The use of molluscs for monitoring trace elements in the marine environment in New Zealand 1. The contribution of ingested sediment to the trace element concentrations in New Zealand molluscs

Reference elements, such as silicon, were used to calculate the effect of sediment in the gut contents of molluscs on the estimation of the total body burden of trace elements. A significant proportion of the aluminium, iron, manganese, and lead are contributed by the sediment in the gut of many New Zealand mollusc species. Local mineralisation is likely to produce an important contribution for elements such as chromium, vanadium, and nickel in some areas of New Zealand and the ingested sediment in molluscs from “clean” environments will result in the real body burden of some elements such as lead being naturally lower than the available data suggests.     

Vertical concentration gradients of heavy metals in cultured mussels

Cultured mussels, Perna canaliculus (Gmelin), from two widely separated locations in New Zealand have been analysed for variation in heavy metal content with depth. The mussels, which are grown on vertically suspended ropes to a depth of 9 m, have been analysed for cadmium, lead, iron, and zinc at 1‐m intervals. At the first location (Kenepuru Sound), cadmium, lead, and iron increased with depth, while zinc decreased with depth. At the second location (Waiheke Island), concentrations of the four metals all remained essentially constant with depth. The differences in vertical concentration gradients between these two locations must result from differences in mixing of the water column. The differences in mixing may cause variations in the type of food organisms with depth, or variations in the ratio of particulate v. dissolved metal levels with depth. Either or both of these conditions could result in differences in the bioavailability of these metals with depth.     

Three sipunculan species (two new) from New Zealand

Two new species of Sipuncula arc described from New Zealand; Phascolion temporariae from, the empty tubes of the polychaete Temporaria inexpectata (Mestayeri), and Phascolion tortum from the shells of four species of molluscs. Specimens of Golfingia improvisa (Theel) are also reported from the empty frustules of the foraminiferan Ammodiscoides mestayeri (Cushman) and the sandy tubes of the foraminifera Rhizammina sp. All the species were dredged at depths of 370–660 m from Taiaroa and Papanui Canyons, off the Otago Peninsula, New Zealand. The body cavity of several specimens of G. improvisa contained the larval stage of a nematode.     

Trematode parasites of Otago Harbour (New Zealand) soft‐sediment intertidal ecosystems: Life cycles,ecological roles and DNA barcodes

Parasites, in particular trematodes (Platyhelminthes: Digenea), play major roles in the population dynamics and community structure of invertebrates on soft‐sediment mudflats. Here, we provide a list of the 20 trematode species currently known to infect molluscs, crustaceans and polychaetes from Otago Harbour (New Zealand) soft‐sediment intertidal areas, as well as information on their transmission modes, life cycles, andknown ecological impacts. Several of the host‐parasite species combinations recorded here are reported for the first time. We also provide DNA barcodes, based on sequences of the cytochrome oxidase subunit l (CO1) gene, for 19 of the 20 trematode species, to facilitate future identification of these parasites in marine ecological studies.     

From Vagrant to Resident: occurrence,residency and births of leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) in New Zealand waters

ABSTRACT

In contrast to previous reports that leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) are rare vagrants to New Zealand, we show that this species is a regular member of the marine fauna of this region. We present a first analysis from the New Zealand Leopard Seal Database – an extensive collation of 2,711 records of leopard seals within New Zealand between 1200 and 2018. Of these records, 51.2% (n?=?1,408) were photographic. Leopard seal sightings have increased over time and been reported in all seasons and regions of New Zealand. Sightings are predominantly of adult individuals of good or excellent body condition, which differs to previous hypotheses suggesting that leopard seals visiting New Zealand shores are primarily juvenile animals in poor health condition. A total of 176 unique individuals have been identified in the New Zealand Leopard Seal Catalogue between 2014 and 2018 and preliminary results indicate that numbers per annum have continued to increase over time. Three leopard seal births and a number of juvenile animals (34% of the NZ records) have been documented. Considering the information presented here and the current definitions in the New Zealand Threat Classification System, the threat status of leopard seals within New Zealand waters should be reclassified from Vagrant to Resident.     

Aerial radiometry of sea surface temperatures on the east coast,North Island,New Zealand

The results of two airborne radiometer surveys of sea surface temperatures carried out east of New Zealand on 11 March and 28 April 1969 are presented, discussed in terms of the known oceanic circulation in the region, and compared with the pattern of sea surface temperature derived from a shipboard survey east of New Zealand, 1–14 March 1969. Short‐term temperature variations may be almost as large as the extreme annual range of sea surface temperatures.     

Mercury levels in New Zealand snapper Chrysophrys auratus

The New Zealand snapper Chrysophrys auratus is the object of a major fishery and contributes approximately 30% of the annual landed weight of fin‐fish. Samples of 65 fish from 7 localities on the New Zealand coast were analysed for mercury. Though there is an increase in mercury concentration with size of fish, the larger, older individuals with relatively high mercury levels contribute only a small proportion to the landed catch. Therefore, in establishing the average concentration of mercury in fish, due weight should be accorded to the differences in size composition of the catch. On this basis the average levels of mercury in snapper offered for human consumption are of the order of 0.25 ppm. As this is only half the “permissible safe level” of most other countries where fish consumption is much higher, the risk to the New Zealand consumer is negligible.     

Baseflow water chemistry in New Zealand rivers 1. Characterisation

In late summer to autumn 1987, 96 rivers throughout New Zealand were sampled in baseflow (< median flow) conditions, usually on three separate occasions. A wide range of water quality determinands were analysed to characterise water quality comprehensively at lower than median flows. River waters in New Zealand range widely in composition, particularly plant nutrients, but tend to be more dilute than world average freshwater (WAFW) because run‐off (specific yield) of water is generally high. Sodium and calcium are the most important cations in New Zealand rivers which can be described as “calcium‐sodium bicarbonate waters”, whereas WAFW is calcium bicarbonate water. Almost all river sites met existing guidelines and standards for drinking water, ecological protection, and freshwater fisheries.     

Mollusca from a recent coral community in Palliser bay,cook strait

From a trawling at 448–512 m in Palliser Bay, Cook Strait, New Zealand, molluscs associated with. Tertiary siltstone concretions and with a large colony of Goniocorella dumosa (Alcock) are listed. A juvenile Acesta, extremely tall and extremely broad forms of Emarginula striatula Quoy & Gaimard, and the animals of Stilifer neozelanica Dell and of Waipaoa marwicki Dell are described. Sculptifer, a new genus provisionally included in the Fossaridae, is proposed for Stilifer neozelanica. New species of Danilia and Pholadidea are described and their relationships discussed. Emarginula lophelia Beu, 1967 is synonymized with E. striatula Quoy & Gaimard, 1834, and the recent New Zealand forms of Emarginula are reviewed.     

El Niño and decadal effects on sea‐level variability in northern New Zealand: A wavelet analysis

Sea‐level data from two sites in northern New Zealand, along with the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), are analysed for interannual and decadal variability using wavelets. The analysis shows, using statistically significant wavelet power, there is a significant relationship between mean sea level (MSL) and SOI. However, the relationship is highly variable, both in magnitude and in the range of time‐scales over which it occurs. This non‐stationarity necessitates the use of techniques such as wavelets for analysis. An interdecadal response in MSL around northern New Zealand has been isolated, with shifts occurring in 1950 and the late 1970s. This behaviour in MSL appears to coincide with shifts in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, thought previously to be largely centred in the North Pacific. A strong correlation between SOI and sea surface temperature (SST) is also demonstrated. This relationship appears to be stable in magnitude (a large change in SOI produces a large change in SST) and to occur over the same range of time‐scales. More SST and MSL data are required for other parts of New Zealand to determine whether these findings apply elsewhere.     

Comparison and history of Polydora websteri and P. haswelli (Polychaeta: Spionidae) as mud-blister worms in New Zealand shellfish

Shells of commercially valued bivalves in New Zealand, Crassostrea gigas, Perna canaliculus and Pecten novaezelandiae, are damaged by blister-causing Polydora polychaete species known to be close in morphology to the widely recorded oyster pest Polydora websteri Hartman. Recent New Zealand occurrences are here confirmed to relate to two species, P. websteri, and a second similar species, Polydora haswelli Blake & Kudenov, a new record for New Zealand, previously known only from Australia; the two species are described and compared. The worms have limited distributions, with P. websteri confirmed only for Pacific oysters (C. gigas) in northern New Zealand, although prior reports indicate it may also occur on scallops and have reached the northern South Island. Polydora haswelli has been found only in northern New Zealand, occurring on subtidal mussels and scallops and native oysters (Perna canaliculus, Pecten novaezelandiae, Ostrea chilensis), as well as co-existing with intertidal P. websteri on Pacific oysters. The worms are not present in Foveaux Strait O. chilensis beds, a major source of past oyster exports to Australia. The history of mud-blister worm outbreaks in Australasia is examined. While trans-Tasman exports of live oysters from New Zealand were commonplace during the nineteenth century, there is no evidence that mud-blister worms were present in New Zealand then. The earliest reports only date from the early 1970s and only from northern New Zealand, whereas a century earlier in the 1870s at least one of these pest worms had become widespread along eastern Australian coasts.     

Population and food of the pufferfish Uranostoma richei (Plectognathi: Lagocephalidae) from Lyttelton Harbour

By relating catches to area trawled, the population of Uranostoma richei (Freminville, 1813) in 1969–70 in Lyttelton Harbour, South Island, New Zealand, was estimated at 120 000–900 000.

Analysis of 1 5S8 stomachs showed that Uranostoma fed on 58 species from 7 phyla. Arthropods constituted three‐quarters of the food, with the crab Macro‐phthalmus hirtipes contributing over 60%. The remaining food items included polychaetes, brachiopods, chordates, coelenterates, echinoderms, molluscs, debris, and digested matter. Analysis of a further 10 465 stomachs showed that feeding intensity was highest in summer.     

Does one size fit all? An evaluation of length–weight relationships for New Zealand's freshwater fish species

Length–weight relationships are a fundamental tool for assessing populations and communities in fisheries science. Many researchers have collected length–weight data throughout New Zealand, yet parameters describing these relationships remain unpublished for many species of freshwater fish. We compiled 285,124 fish records from researchers and institutions across New Zealand to parameterise length–weight equations, using both power and quadratic models, for 53 freshwater species belonging to 13 families. The influence of location and sex on length–weight relationships was also assessed. Location, in particular, generated different length–weight relationships for 65% of the species examined. Length–weight equations were validated by comparing predicted weights against independently measured weights from 25 electrofished sites across New Zealand and the equations were highly accurate (R²>0.99). Recommendations are made about how to robustly apply this new resource which should assist freshwater fisheries researchers throughout New Zealand.     

Assemblage structure,spatial patterns,recruitment, and post‐settlement mortality of subtidal bivalve molluscs in a large harbour in north‐eastern New Zealand

Infaunal bivalve molluscs on the flood tidal delta of Tauranga Harbour, north‐eastern New Zealand, were surveyed twice over a 6‐month period, with the aim of assessing shellfish resources, assessing the magnitudes of temporal and spatial variability in abundances, and identifying potentially important processes. The surveys identified a total of 31 bivalve taxa from 27 sites. Species richness per site ranged between 0 and 9, and varied greatly in space and time, as did two other measures of diversity. Extremely high densities of bivalves (>20 000 m^‐2) were encountered at several sites. Densities of several abundant species varied greatly in time, as a result of recruitment pulses. The abundances of the three species that dominated the fauna (Paphies australis, Tawera spissa, and Ruditapes largillierti) had characteristic spatial scales on the order of 200 m. Comparisons of size frequency distributions for individual sites suggested that mortality or emigration in the first year of benthic life was high. Substantial populations of bivalves occur on Centre Bank, and the most abundant of these are greatly influenced by events early in their lives.     

Marine environments of economic mineral deposition around New Zealand: A review

Concentrations of minerals on the sea floor around New Zealand occur in a manner which makes them economically significant as future mineral resources.

Three major environments of interest are beaches, the continental shelf, and the adjacent deep‐sea floor. New Zealand's west coast beaches are well known as mineral resources containing large quantities of iron and titanium ores. Similar concentrations representing fossil beaches are also known from the continental shelf. The deep‐sea floor adjacent to the continental shelf is formed around New Zealand by the New Zealand Plateau, an extensive submarine platform in 500–1,500 m. Terrigenous sedimentation is negligible in this environment where, as a result, pure calcareous oozes are common. Vigorous bottom currents and suitable reducing micro‐environments encourage glauconite formation. In the past, possibly from warmer waters of the early and mid Tertiary, phosphates were precipitated from seawater to form phosphorite nodules, a potential resource of phosphates. During late Tertiary or Quaternary, volcanicity at the Antipodes Islands and on the Macquarie Ridge resulted in the formation of manganese deposits. Manganese minerals also occur in bulk on the floor of the Southwestern Pacific Basin away from the New Zealand Plateau.

The origin, bulk, and significance of these deposits are discussed.     

厦门港岩石岸潮间带软体动物的生态

本文根据１９８２年２月至１９８３年２月在厦门港岩石岩潮间带采集的软体动物，论述了其种类组成，数量分布，生活型及影响软件动物分布的主要环境因子，厦门港岩石岸潮间带共发现软动物５４种。其中，多板类６种，腹足类３３种，双壳类１５种，优势种有僧帽牡蛎，黑荞麦蛤，复瓦小蛇螺，粗糙滨螺等。与６０年代初调查结果比较得出，厦门港岩石岸潮间带的软体动物群落是相对稳定的，潮汐是决定河口结果比较得出，厦门港岩石岩潮间带     

Food of snapper in western Bay of Plenty,New Zealand

Feeding was examined in 772 snapper, Chrysophrys auratus (Bloch and Schneider), from the western Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Occurrence, points (bulk), and numbers methods of food analysis were used in the study. Diet was extremely varied, and, by all methods of food analysis, crustaceans, polychaetes, echinoderms, molluscs, and teleosts formed the main snapper food groups, with crustaceans being the most important. Size of snapper, depth, sampling area, and time of day affected the occurrence, volume, and numbers of food items, while sex did not.

Seasonal feeding patterns on most species/categories of food varied locally within each sampling area, and there were no uniform seasonal feeding patterns for any food/category in the four sampling areas examined.     

Observations of temperatures in some Rotorua district lakes

A preliminary study has been made of temperatures in some of the lakes of the Rotorua district, in the North Island of New Zealand. Seasonal and diurnal variations are discussed. Two main thermal structure types are present. One, in which stratification is irregular or absent, is present in lakes that are relatively shallow and large in area, and the other, in which there is thermal Stratification from early summer to early winter, is present in lakes that are comparatively deep and large in area or else of medium depth and size.     

Differences in seasonal variations in the patterns of diurnal earthquake periodicity in the southern and northern hemispheres

Seasonal variations in the form of diurnal periodicity are compared in three regions of the world, two of which (Alaska and Japan) are located in the Northern Hemisphere and one (New Zealand) is in the Southern Hemisphere. It is found that, in the Northern Hemisphere, the duration of the night interval of an increased number of earthquakes in December is greater than in June, while in the Southern Hemisphere it is smaller. The intra-annual character of variations in the form of diurnal earthquake periodicity agrees with the seasonal variations in the length of the day.