚鰾前端有兩個向前凸出的腔室分別進入兩個基枕孔內。這個特殊的構造組合被認為和牠們的聽覺息息相關，並且在發光鯛科的親緣關係上具有重要的意義。本研究分別測量三種同屬發光鯛科魚種的聽覺相關構造（包括矢耳石面積、耳石溝面積、耳石溝、耳石面積比和耳石重，以及計算球囊聽斑上毛細胞密度和每個毛細胞中靜纖毛的數量），來了解具有基枕孔的物種是否比不具有基枕孔之物種可能顯著地有較佳的聽覺能力。分析結果顯示具有上述頭骨及魚鰾特化的發光鯛，其耳石面積、耳石溝面積、耳石重、以及每個毛細胞中靜纖毛的數量皆比正常形態的發光鯛低，由此推論牠們為聽能力較差的魚類。而在親緣關係方面，利用分別在五個屬（包括發光鯛屬、赤鮭屬、軟魚屬、新鯥屬、尖牙鱸屬）中12種發光鯛魚類取得之 COI、cytochrome b、rhodopsin 三種基因來建構出貝氏與最大簡約樹，以探究是否基枕孔與前凸魚鰾腔室均為共同衍徵，結果皆支持此兩個功能相關之特化構造的出現在發光鯛科中為趨同演化。

Basioccipital foramen (bof) is found in four acropomatid species, including Apogonops anomalus, Doederleinia berycoides, Neoscombrops annectens, and Synagrops japonicus belonging to four genera. This structure is just near the fish’s inner ear and to which the anterior diverticulae of the swim bladder in the species protrudes. This configuration is though to be closely related to enhance hearing capabilities and an important synapomorphic system to the phylogeny of acropomatids. The structural parameters of the sagittae (i.e., otolith area, otolith sulcus area, ratio of sulcus to area, otolith weight, hair cell density in otolithic macula, and the stereocilia number per hair cell bundle) were estimated, measured, and analyzed. The data of the parameters from the ‘bof-possessing’ acropomatids are lower than that of the ‘non-bof’ acropomatids. These values infer a probable poorer auditory capability of the ‘bof-possessing’ acropomatids. COI, cytochrome b, and rhodopsin sequences of 12 species in five acropomatid genera (i.e., Acropoma, Doederleinia, Malakichthys, Neoscombrops, Synagrops) were analyzed to resolve the issue whether the configuration between ‘bof’ and anterior diverticulae of swim bladder representing synapomorphic characters. The constructed Bayesian and maximum parsimony trees indicate that the ‘bof-possessing’ acrpomatids do not form a clade. These results suggest that thses specialized structures (‘bof’ and anterior swim bladder diverticulae) have developed more than once in Acropomatidae (i.e., a case of convergence).

Abstract (in Chinese) i
Abstract ii
Contents iv
Table and figure legends v
Introduction 1
Materials and methods 8
Results 15
Discussion 20
Conclusions 28
References 29
Tables and figure 33
APPENDIX 58

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