The most comprehensive hydrographic work on the English Channel, even today, is that of Lumby (1935). Lumby used the surface observations of ships of opportunity (steamers on regular routes) that were gathered over a period of 25 years from 1903 to 1927. The number of observations gathered runs into tens of thousands and these were subdivided into convenient regions for the purpose of constructing an Atlas of sea surface temperature and salinity. The mean monthly values of temperature for each region from which the monthly contours were drawn can be considered as established to within ± 0.2 °C. Despite the fact that these data have been available for half a century no satisfactory explanation for these monthly temperature distributions has been offered. In this paper the role of horizontal turbulence in redistributing the net surface heating to produce these monthly temperature distributions is quantitatively examined.

Effect of epibenthic algae as species-specific coral settlement inducers was examined by laboratory experiments using six Acropora species. When epibenthic algae grew on artificial plates at three depths (shallow, middle and deep) on a reef slope over a period of two months, there was no effect as species-specific inducers. However, when the growth period was prolonged to five months, the larvae of Acropora digitifera which dominates on the shallow reef slope mainly settled on the plates that were conditioned at the shallow depth, while the larvae of A. muricata which dominates on the middle slope concentrated on the plates that were conditioned at the middle depth. These results indicate that epibenthic algae may act as a cue for the habitat selection of Acropora corals as a settlement inducer. However, the fact that there was no preference for specific plates in other species suggested that epibenthic algae do not act as a sole indicator in selecting a suitable settlement place for Acropora larvae.

The common guitarfish Rhinobatos rhinobatos is abundanly captured along the coast of the Gulf of Gabès (southern Tunisia). The sizes at the first sexual maturity of females and males are 790 and 700 mm total length (TL) respectively. Females are larger than males; the maximum TL for males and females is 1000 and 1200 mm respectively. The smallest gravid female observed is 750 mm TL. Rhinobatos rhinobatos is an aplacental viviparous species. The two ovaries and the two uteri are functional. Mature oocytes and foetuses are symmetrically distributed respectively in ovaries and uteri. Vitellogenesis and gestation occur simultaneously. Gestation lasts 10 to 12 months; parturition occurs from the end of summer to the beginning of autumn. Mating and ovulation take place after parturition. Ovarian fecundity is higher than uterine fecundity; means of 8.95 and 5.34 young per year are respectively calculated. There is a positive relationship between the two categories of fecundity and size of females. The size at birth ranges from 250 to 290 mm TL. The common guitarfish is purely a lecithotrophic species. The chemical balance of development is estimated at 1.02.

The functional morphology of the coelomocytes of larval oysters, Crassostrea virginica and C. gigas, based on observations of live animals and histological and ultrastructural examination of tissues, is presented. Two predominant types of coelomocytes were found in the larval oysters. One, the SER cell, not found in the adult oyster, is large with a spheroidal nucleus, and exhibits basophilic cytoplasm which consists of abundant smooth endoplastic reticulum. This cell appears to participate in metabolic conversion processes. The other predominant cell type, the phagocyte, appears identical to the phagocyte observed in the adult oyster. Both differential cell types were observed from one day post fertilization to metamorphosis, the oldest stage studied.

Stomatolepas elegans on a Dermochelys coriacea is reported at Seiland, Finnmark, northern Norway at the highest latitude recorded for this species or for any members of its subfamily (Platylepadidae), as well as for its turtle host. The distribution of the species of Stomatolepas is given and their taxonomy is briefly discussed. A recording of data on the different species of Stomatolepas gives the distribution on the host as well as the identity and the collecting locality of the latter.

This paper describes a novel sexually dimorphic pattern of behaviour in the tube-building amphiplodAmpelisca abdita (Mills). Mature males and females enter the water column at night. However, while males enter the water column every night, females enter it only when they moult. Since female amphipods only mate shortly after they moult, it is hypothesized that this sexually dimorphic pattern of free-swimming behaviour is an adaptation that permits males and receptive females to locale each other during the brief period when copulation can occur, while reducing the time that females are exposed to pelagic predators.

The sudden appearance of Akera bullata in the static water tanks of H.M. Dockyard, Devonport, provided specimens for the investigation of pigments. Morton & Holme (1955) have given an account of certain aspects of the biology of this interesting tectibranch mollusc.

The English Channel was the site of the discovery of the phylum Kinorhyncha in 1841 by the French zoologist Felix Dujardin. Although initially reported from St Malo, Rennes, and Paris by Dujardin (1851), St Vaast la Hougue, France was the site from which the first species, Echinoderes dujardinii Claparede, 1863 was described 12 years later. Since then, E. dujardinii has been reported from many localities in northern Europe as well as from the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, and the Canary Islands (cf. Higgins, 1983). Reports of this species from various North Pacific Ocean localities are either incorrect or higher questionable (Higgins, 1983).

A new species of Breviraja is described from a pair of fish caught by line at nearly 2500 m depth in the Bay of Biscay. Distinctive characters include: the sparse distribution of denticles and spines, small number of teeth, position and size of the orbits, and very pale dorsal surface.

A method of line fishing in depths of over 1000 fm has been used successfully from R.V. ‘Sarsia’ on the continental slope. The catches have been mainly black squaloids but two brotulids, truly abyssal fishes, have also been taken.

Arsenate was found to interfere with both of Murphy & Riley's methods of estimating phosphate in sea water. The magnitude of interference showed day-to-day variations.

Five methods of estimating dissolved inorganic phosphate in sea water were compared in the northern North Atlantic. Differences observed between the methods were related to those found in similar earlier investigations in inshore waters by Jones & Spencer.

Since official records were first initiated in 1973, there have been reports of 154 small cetacean strandings in Hong Kong territorial waters. The species Neophocaena phocaenoides (finless porpoise) and Sousa chinensis (Indo-Pacific hump-backed dolphin) accounted for 77% of these strandings. There are seasonal peaks in the number of reported strandings: Sousa chinensis is more frequently reported during the summer monsoon season and Neophocaena phocaenoides is more frequent in the winter. Almost a third of all finless porpoises stranded were calves. The number of reported small cetacean strandings in Hong Kong has increased dramatically in recent years; partially due to an increasing awareness of local cetaceans and possibly due to escalating levels of human disturbance and anthropogenic pollution.

In 1930, Colman (1933) made a study of the zonation of common intertidal animals and plants on Blackstone or Church Reef, Wembury. Four lines were marked out across the reef, and three of these, which radiated from his so-called ‘Central Rock’, were resurveyed during the summer and autumn of 1973. Besides the authors, help was given in the 1973 survey by Mr P. G. Corbin, Dr P. E. Gibbs, Dr P. K. Probert, Dr A. J. Southward, Mr R. L. Barrett and Mr T. J. Perry. Mr G. A. W. Battin was responsible for surveying and levelling, and Mr D. Nicholson for the photography.

For a long time, eggs of the garpike Belone belone have been the subject of intensive and thorough studies on the early embryology of teleosts (Ryder, 1882; Sobotta, 1896; Ziegenhagen, 1896; Kopsch, 1901; Borcea, 1909). This can be attributed to the fact that the eggs of Belone are fairly large in size (3.0 to 3.5 mm diameter, Ehrenbaum, 1905), and easy to collect from submerged plants. Ryder (1882) already used artificially fertilized eggs of Belone for his study on the circulatory system of teleosts.

As recent studies have shown that in Crustacea the haemolymph plays an important role in carbohydrate metabolism (Johnston & Davies, 1972, Williams & Lutz, 1975) it is clear that a proper understanding of this phenomenon depends on an accurate knowledge of the variety of cell types found. However, an examination of the literature revealed a wide divergence of opinion in the recognition of various kinds, their relationships and their composition, with, for example, the same authors reaching quite different conclusions from similar evidence (Johnston, Davies & Elder, 1971, Johnson, Elder & Davies, 1973) (Table 1). This suggested that the subject required further examination. As both the type and number of cells may vary according to the condition of the animal (Sniesko & Taylor, 1947), it was decided to look at the blood of fed and starved specimens.

During the summer months of 1983 Prorocentrum minimum (Pavillard) Schiller, not earlier recorded from the Adriatic, constituted a considerable proportion of the regular summer bloom in the Sibenik Bay (eastern Adriatic coast). During the subsequent years (1984,1985,1986) the proportions of P. minimum in summer blooms in the Ŝibenik Bay was constantly increasing (Marasović, 1986; Marasović, in press). At the same time its presence was reported from the other parts of the Adriatic coast, attributed to the intensified eutrophication of the Adriatic waters (Pucher-Petković & Marasović, 1987; Marasović et al., 1988; Pucher-Petković et al., 1988; Marasović, 1989).

The larval cement of Ostrea edulis is formed from material secreted by the settling larva from two types of pedal gland (Cranfield, 1973b). Light microscope observations suggested that there were fibrous regions in this cement. The histochemistry and ultrastructure of the cement were therefore examined to establish the nature of this fibrous structure and to determine the part each of the two secretions might play in its formation.

The demographic parameters of a population (the number of age-classes present; growth rates; mortality as a function of age and recruitment levels) are of considerable interest to marine biologists. If individuals can be aged from growth rings in their hard parts, then the estimation of demographic parameters is relatively straightforward. If this is not possible, the next best alternative is to tag or mark individuals and use data on the recapture of these to give the information required. For many marine invertebrates, neither of these options is practical and we must resort to estimating the demographic parameters by making assumptions about recruitment and the size variation between individuals of the same age and then infer the age structure of the population from its size structure. This was first done by Petersen (1891) who interpreted each mode on a size/ frequency histogram as representing a single age-class. More recently, extensive use has been made of methods which assume that the sizes of individuals of the same age will be normally distributed. The size/frequency histogram can then be decomposed into a number of normal distributions, each of which represents a single age-class. This can be done graphically (Harding, 1949; Cassie, 1954; Bhattacharya, 1967) or with computerbased numerical methods (Macdonald & Pitcher, 1979). The graphical methods seem to be the most popular and are frequently taught to undergraduate students. The same methods can be used to dissect a size/frequency distribution into components other than age-classes (Harding, 1949), but the principles are the same.

The present list, the result of observations made at intervals in the course of last year, was undertaken with the view of determining for embryological purposes the resources of the Sound with regard to this group. It includes the species obtained during a great part of the year 1892.

The nematocysts of the three species of Leptomedusae, Aequorea forskalea, A. vitrina, and A. pensilis, and of the two siphonophores Agalma elegans and Velella velella are described.

The specific characters of the three species of Aequorea are discussed and it is shown that A. pensilis is probably the same species as A. macrodactyla