Notes on the ecology and paleoecology of neothyrls,an endemic New Zealand brachiopod

Neothyris lecticularis (Deshayes, 1839) live mainly south o'f 44°S in waters 90–180 m (extremes 18–384 m) deep where bottom temperatures are always >7°c. Fossil N. “avails” (Hutton, 1886) in the early Pleistocene limestone at Castlepoint (41 °S) are associated with an assemblage of animals generioally the same as the living N. lenticularis assemblage of Foveaux Strait. The granular substrate occupied by the living animals is similar to the matrix of the Castlepoint limestone. Thus the early Pleistocene marine climate in 90–180 m at 43°S may have been about 5°c cooler than it is today; the possible use is mentioned of the presence of the fossil assemblage in studies of palaeoelimates.

Population analysis of living and fossil stocks show a constant bias toward the older age‐groups; this finding is discussed. Various ecological observations are recorded.     

Influence of age,size and condition factor on lipid concentration in the snapper Chrysophrys auratus

Survival, growth rates and functionality of larvae have been hypothesised to correlate with higher lipid provisioning in older teleosts. To test the lipid provisioning part of this hypothesis, we investigated the total and relative (mg/g) lipid (triglyceride) concentration in both the source (liver) and sink (gonad) lipidation organs of female snapper Chrysophrys auratus across age, size and condition factor throughout its spawning season. Age, size and condition factor had little discernible effect on the total or relative lipid concentration in either liver or gonadal tissue. Therefore, if oocyte quality (based on triglyceride concentration) is comparable across a population, research on the relationship between lipidomics and reproductive success needs to move beyond highlighting correlations to elucidating causation by focusing on the biochemical mechanisms of egg quality and larval survival, identifying maternal parameters associated with consistent lipid provisioning, and partitioning of phenotypic and genotypic maternal influences.     

Nocturnal fish utilization of a subtropical mangrove‐seagrass ecotone

Whereas diel fish migration between mangrove and seagrass habitats has been recognized for decades, quantitative studies have focused mainly on diurnal patterns of fish distribution and abundance. In general, previous studies have shown that fish abundances decline with increasing distance from mangroves; however, evidence for such a pattern at night, when many fishes are actively feeding, is scarce. The present study is the first to report nocturnal fish abundances along a continuous distance gradient from mangroves across adjacent seagrass habitat (0–120 m). Here, we used nocturnal seine sampling to test the null hypothesis (based on diurnal studies and limited nocturnal work) that fish abundance would decrease with increasing distance from shoreline. We focused on species and life‐stage‐specific abundance patterns of Lutjanus griseus, Sphyraena barracuda, Archosargus rhomboidalis, and Haemulon sciurus. Results indicated that assemblage composition and structure differed significantly by season, likely influenced by temperature. However, within each season, the fish habitat use pattern at both the assemblage and species‐specific level generally failed to support our working null hypothesis. Species‐specific analyses revealed that, for most species and life‐stages examined, nocturnal abundance either did not change with distance or increased with distance from the mangrove‐seagrass ecotone. Our results suggest that analyses where taxa are grouped to report overall patterns may have the potential to overlook significant species‐ and stage‐specific variation. For fishes known to make nocturnal migrations, we recommend nocturnal sampling to determine habitat utilization patterns, especially when inferring nursery value of multiple habitats or when estimating fish production.     

笛鲷鱼类的线粒体DNA控制区结构及其系统发育分析

采用PCR扩增直接测序的方法获得了11种笛鲷鱼类的线粒体DNA控制区全序列。结合从GenBank中下载的6种笛鲷鱼类的相应序列进行结构分析,可以将笛鲷鱼类的控制区分为终止序列区、中央保守区和保守序列区三个区域,找到了终止相关的序列ETAS以及一系列保守序列(CSB-F,CSB-E,CSB-D和CSB-1,CSB-2,CSB-3),并给出了它们的一般形式。以黄谐鱼为外群,采用NJ法和ME法构建笛鲷鱼类的分子系统树。分子系统发育分析表明,线粒体DNA控制区序列适合于笛鲷鱼类的系统发育分析,而且支持Allen关于笛鲷属的系统形态分类学观点。     

Distribution and growth of snapper Chrysophrys auratus in the North Taranaki Bight,and management implications of these data

A bottom trawl survey was used to determine the position of a nursery ground for snapper, Chrysophrys auratus, in the North Taranaki Bight, New Zealand, and so indicate what area should be protected from potentially harmful fishing techniques. A nursery ground for trevally, Caranx georgianus, was also identified. The growth rate of snapper from the North Taranaki Bight is shown to be much faster than Hauraki Gulf and East Cape stocks, but quite similar to Tasman Bay fish. The onset of sexual maturity appears to be related to fish size rather than age, with about 80% of snapper being mature at a fork length of 25 cm. Recruitment success varies greatly between years, and successful recruitment may be related to warm spring temperatures.     

Spawning behaviour of snapper,Chrysophrys auratus,in captivity (note)

Spawning of snapper was observed in the public aquarium at Napier. Spawning males were characterised by a grey coloration and spawning females were the typical silvery‐pink colour. On four occasions spawning behaviour activity involved several males and one female and on one occasion it initially involved one male and one female, although other males joined in the spawning act. At each spawning event the female swam vertically towards the surface closely pursued by males. Eggs and sperms were released near the surface.     

Rock lobsters feeding on oysters (note)

Captive rock lobsters (Jasus edwardsii) were able to open and eat live dredge oysters (Ostrea lutaria) by progressively breaking away the shell edges with the mandibles and walking legs. Oysters are probably of only slight significance in the natural diet of rock lobsters.     

Effects of Replacing Fishmeal with Animal By-products Meal Supplementation in Diets on the Growth and Nutrient Utilization of Mangrove Red Snapper

A feeding trial was conducted for 75 d to evaluate the nutritive value of a mixture of animal by-products(MAB) as a possible protein source in diets for juvenile mangrove red snapper,Lutjanus argentimaculatus(mean initial body weight,30 g). Fish were fed one of five isonitrogenous diets(40% crude protein) replacing 0,25%(MAB25),50%(MAB50),75%(MAB75) and 100%(MAB100) of fish meal protein with similar percentages of MAB. The MAB consisted of 25% cow liver meal,20% leather meal,20% meat and bone meal,15% blood meal,10% APC(poultry feather meal),8% poultry manure dried,1.5% choline and 0.5% chromic oxide. After 75 d of feeding,fish fed with diets MAB50,MAB75 and MAB100 exhibited significantly lower growth per-formance than that of fish fed with control and MAB25 diets. The optimum level of MAB was estimated to be 23%. Replacement of fish meal by MAB23% showed the following performance:maximum weight gain,510%;SGR,2.39% and FCE,2.83%. The MAB substitution up to 75% of fish meal protein in diets did not show differences in apparent protein digestibility(83.6% for MAB25,79.2% for MAB50,78.7% for MAB75) compared with control(83.4%),whereas in MAB100 group digestibility(65.3%) was sig-nificantly lower than in other groups. The apparent phosphorus absorption of test diet groups was significantly higher(37.1% for MAB25,28.5% for MAB50,55.6% for MAB75 and 54.5% for MAB100) than that of control(11.2%). The levels of protein and ash in the whole body,carcass and viscera increased as MAB substitution in diets increased,whereas lipids and moisture remained con-sistent among all treatment groups. These results showed that approximately 23% of fish meal protein could be replaced by a mixture of animal by-products for juvenile snapper growing from 30 g to 167 g in 75 d without compromising growth performance and feed efficiency.