Ingestion of placenta in Hooker's Sea Lion (note)

The partial ingestion of the placenta by a newly parturient Hooker's sea lion, Phocarctos hookeri (Gray, 1844) (Pinnipedia: Otariidae), was seen on Enderby Island, Auckland Islands, in December 1972. This atypical behaviour may have resulted from the misdirection towards the placenta of pup protection activity.     

红鳍笛鲷(Lutjanus erythopterus)胚胎发育的形态学研究

通过显微直接观察法对红鳍笛鲷胚胎发生的形态学进行了研究,以期为红鳍笛鲷人工繁殖、育苗提供参考资料。红鳍笛鲷胚胎的形态发生过程可分为受精卵、卵裂、囊胚、原肠胚、神经胚、器官形成等6个阶段,24个时期。红鳍笛鲷受精卵为浮性卵,透明而呈圆球形,内有一大油球,在水温28℃、海水盐度32.2的条件下,受精后15 min原生质隆起形成胚盘;受精后30 min进行第1次卵裂,为盘状卵裂;受精后3 h,胚胎进入高囊胚期;受精后6 h 27 min,胚胎发育至原肠期;受精后9 h 36 min形成神经板,继而神经板前端分化出前脑泡、中脑泡和后脑泡;脑泡分化后,视囊、听囊、晶状体等相继形成;受精后15 h 32 min尾芽形成;受精后约20 h,仔鱼出膜。其发育过程与黄鲷、金头鲷、点带石斑等其他海水鱼相似。     

Moina sp. (cladocera: Daphnidae) in a sewage plant,wellington (note)

An unidentified species of the genus Moina was found in a Pasveer sewage treatment plant at Glensiide, Wellington; it is described and illustrated. A survey of the literature shows that this is probably the first published record of the genus in New Zealand (M. lemnae, previously recorded, has since been tentatively referred to the genus Pseudomoina); sewage ponds in India and South Africa have yielded M. dubia.     

不同食物对紫红笛鲷幼鱼的生长和氮排泄的影响

以紫红笛鲷Lutjanusargentimaculatus幼鱼为研究对象,进行了摄食水平和食物种类对其生长和氮排泄影响的实验。结果表明,投喂鳗鱼饲料的紫红笛鲷幼鱼的特定生长率(SGR)为4.19%·d-1,投喂斑节对虾Penaeusmonodon肉和蓝圆Decapterusmaruadsi肉组的特定生长率分别为3.83%·d-1和3.90%·d-1;不同食物组的紫红笛鲷幼鱼的氮排泄率存在差异,以投喂鳗鱼饲料组的幼鱼最高,个体氮排泄率为4.080mg·尾-1·d-1,而投喂斑节对虾肉和蓝圆肉组的幼鱼个体氮排泄率分别为3.759和3.869mg·尾-1·d-1,摄取3种食物的紫红笛鲷幼鱼的氮排泄率(NE)和氮摄取率(NI)均为直线关系,直线方程分别为NE1=2.107+0.310NI1,NE2=1.749+0.316NI2,NE3=1.879+0.348NI3。     

The influence of habitat availability on juvenile fish abundance in a northeastern New Zealand estuary

Management of fish populations is often focused on the exploitation of adult fish. Maintaining the habitat requirements of all life stages may also be an important consideration. We investigated the value of structured habitat to juvenile fishes within a northeastern New Zealand harbour using artificial seagrass units (ASUs). Specifically, we deployed ASUs across treatments with high vs. low habitat manipulations. We hypothesised that if the abundance of recruiting juvenile fishes was greater on the high habitat availability treatments this would suggest that the availability of habitat was limiting juvenile fish abundance. Our analyses were focused on the four most abundant fishes that settled on our ASUs: snapper (Pagrus auratus); spotty (Notolabrus celidotus); trevally (Pseudocaranx dentex); and an assemblage of pipefish species. For snapper, spotty and pipefish, abundance was greater on the high habitat availability treatments. This result would be unlikely to occur if the availability of juvenile fishes was limiting, suggesting that juvenile fish abundance is more likely to be limited by habitat. In terms of spatial gradients, spotty abundance and size increased with distance into the harbour. The spatial gradient present for spotty indicates the importance of placing the habitat dependency of juvenile fish into a landscape context. Overall, these results demonstrate that maintaining structured habitats may be an important consideration for some valuable inshore fish populations in northeastern New Zealand.     

红鳍笛鲷(Lutjanus erythopterus)卵巢发育的组织学研究

本研究通过石蜡切片,苏木精-伊红染色对红鳍笛鲷(Lutjanus erythopterus)卵巢的发育进行了组织学研究,以期了解红鳍笛鲷的繁殖特性,为其人工繁殖和育苗提供参考资料。研究结果表明:红鳍笛鲷卵巢发育到生长成熟的过程,即卵巢从第1期发育到第4期,其生殖细胞可分为Ⅰ时相(卵原细胞),Ⅱ时相、Ⅲ时相、Ⅳ时相卵母细胞,在第2、3、4期卵巢中都发现有退化的卵母细胞形成的闭锁滤泡。4—6月龄卵巢分化完全,卵巢腔形成。卵原细胞从分散排列到成团排列在蓄卵板靠近卵巢腔一侧。8—25月龄的卵巢处于第2期,此时主要是Ⅱ时相的卵母细胞和卵原细胞,还有少数Ⅲ时相的卵母细胞。25月龄卵巢处于第3期,卵母细胞主要为Ⅲ时相和Ⅱ时相,也有少量的Ⅳ时相的卵母细胞,还有卵原细胞。2.5—3龄红鳍笛鲷卵巢可达4期,卵巢内多数为Ⅳ时相卵母细胞和Ⅲ时相卵母细胞,也有一定数量的Ⅱ时相卵母细胞和少数分散分布的卵原细胞。     

Assessment of a shell bank and associated substrates as nursery habitat of postsettlement red snapper

Trawl surveys were conducted in 2000 and 2001 to examine patterns of distribution and abundance of postsettlement red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) on a shell bank, Freeport Rocks Bathymetric High (FRBH), in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. In addition, otolith-based methods were used to determine age, hatch-date, growth and mortality of new recruits associated with FRBH. Date and region were significant factors affecting density of red snapper in 2000. Peak densities of red snapper were observed in July and August, and mean density among habitat types (shell bank, inshore mud, offshore mud) was similar (range: 50–52 ind hectare⁻¹) in 2000. Alternatively, a habitat effect was detected during a limited survey conducted in 2001, with density higher on the shell bank than inshore or offshore mud habitat. Postsettlement red snapper were first detected at approximately 16 mm standard length, and individuals less than 20 mm were present in all habitats. Estimated ages of red snapper ranged from 26 to 121 d, with new settlers (≤20 mm) typically less than 28 d. Predicted hatch dates ranged from early April to mid August with a single peak occurring from late May to early June. Growth rate for the April–May cohort (0.817 mm d⁻¹) was similar to the June–July cohort (0.830 mm d⁻¹). Habitat-specific differences in growth were observed, and rates were highest for individuals from the inshore habitat (0.881 mm d⁻¹). Mortality rates (Z) during the early post-settlement period were approximated using catch curves, and early life mortality of red snapper was 12.1% d⁻¹ (Z=0.129). While the difference in mortality between cohorts was negligible, a habitat-specific difference in mortality was observed. Mortality rate of red snapper inhabiting the inshore mud habitat (Z=0.045, 4.4% d⁻¹) was lower than rates observed for individuals on the shell bank (Z=0.120, 11.9% d⁻¹) or offshore (Z=0.099, 9.3% d⁻¹) habitat. Individuals residing in the inshore habitat had significantly higher growth rates and significantly lower mortality rates, suggesting that recruitment potential was higher for these individuals.     

Early scale growth characteristics of the New Zealand snapper,chrysophrys auratus (Forster), with reference to selection of a scale‐sampling site

Scales from 17 body areas of juvenile snapper, Chrysophyrs auratus (Forster), were examined to determine scale growth characteristics, with the aim of denning the most suitable body site for routine scale‐sampling. Least‐square regressions of fish length on scale measurement from 0+ fish were calculated for several body areas, and back‐calculations were made to fish length at first annulus (L₁) from a sample of 1+ fish, using both the “uncorrected” and “corrected” formulae.

The overall fish/scale relationship is curvilinear, but high correlation coefficients show that fish/scale regressions from 0+ snapper may be taken as essentially linear. Such regressions give hypothetical fish lengths at scale formation of 8–23 mm. Mid‐body scales form at 10–14 mm, caudal scales earlier, head scales later.

Back‐calculated L₁ values from each area were compared with the mean for the whole body. Using the uncorrected formula there is a general trend for them to be lower than the mean at the head and higher at the tail, while the mid‐body region shows minimum variation from the mean. These variations are caused at least partly by differences in time of scale formation. The corrected formula gives smaller L₁ variations and a mean back‐calculated L₁almost identical to an observed L₁ from independent length frequency data.

The observed variations in scale structure and growth suggest that the “pectoral area”, bounded by the lateral line and the ventral edge of the pectoral fin, is the most suitable site for scale sampling.     

Evidence for long‐term site fidelity of snapper (Pagrus auratus) within a marine reserve

Increases in the density of exploited species on unfished reefs logically implies that some individuals are at least temporarily resident, or show fidelity to a particular area. We tagged snapper (Pagrus auratus (Bloch & Schneider 1801)) in the Leigh Marine Reserve, New Zealand using visible implant fluorescent elastomer tags, recoverable by diver visual sightings without the need to recapture the fish. Batch tagging of snapper (n = 907) was done during an angling survey in June and December 1996, and individually coded tags were implanted by divers (n = 117) in January 1999. Snapper tagged during both programmes were recovered on irregular intervals from 1997 to 2000. There were 71 recoveries of batch tags within 500 m of their tagging sites, and these recoveries were still being made >3 years after tagging: Of individually coded fish, 49 (42%) were seen, sometimes repeatedly over several months, close to their respective tagging sites. These observations included snapper as small as 23 cm fork length, contradicting the commonly held impression that only large snapper take up long‐term residency on reefs. This preliminary evidence suggests that some snapper exhibit site fidelity to areas only a few hundred metres wide, and in the absence of fishing may occupy the same area for years.