Announcing the release of FishBase 96

FishBase is a computerized encyclopedia of fishes developed at International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) with the support of the European Commission and in collaboration with a large number of institutions throughout the world, notably FAO, and available since 1995 as CD-ROM. Major improvements since version 1.2 have now allowed for the release of FishBase 96, whose name indicates the intention to update FishBase annually. Some of the major improvements of FishBase 96 are: (a) 3,000 more species (total 15,000) and 3,000 more pictures (total 9,000); (b) complete marine checklists for 48 countries, and freshwater checklists for 60 countries; (c) a new user module to document local knowledge of fishes; (d) a stand-alone glossary defining 2,500 ichthyological and related terms; (e) new databases on brain weights (from R. Beauchot and colleagues at the University of Paris VII), on ciguatera (from P. Dalzell, South Pacific Commission, Noumea), and on recruitment (from R.A. Myers and colleagues at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, St. John's); and (f) new graphs to display quantitative data: through time series, pie charts and bivariate plots. As before, FishBase is available free to collaborators, for US$50 as update to registered users of previous versions, and for US$95 for new users.

Note additionnelle sur les espèces de Chlorodopsis (Brachyures)

The present paper completes the authors’ studies (1958) on the species of Chlorodopsis of Viet-Nam. It gives observations on the new specimens collected previously and of a new species. It exposes the results of the observations on specimens communicated to the authors by the Museum of Paris, the Indian Museum of Calcutta and the Bishop Museum of Honolulu. These specimens include the syntypes of Chl. melanochira and Chl. Woodmasoni and some samples of another species not yet recorded on the Viet-Nam seashores. The taxonomic position of various species is revised and species maintained by Balss (1938) in the genus Pilodius are included in the genus Chlorodopsis. The authors give a new key to separate all the species of the genus Chlorodopsis.

Hommage à Louis Boutan

Louis Boutan was a biologist and one of the first underwater photographer. Graduating in 1879 with a Doctorate of Science at the University of Paris, he became a marine biology professor at the University of Banyuls-Sur-Mer (France) in 1893. The present note provide a biography of Boutan and a contribution on the effect of tidal cycles on corals growth by A. Krempf.

Modulation of the effectiveness of 17-alpha-hydroxy-20-beta-dihydroprogesterone or of a gonadotrophic extract on the in vitro intrafollicular maturation of oocytes of the rainbow trout Salmo gairdnerii by various non-maturing steroids [Translation from: Compte Rendu Hebdomadaire des Seances de l'Academie des Sciences, Paris, Series D 281, 811-814, 1975]

The effectiveness of 17 α-hydroxy-20 β-dihydroprogesterone (17 α-20 β Pg) or of a trout hypophyseal gonadotrophic extract on the in vitro intrafollicular maturation of trout oocytes can be modulated by steroids which do not have a direct maturing effect; the effectiveness of the gonadotrophic extract is lowered by oestradiol and oestrone and increased by testosterone. As these steroids have no significant effect on maturation induced by 17 α-20 β Pg, the site of their activity is probably in the follicular envelopes. Corticosteroids, and Cortisol and cortisone in particular increase the effectiveness of the gonadotrophic extract, but increase the effectiveness of 17 α-20 β Pg even more strongly, suggesting that this 'progestagen' has a direct effect on oocyte sensitivity.