Biodiversity and studies of marine symbiotic siphonostomatoids off South Africa

Current knowledge of the biodiversity of the symbiotic marine siphonostomatoids from South African waters (136 species) is sparse compared to that globally (1 388 species). The difference is especially apparent when taking into account the diversity of fish (more than 2 000 species) and invertebrates (approximately 12 914 species) found in South African waters, all of which are all potential hosts of symbiotic siphonostomatoids. Most reports of symbiotic siphonostomatoids from South African waters are from Chondrichthyes and represent 80% of the currently known families and about 66% of the known genera. Taxonomic studies on the siphonostomatoids also provide information about their morphology, biology, habitat preference and host association, as well as the distribution of species and their associated host taxa. Molecular analysis, especially sequencing, provides additional information on the existence of cryptic species and population structure, but has high financial costs and a very low success rate in DNA isolation and PCR amplification. Reported declines in abundance of piscivorous fish species, for example, as a result of fishing pressure, with possible synergistic effects of environmental changes, and also the reported potential effects of anthropogenic and climate change on the broader coastal biota, may result in the loss of siphonostomatoid species before they can be described. Furthermore, in South Africa, there is a lack of professional taxonomists to study poorly known groups and this situation will not improve while research emphasis remains on commercially important groups and while taxonomic studies are not recognised for their value in research programmes.     

ASD field hyperspectral measurements for discrimination of the ferruginous rocks and the iron ore types at El Gedida-Ghorabi area,Bahariya Oasis,Western Desert,Egypt

The ironstone succession at El Gedida-Ghorabi-Naser area of El Bahariya depression is subdivided into lagoonal manganiferous mud and fossiliferous ironstone consisting mainly of hematite and goethite-hydrogoethite. The application of the ASD field spectroradiometer measurements (spectral range) in the ASTER data led to the interpretation of the presence of ferruginous units as quartzitic sandstone, gluconitic sandy clay, and pink marly limestone. The existing iron ore minerals in the iron ore localities were also classified into high Mn hematite, low Mn hematite, goethite, hydrogoethite as well as low- and high-grade Hematite and Barite. Quartz, feldspars, rutile, and clay minerals (e.g., kaolinite and illite) are mainly associated with the iron ore. Accessory minerals of manganese, e.g., psilomelane and pyrolusite, were also present. The Barite mineral is recorded as a common mineral association with the iron ore deposits at El Gedida and Ghorabi localities. The stratigraphical units investigated in the study area include the oldest gravely clayey sandstones of the Bahariya Formation overlain by the fossiliferous and oolitic limestones of the El-Hamra, Qazzun, and Naqb Formations. Quartztic sandstones and clayey sandstones of the Radwan Formation and youngest Quaternary sediments of sandy-clayey materials were often found as intermittent cover and overburden in unconformity surfaces over the iron ore bands.     

Geomatics Based Analysis of Predicted Sea Level Rise and its Impacts in Parts of Tamil Nadu Coast,India

The coastal zones around the world are very densely populated and hence heavily packed with related infrastructures. So, the territorial nations have obvious apprehensions against the IPCC SRES (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Special Report on Emission Scenario) predicted sea level rise, as it would cause flooding of the low lying coasts and also other related chains of environmental endangers. This has driven these nations to initiate research studies in multiple directions for scientifically evaluating the phenomenon and impacts of sea level rise using all possible technologies including the Geomatics which possesses unique credentials in geosystem mapping. But certain advanced virtues available with Geomatics technology are yet to be capitalized deservingly in this. In addition, almost all the earlier studies have focused only on the impacts of sea level rise (SLR) and not on the predicted shift of high tide line (HTL) and the related inter tidal activities, which would cause a series of environmental disaster. Hence, the present research study was undertaken in a test site of 750 km² in central Tamil Nadu coast to visualize the areas prone to submergence due to predicted SLR and areas prone to environmental disasters/degradation viz. erosion, deposition, salination of agricultural lands, pollution of aquifers, etc. due to predicted shift of HTL, using digital elevation models derived from SRTM data (Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission), geomorphology and land use/cover maps interpreted using IRS P6 LISS IV satellite data. The paper narrates the certain newer concepts and methodologies adopted in the study and the results.     

Siphonostomatoid copepods infecting Squalus acutipinnis Regan, 1908 off South Africa

Squalus acutipinnis (previously included in S. megalops) individuals caught off the east, south and west coasts of South Africa were examined for siphonostomatoid copepod infection. Collected siphonostomatoids were fixed and preserved in 70% ethanol and studied under microscopes using both transmitted and incidental light. The copepods were identified and the host-parasite associations estimated by calculating their prevalence, mean intensity and mean abundance. The siphonostomatoids represented four families and six species, and included new host records for Nemesis sp., Lernaeopoda sp. and Eudactylina acanthii, and a new geographical record for E. acanthii. Squalus acutipinnis individuals were infected by relatively low loads of siphonostomatoids. The most commonly found species was Achtheinus pinguis, the only species found off all three coasts. There was no difference in the prevalence of A. pinguis in sharks sampled off the three coasts but the highest mean intensity was found on the East Coast followed by the West Coast. The overall prevalence of A. pinguis was 33.6%, and was an order of magnitude higher than that of the other siphonostomatoids recorded. At such low levels of infection it will thus be necessary to examine a large number of hosts to determine the biodiversity of siphonostomatoids and geographical differences in prevalence in South African waters.     

Photo-identification of bottlenose dolphins in the far south of New Zealand indicates a ‘new’, previously unstudied population

Declines in the abundance of bottlenose dolphins in the Bay of Islands and in Doubtful Sound have contributed to the species being classified as Nationally Endangered in New Zealand waters. Updated information on distribution and abundance nationwide is therefore a high priority. This study presents data from the first photo-identification surveys of Paterson Inlet, Stewart Island, conducted to document bottlenose dolphin presence, abundance and residency. Open-population mark-recapture models indicate that 18 (95%CI = 15–20) dolphins regularly use Paterson Inlet. Photo-identification of dolphins from unknown populations during two chance encounters in Otago Harbour and Dusky Sound included 11 individuals previously identified at Stewart Island. These results indicate that dolphins found regularly at Stewart Island are part of a larger, wide ranging southern population with a minimum population abundance of 92 (95%CI = 80–111) individuals.     

Morphometric variation in the cutlassfish Trichiurus lepturus on the Kenyan coast: implications for stock identification and management

Morphometric variation was used to study population structure of the cutlassfish Trichiurus lepturus on the Kenyan coast. In all, 16 morphometric measurements taken from 193 individuals from six sites were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis in order to determine possible stock differentiation. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated significant differences in the means of a combination of the morphometric characters among the sites, and discriminant function analysis by groups showed the presence of phenotypically distinct populations on the south and north coasts of Kenya. A classification tree analysis of morphometric characters validated the distinct groups and indicated certain characters to be useful for classifying specimens to source sites. The likely presence of distinct north and south stocks of T. lepturus on the Kenyan coast observed in our study will require validation by other methods, but indicates the potential need for spatially explicit models for managing fish populations on a large spatial scale.     

Biological data from sharks landed within the United Arab Emirates artisanal fishery

Landing site and market surveys of sharks landed along the Arabian Gulf coast of the United Arab Emirates were undertaken between October 2010 and September 2012 to obtain biological data from this artisanal fishery. Data were collected on the size and sex of 12 482 individuals representing 30 species. Maximum sizes of Carcharhinus sorrah, C. amblyrhynchoides and Hemipristis elongata were extended by at least 300?mm total length (TL) compared with published global maxima. The size at 50% maturity was determined for males of five species and this indicated that the males of smaller shark species (<1 000 mm maximum TL) in the fishery were largely mature. For many species, including Loxodon macrorhinus and Mustelus mosis, overall sex ratios were male-biased, indicating that sexual segregation is likely in those species. Furthermore, sex ratios for several species, such as Rhizoprionodon acutus, showed differences across seasons. Overall, the landings contained a high proportion of juveniles, causing concerns about the sustainability of this fishery. Biological parameters of a number of species differed from those recorded earlier for the region, demonstrating a need for additional local data collection to support the development of management measures.     

徐家围子断陷构造地质特征研究新进展

在徐家围子断陷深层连片三维地震精细解释的基础上,结合前人的研究成果,系统的刻画了深大断裂的性质、产状和时空分布规律。从区域构造应力场着手,详细剖析了徐家围子断陷的构造地质特征,重新构建了深大断裂体系。依据剖面特征和断陷的地质结构,首次在徐家围子断陷内解释出两条深大走滑断裂带,发现深大走滑断裂控制了营城组火山岩的形成和分布。明确了徐家围子断陷"两凹夹一隆、东西分带、南北分块"构造格局的动态演化过程及其控制因素。详细剖析了断陷期地层的沉积发育过程、后期改造过程以及现今赋存特征。为庆深气田火山岩储层分布规律预测奠定了基础。