Halosaurus pectoralis McCulloch (Pisces: Halosauridae) in the New Zealand region (note)

Halosaurus pectoralis McCulloch is recorded from off Gisborne, New Zealand, and from south‐east of Lord Howe Island, thus adding a second species of the order Heteromi to the New Zealand fauna.     

Four new species of the lanternfish genus Diaphus (Myctophidae) from the Indo‐Pacific

Four new species of the genus Diaphus are described. Three of these are in the subgeneric group with a suborbital luminous organ and are members of the D. fulgens species group with a raised AOa₁ photophore. D. impostor sp. nov. from the Indo‐West Pacific is most similar to D. aliciae, differing in lower gill raker count and smaller size. D. wisneri sp. nov. from north of Hawaii and south Pacific lacks a luminous scale at the PLO and has a lower gill raker count than similar species. D. kora sp. nov. from north‐east of New Zealand has a large luminous scale at the PLO, and a longer Vn and lower gill raker counts than similar species. D. kapalae sp. nov. from the south‐western Pacific is most similar to D. splendidus and D. antonbruuni, from which it differs by the presence of an Ant, higher gill raker counts, and position of the VLO photophore.     

Status of the major lobster fisheries in India

Commercial exploitation of lobsters from the Indian seas began in the 1950s. Annual landings have been declining from a peak of 4075 t in 1985 to 1364 t in 2002. Major fisheries were located on the north‐west, south‐west, and south‐east coasts. Among the 12 species recorded, only four species of spiny lobsters (three littoral and one deep sea) and one species of slipper lobster are commercially important. At Kayalpattinam and Tharuvaikulam, on the south‐east coast, lobster landings sharply declined for the gill‐net fishery. Of the two species that contributed to the fishery, Panulirus ornatus and Panulirus homarus, the latter has been more affected owing to high vulnerability to fishing activities. Catch composition analysis of the trammel‐net fishery showed that 35% of the landings consisted of P. homarus in the size range of 23–50 mm carapace length. On the north‐west coast, the spiny lobster Panulirus polyphagus and the slipper lobster Thenus orientalis are incidentally caught in trawl nets. However, the fishery for T. orientalis in the waters off Mumbai lasted only up to 1994. Large‐scale exploitation of spawning females, which formed 60% of the total catch, might have been detrimental to the recruitment process resulting in rapid decline and total collapse of the fishery. Abundance of P. polyphagus reached its maximum during September, constituting 23% of the average annual landing during 1988–2002. A high exploitation ratio (>0.7) indicated over‐fishing of the stock. Repeated spawning and high annual egg production are probably responsible for sustaining the stock, despite over‐exploitation. Major problems confronting the resource management of the multi‐gear and multi‐species lobster fisheries in India are discussed. An operational project, involving fisher community, has been taken up for creating awareness of the need for sustainable exploitation of the resource. Regulatory measures, such as closure of the fishery during the peak of the breeding season, ban on trammel‐net, mandatory release of egg‐bearing lobsters, and establishment of lobster sanctuaries are suggested to the State Governments for implementation.     

The distribution of spiny lobsters in New Zealand waters (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palinuridae)

Two species of spiny lobsters (marine crayfish) inhabit New Zealand waters: Jasus edwardsii (Hutton, 1875), and J verreauxi (H. Milne Edwards, 1851). J edwardsii, the more common species, is present along most rocky coastlines in New Zealand, but is more abundant in the south‐west of the South Island and at the Chatham Islands. The species apparently reaches its northern limit of distribution at the Three Kings Islands (34°S) and its southern limit at the Auckland Islands (51°S).

J. verreauxi, the less common species, is almost solely restricted in New Zealand waters to the north‐east coast of the North Island. It is uncommon in the west and the south of the North Island, and is rare in the South Island. J. verreauxi apparently reaches its northern limit of distribution at the Kermadec Islands (31°S), and its southern limit near Bluff (47°S) in the South Island.     

Distribution of Delphinidae (Cetacea) in relation to sea surface temperatures off Eastern and Southern New Zealand

Records of four species of Delphinidae, Delphinus delphis, Lissodelphis peroni, Lagenorhynchus obscurus, and Lagenorhynchus cruciger in waters to the east and south‐east of New Zealand are discussed in relation to surface temperatures.

In this region D. delphis appears to be largely confined north of the Subtropical Convergence and a minimum surface temperature of about 14°c, and near New Zealand from Hawke Bay southward in the warm water of the East Cape Current; L. peroni to the Subtropical Convergence and the subantarctic water to the south of it, between surface temperatures of 9°c and 16°c; L. obscurus to the immediate vicinity of the Subtropical Convergence and surface temperatures in summer of about 14° to 15°c, and L. cruciger across the Antarctic Convergence region, in a surface temperature range of 2° to 9°c.     

Genealogical concordance,comparative species delimitation,and the specific status of the Caspian pipefish Syngnathus caspius (Teleostei: Syngnathidae)

To evaluate the specific validity of the Caspian pipefish Syngnathus caspius, we used a comparative molecular species delimitation method on a COI barcode library of Syngnathus, as well as principles of genealogical concordance. Comparative species delimitation allowed us to delineate putative species without a priori assignment of individuals to nominal species, while genealogical concordance extended our species delimitation results to multiple genes, multiple codistributed species, and comparisons with biogeographic evidence. All species delimitation analyses including two topology‐based, one network‐based, and one distance‐based analysis showed genetically isolated lineages of pipefish in the Black and Caspian Sea, corresponding to S. abaster and S. caspius, respectively. Mean evolutionary divergence between the two lineages (0.029) was within the range separating species of Syngnathus (0.024–0.217). The interclade/intraclade ratio of variation was comparable to the operational criterion of divergence between clades greater or equal to 10 × the level within clades to recognize separate species. Our argument on taxonomic validity of S. caspius is also supported by the principles of genealogical concordance as a conceptual basis for recognition of biological species. As a second objective, using a limited number of S. caspius specimens from two semi‐confined water bodies along the Caspian Sea south coastal zone (i.e., Anzali Wetland in the west and Gorgan Bay in the east), we searched for a possible matrilineal structure. The retrieved phylogeographic pattern was characterized by a shallow genealogy and lineage distributions varied, most probably caused by low to modest contemporary gene flow between populations of S. caspius across the southern Caspian Sea that are linked tightly through history.     

Abyssal scavenging demersal fauna at two areas of contrasting productivity on the Subantarctic Crozet Plateau,southern Indian Ocean

The Crozet Plateau is situated below typical high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll (HNLC) waters of the southern Indian Ocean. The area to the east of the Crozet Islands experiences high levels of surface productivity during the austral summer due to natural iron enrichment from terrestrial sources and favourable light conditions. The demersal scavenging fauna at two areas of contrasting productivity, to the east and south of the islands, were investigated using two landers equipped with baited cameras and traps. Five species of scavenging fish were observed along with five groups of invertebrates during a single deployment of the RObust BIOdiversity (ROBIO) lander. Further deployments of the Fish RESPirometry (FRESP) video lander yielded no additional scavenging fish species. A modelled arrival and departure curve for the abyssal grenadier Coryphaenoides armatus suggests a region of low food availability compared to other regions worldwide. The ROBIO-derived abundance estimate for C. armatus of 187 ind. km^–2 is comparable with published trawl-derived estimates. Significantly more amphipods were collected to the south of the islands, which was subject to lower organic matter supply. Reasons for this are unknown but may be due to differing current direction/velocities, or increased fish predation at the enriched site. The numerically dominant amphipod species present was Paralicella caperesca, followed by Eurythenes gryllus and Orchomenella gerulicorbis. A further five species were observed in low numbers, some occurring only once. One, Paracallisoma sp. nov, was a new species.     

New and little‐known arietellidae (Copepoda: Calanoida) mainly from the south‐west pacific

Three species of Arietellidae are described from the south‐west Pacific: a new species of Paraugaptilus, a species which can not be separated from P. buchani, and Arietellus aculeatus. The identity of A. aculeatus is clarified by comparison of type material and material from the U.S. National Museum of Natural History, and an unidentified Atlantic species of Arietellus, evident from the comparison, is described.     

Distribution of Scyllarid Phyllosoma Larvae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Scyllaridae) in the Kuroshio Subgyre

Using ichthyoplankton samples collected in the Kuroshio Subgyre during early summer cruises, we examined spatial distributions of scyllarid phyllosoma larvae in the Subgyre, particularly of the genus Scyllarus. The present study has two objectives: (1) to reveal species composition of Scyllarus phyllosoma larvae in the Kuroshio Subgyre, and (2) to examine larval recruitment of Scyllarus species as contrasted with that of Panulirus, particularly P. japonicus, the larval recruitment of which has been examined in detail. A total of 218 phyllosoma larvae collected in the present study belonged to two families (Palinuridae and Scyllaridae) representing 5 genera and 11 species. Phyllosoma larvae of two Scyllarus species (S. cultrifer and Scyllarus sp. c) were abundant among the collected larvae, and were found mainly in the following three regions located within the Kuroshio-Counter Current region south of Kuroshio Current: the water east of Okinawa Is., the water far east of Okinawa Is. (or far south of Shikoku Is.), and the water around Hachijojima Is. Larvae of each of the above two Scyllarus species collected in the three regions may belong to different populations: larvae collected in the water around Hachijojima Is. may come from their benthic populations along the Pacific coast of Honshu and Shikoku Is., central Japan, while larvae collected in the other two regions may come from their benthic populations of the Ryukyu Archipelago and Taiwan. Judging from their shorter larval period and current systems within the Kuroshio Subgyre, these Scyllarus larvae may be destined for death. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Some littoral harpacticoid copepods,including five new species,from Wellington,New Zealand

Seven species of littoral harpacticoid copepods are recorded from the Wellington coast of central New Zealand. Amongst these are five new species, one in each of the genera Scutellidium, Eupelte, Amphiascus and two in Porcellidium. Amphiascopsis cinctus (Claus, 1866) and A. south‐georgiensis (Lang, 1936) are recorded and figured.     

Distribution of shipworms (Bivalvia: Teredinidae) in the New Zealand region

Bankia neztalia was found in temperate waters around New Zealand, mainly south of New Plymouth and Tauranga. Bankia australis was found in warm‐temperate waters north of Nelson; it requires water temperatures above 19–20°c for successful breeding and is euryhaline. Lyrodus pedicellatus also occurred in warm‐temperate waters north of Nelson and had a lower water temperature limit for survival of about 10 °c. Lyrodus medilobatus occurred in warm‐temperate waters on the north‐east coast of the North Island north of Tauranga. Nototeredo edax is uncommon and occurred over the same range as B. australis.

The presence of shipworms in wood collected from depths of greater than 50 m around New Zealand is reported. Teredora princesae is recorded from driftwood around New Zealand.     

Spawning and fecundity of two flounder species in the Hauraki gulf,New Zealand

Spawning grounds and spawning times of the sand flounder, Rhombosolea plebeia (Richardson), and the yellow‐belly flounder, Rhombosolea leporina Gunther, in the Hauraki Gulf are described. The occurrence of female fish at different stages of ovarian development at different stations during the year, the distribution of eggs in the plankton, and changes in ovary weight during the year were used as indicators of spawning grounds and spawning times.

The sand flounder was found to spawn in the waters to the east of Waiheke and Ponui Islands, at the northern end of the Firth of Thames, from June to November.

Yellow‐belly flounders spawned during September, October, and November, slightly to the south of the sand flounder spawning grounds in a belt extending from Tapu, on the eastern side of the Firth of Thames, north‐westwards towards Ponui Island.

Fecundity of both species was approximately proportional to the weight of the fish, or to the length cubed, and less than proportional to the ovary weight. The mean fecundity of sand flounders in the Hauraki Gulf varied from approximately 100,000 eggs in a fish of 18 cm to 500,000 in a 30 cm fish. That of yellow‐belly flounders varied from approximately 250,000 eggs in a fish of 30 cm to 1.25 million in a 45 cm fish.     

Spatial and temporal distribution patterns of deep‐sea mesozooplankton in the eastern Mediterranean – indications of a climatically induced shift?

Zooplankton samples from the eastern Mediterranean were collected in April/May 1999 with a multiple opening and closing net (mesh size 333 μm) to examine the distribution and taxonomic composition of mesozooplankton, mainly Calanoida (Copepoda), some years after the onset of the Eastern Mediterranean Transient (EMT), a climatically induced shift in hydrography. The samples from seven stations on a transect from the Ionian Sea to the eastern part of the Levantine Basin were collected at closely spaced vertical intervals from the surface to water depths of 4250 m. Data from January 1987, June 1993, January 1998 and October 2001 from the main site of investigation, south of Crete, were used to describe the temporal evolution before (1987), during (1993) and after (1998–2001) the EMT. The eastern Mediterranean mesozooplankton fauna is dominated by three Calanoida species along the west–east transect, with varying abundances in different depth‐zones: Haloptilus longicornis in the epipelagic zone, Eucalanus monachus in the mesopelagic zone, and Lucicutia longiserrata in the bathypelagic zone. A drastic change in mesozooplankton composition and abundance occurred at the main site during the EMT, whereupon increased abundances of Candacia elongata and L. longiserrata were observed in the bathypelagic zone in the following years; L. longiserrata accounted for 43% of the total mesozooplankton in this zone. The hypothesis is posed that the Mediterranean deep‐sea ecosystem is able to respond quickly to changes in the environment and memorizes these changes over time. We claim that the biological effects of climatically induced changes can be easily monitored in the deep eastern Mediterranean Sea using calanoid copepod key species due to the hydrographically extreme, but ‘simply structured’ ecosystem.     

Grain size parameters and sedimentary structures of a last Interglacial marine sand body,near Westport,New Zealand

Summary

Reids Rise is a remnant of a marine sand body that accumulated in the inner neritic zone of the continental shelf south‐west of Westport during the Last Interglacial. The sand body is notable for its spectacular sedimentary structures and consists of an upper unit that is characterised by trough cross‐lamination, locally forming mesoscopic ridges, and a lower unit that is characterised by horizontal lamination. The sand body is underlain by gravels of probable alluvial origin.

The trough cross‐laminated sets of the upper unit dip off near‐symmetrical ridges that probably formed as subaqueous bars. The dip azimuths of the cross‐laminae have a polymodal distribution with two bimodal maxima, one almost perpendicular to, and the second roughly parallel to the shoreline formed during the Last Interglacial. Magnitude of dip varies from horizontal to over 40°.

The sediment is clean, fine sand composed predominantly of angular grains. Sample to sample variation in grain size statistical parameters is small. The most notable feature is the extremely good sorting of the sand. Inclusive graphic standard deviation values range over 0.17–0.24? with 0.20? the modal value.

The mineralogy of the sand points to two main source areas, the Alpine metamorphic rocks to the south and south‐east, and the plutonic rocks of the Paparoa Range immediately east and south‐east of the study area.

The stratigraphic sequence is interpreted as being the product of deposition in a high energy, wave‐, tidal‐current‐, and longshore‐current‐dominated shallow neritic zone on an open coast during a transgressive cycle.     

Genetic and meristic variation in black and smooth oreos in the New Zealand exclusive economic zone

Meristic and genetic methods were used to determine the stock relationships of black Allocytus niger (James, Inada & Nakamura, 1988) and smooth oreo Pseudocyttus maculatus (Gilchrist, 1906) in the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Samples were collected from four management areas—OEO 1 (south‐west), OEO 3A (Chatham Rise west), OEO 4 (Chatham Rise east), and OEO 6 (subantarctic) during the 1998 October‐December spawning period. Lateral line scale counts and pyloric caeca counts revealed differences between black oreo samples from OEO 6 and the other three OEO management areas. Lateral line scale counts in smooth oreo showed no significant differences between areas. Genetic analyses of four non‐coding regions of nuclear DNA and mitochondrial (mt) DNA haplotypes in black oreo showed no significant differentiation among the four management areas. Likewise for smooth oreo, genetic analyses of five non‐coding regions of nuclear DNA and mtDNA haplotypes showed no overall regional differentiation, although there was weak evidence at one locus for a difference between OEO 3A and OEO 6. The data do not reject the null hypothesis of a single genetic stock in New Zealand waters, and are typical of marine species with long pelagic juvenile stages.     

Survey of historical New Zealand shellfish samples for accumulation of gymnodimine

In 1994 a major biotoxin event occurred along the east coast of the South Island, New Zealand. Gymnodimine, a unique bioactive spiroimine, was isolated and characterised from Foveaux Strait dredge oysters (Tiostrea chilensis = Ostrea chilensis) collected during this outbreak. This study reports the results of liquid chromatographic‐mass spectrometric analysis for gymnodimine in 217 samples from eight species of shellfish over the years 1993–99. Of these samples 155, covering six species of shellfish, contained detectable gymnodimine with a range in concentration from 14.8 to 23 400 μg/kg. Gymnodimine‐containing shellfish occurred at 37 of the 63 sites sampled from around New Zealand. This study demonstrates that accumulation of gymnodimine is not limited to T. chilensis and can occur in other shellfish species over much of New Zealand. Gymnodimine is a possible cause of the numerous historical biotoxin screen‐positive results.     

Juvenile slender tuna from New Zealand (note)

Two juvenile slender tuna Allothunnus fallai Serventy, 278 mm and 282 mm fork length, were identified from a catch by a purse seiner 23 km off the Moko Hinau Islands, New Zealand, on 23 January 1974. As the slender tuna were observed to school in association with skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis L., it is probable that adults also school, and could be available as a yet unexploited resource to New Zealand fishermen, especially to the south‐east of New Zealand.     

Size‐Frequency Distributions of Miocene Micromorphic Brachiopods: Interpretation Tool for Population Dynamics

Abstract. The population dynamics of the fossil micromorphic brachiopods from shallow‐water Miocene deposits (calcareous clays to hard bottom of reef cavities) of the Roztocze Hills, south‐eastern Poland were studied by means of size‐frequency distributions. The following four species, which all also occur in the Recent Mediterranean, were used for the study: Megathiris detruncata (Gmelin), Argyrotheca cuneata (Risso), A. cordata (Risso) and Megerlia truncata (Linnaeus).
The size‐frequency distributions for 28 assemblages studied here vary widely, even within a single species, from right‐skewed, through bell‐shaped to polymodal; no left‐skewed distribution was noted.
The size‐frequency distributions with a large peak in the smaller size classes represent mostly assemblages collected from marly deposits. Those assemblages may be interpreted as inhabiting soft bottoms where small brachiopods are more vulnerable to burial by sediment and/or clogging effects on the lophophore apparatus.
The assemblages collected from the reef cavities produced bell‐shaped size‐frequency distributions or distributions with a relatively high percent of larger individuals. This is because the protected hard bottom cryptic habitats are characterised by lower juvenile mortality and enable the brachiopods to reach a larger size.
These results suggest that environmental factors play a crucial role in shaping brachiopod population structures, and that empty shells can be used to study population dynamics as well in Recent environments.     

Adaptation to metal toxicity: a comparison of hydrothermal vent and coastal shrimps

Rainbow vent field is one of the most metal‐contaminated hydrothermal sites on the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge near the Azores region. Two hydrothermal shrimp species dominate the fauna at the Rainbow site along with the mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus. Although the levels of essential and non‐essential metals in these shrimps have been studied, the biological consequences of a metal‐rich environment are still largely unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the levels of metal‐binding proteins – metallothioneins (MT) and the activities of antioxidant enzymes – superoxide dismutase, catalase, total glutathione peroxidase and selenium‐dependent glutathione peroxidase in two hydrothermal vent shrimps (Mirocaris fortunata and Rimicaris exoculata) collected from the Rainbow site and to compare them with two coastal shrimps (Palaemon elegans and Palaemonetes varians) from a south Portugal lagoon (Ria Formosa) to evaluate their different adaptation strategies towards metals in their environment. Results show significant differences in MT levels and antioxidant enzymatic activities between vent and coastal shrimps and also between shrimp species collected from the same site. This suggests that biochemical responses in both vent and coastal shrimps are affected not only by the environmental characteristics but also by inter‐specific differences. Nevertheless, these responses apparently confer successful adaptation for survival in a metal‐extreme environment.