In this research age composition, sex-ratio, growth, survival, mortality and exploitation rates were determined in the south-eastern Black Sea region of Turkey during the 2010–2011 fishing season. Anchovy in the age group 2 was the most abundant (64.06%), followed by age groups 1 (33.12%), 3 (1.80%) and 0 (1.02%). Mean length and weight of the total sample, males and females, were 11.63 ± 0.02 cm, 9.98 ± 0.04 g; 11.39 ± 0.03 cm, 9.40 ± 0.07 g; and 11.98 ± 0.02 cm, 10.73 ± 0.05 g, respectively. The mean condition factor was CF = 0.63 and the sex composition was 61.27% female, 34.40% male and 4.33% unidentified. Equations describing the relationship between length and weight, age and length, and age and weight were derived as W = 0.011 × L2.742, L(t) = 16.368*(1–e−0.425*(t +1.35)) and W(t) = 23.516*(1 –e–0.425*(t+1.35))2,747, respectively. The survival (S), instantaneous total mortality (Z), annual mortality (A), natural mortality (M) and fishing mortality (F) rates were found to be S = 5.8%, Z = 2.84 yr–1,, A = 94.2%, M = 0.66 yr−1, and F = 2.18 yr–1, respectively. The exploitation rate was calculated as 0.77, which is higher than the optimum exploitation level.

Despite the increasing number of reports on the deep-sea molluscs from the south-western Atlantic, we know very little about the protobranchs. The lack of information on the protobranch Pelecypoda off southern Brazil is reflected in the genus Yoldiella. This contribution is part of an effort to increase the knowledge about this group off the Brazilian coast. Eight species of Yoldiella are recognized here. For Yoldiella biguttata, previously reported from Brazil, the known distribution is extended southwards to the Campos Basin. For Yoldiella similis this is the first record in the western Atlantic Ocean. For Yoldiella extensa and Yoldiella aff. jeffreysi this is the first record for Brazil. Four previously unknown species are described, Yoldiella lapernoi sp. nov., Yoldiella paranapuaensis sp. nov., Yoldiella arariboia sp. nov. and Yoldiella curupira sp. nov. Considering only conchological features for the Atlantic species we could propose some clusters of species of Yoldiella.

Durant mon séjour au Laboratoire de Biologie maritime de Plymouth, j'ai eu l'occasion d'examiner un lot très important de Pycnogonum littorale, Ström, qui se trouvait dans les collections de l'établissement depuis le 8 juillet 1908. Ce lot ne comprenait pas moins de 3268 individus. Il avait été recueilli au Barbican Pool, vieux port de Plymouth, dans les filets de pêcheurs qui avaient fait leur capture, disaient-ils, à 200 milles O.N.O. des Iles Scilly. Les exemplaires étaient beaucoup plus nombreux, mais le Laboratoire n'avait pas cru devoir en conserver davantage.

Buried individuals of the bivalve Donax vittatus (Bivalvia: Donacidae) respond to change in incident light intensity by adjusting their position in the sediment. Video recordings of activity in aquarium tanks in natural daylight revealed that individuals responded to shading by moving upwards, causing some to partially emerge from the sand. Subsequent removal of the shading stimulated reburial to the normal position. Recordings in laboratory aquaria show similar upward movement and partial emergence occurring when illumination in the visible range is switched off. Upward movement and partial emergence of D. vittatus has also been observed to take place prior to spawning.

The distribution of 18 common epizoic species between clumps of Nemertesia antennina is examined with reference to their dispersal behaviour and, for selected epizoites, to the occurrence of other epizoic species. Dispersal of the tubicolous amphipods Ericthonius brasiliensis, Jassa falcata and Corophium sextoni and the caprellids Pseudoprotella phasma and Caprella linearis by a proportion of the adult animals, and by some animals after mating, was suggested. This behaviour may establish and perpetuate aggregations of these amphipods since brood-mates, and some of their descendants, remain on their natal hydroid clump. Five of the nine species considered that disperse as planktonic larvae have aggregated dispersions and for two of these species, Rissoa parva and Cingula semistriata, gregariousness of their larvae at settlement was considered an important influence on their distribution. Comparisons between the distributions of selected epizoic species suggest that in only a few cases, notably where branching bryozoans may give protection to potential prey species, is the distribution of one species influenced by the occurrence of another.

Marine specialist herbivores inhabiting Japanese rocky shores are significantly more diverse than in other biogeographical regions at comparable latitudes. The interaction webs of specialist sacoglossans were investigated on the Pacific shore of Honshu, Japan. The host use of the small stenophagous sacoglossan opisthobranch Placida sp. (sensu Baba, 1986) was investigated in association with the green macroalgae Codium spp. Based on field associations, Placida sp. attacked six congeneric algal host species out of eight investigated (75%) in and around Sagami Bay and ten of 20 species (50%) in Japan. In pairwise-choice feeding experiments, Placida sp. preferred the algal host from which it was collected (source alga) to alternate host and non-host algae. Preference rankings, however, could be altered based on the condition or identity of the choices (e.g. old versus young fronds of C. fragile). Connectance values were lower in these high-diversity assemblages than in their low-diversity counterparts on other temperate shores (but these values may increase with additional study). The sacoglossan occasionally coexisted with two other common sacoglossan species (Elysia trisinuata and E. setoensis) and several other less common ones. However, interspecific feeding interactions appeared minor, with no discernible evidence of interference or exploitation competition. Despite the diverse assemblage of specialist sacoglossans feeding on Codium spp., these Japanese sacoglossans (1) had low niche differentiation, (2) were weak interactors with their hosts, and (3) had negligible intra-guild interactions.

Sex reversal is common in the animal kingdom, yet nothing has thus far been known about it in amphioxus. The present study showed that female amphioxus reared in the laboratory was sexually reversed into the male, but not vice versa. This is the first report on the existence of sex change in the cephalochordate.

Laminaria ochroleuca De la Pylaie was recently added to the British flora by Dr Mary Parke (1948), who found it to occur freely in the sheltered parts of Plymouth Sound. It had first come to notice in 1946 and is possibly quite a recent introduction to the country, though it may have escaped notice for some years. The species can now be recorded from two other localities: Salcombe Estuary (South Devon), and Helford River (West Cornwall).

There is very little documentation on the economic importance of locally available marine sponges (Porifera) in north-western Europe. From Iceland and the Faroe Islands there are records of naming and using the so-called mermaid's glove sponge (Isodictya palmata) especially for cleaning purposes. As late as in the 1940s, school children in the Faroe Islands gathered this sponge and used it to clean the slate.

Two developmental stages of the micromorph rhynchonellid Tethyrhynchia mediterranea (Brachiopoda: Tethyrhychiidae) are described using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). They were found in niches of the mantle cavity of adult females, as T. mediterranea broods its offspring between the protecting valves of the shell. The developmental stages of T. mediterranea are very small (∼120 μm), but relative to adult body size of up to 1·2 mm in length they are larger than any other lecithotrophic brachiopod larva. Dispersal ability and phylogeography of T. mediterranea in the Mediterranean Sea is discussed.

Alpheus edwardsii Audouin and Alpheus lobidens de Man (Crustacea: Decapoda: Alpheidae) are two intertidal snapping shrimp that burrow in association with rocks. They are morphologically similar and are often found in the same intertidal zone. The competitive exclusion theory states that two co-existing species must partition resources. The partitioning of food items as a resource appears unlikely, as gut content analyses revealed that the two species have similar diets and the relationship of shrimp condition and shrimp density indicates that food supply was not in limited supply. Instead the two species partition the resources of space within the intertidal zone, and shelter. The two species were found to exist largely in isolation from each other. Alpheus edwardsii occurred across much of the intertidal zone. Within this range A. edwardsii were most abundant in substrata with a low proportion (<50%) of mud. These substrata are better suited to their elaborate method of burrow construction. The simpler burrow construction method of A. lobidens allows this species the potential to occupy a wide range of substratum types; however, they were found only in muddy substrata with substantial surface rock cover at tidal elevations of 1.18m above datum or below. The restriction of A. lobidens to this region of the intertidal zone is probably related, in part, to their physiological requirements. In regions of co-occurrence, A. lobidens were significantly smaller than A. edwardsii, and utilized smaller rocks as shelters, thus avoiding direct interspecific competition for this resource. The absence of large A. lobidens from these areas may reflect their ability to procure shelter in competition with A. edwardsii, as behavioural experiments conducted in this study found that A. edwardsii were the dominant competitors for this resource.

This paper focuses on Antomicron, Leptolaimus and Procamacolaimus, three genera inhabiting coastal water systems of the Patagonian, Chubut and Santa Cruz provinces of Argentina, providing a review of their taxonomy for a new identification key. One new species belonging to the genus Antomicron and one new species belonging to the genus Leptolaimus of the family Leptolaimidae are described from Puerto San Julián, Santa Cruz province: Antomicron alveolatum sp. nov. has 35 alveoli and three precloacal supplements and Leptolaimus gabinoi sp. nov. is characterized by the structure and number of precloacal supplements (three) with hamate distal end with two hooks. Another species belonging to the genus Procamacolaimus of the family Camacolaimidae is described and recorded from Puerto Madryn, Chubut province of Argentina: Procamacolaimus dorylaimus.

A new species of polychaete, Armandia sampadae was collected from shallow sandy sediments off Rutland Island (57 m depth) and off North Andaman (52 m depth) during a benthic survey along the continental shelf of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The major character which distinguishes this species from other members of the genus Armandia is the presence of a pair of large, flattened, rounded, stalked, pigmented, leaf-shaped ventral papillae at the ventral base of the ringed anal funnel and the occurrence of a pair of sub-triangular black pigmented spots in the basal portion of the ventral papillae.

Zoantharians are one of the least studied orders of benthic cnidarians of the Persian Gulf. A survey and molecular analysis was conducted to determine zoantharian species diversity in the Persian Gulf. For this purpose, 63 colonies of zoantharians were collected from Hengam and Larak Islands in the Strait of Hormuz and some morphological characteristics of each specimen were recorded, i.e. sand encrustation, polyp shape and colour, oral groove, oral zone and oral disc colours as well as tentacle number and colour. After DNA extraction, mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA (16S rDNA) and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Based on obtained 16S rDNA and COI gene sequences, five putative species-level clades were identified: Zoanthus sansibaricus (N = 30), Palythoa tuberculosa (N = 12), Palythoa mutuki (N = 2), Palythoa aff. mutuki (N = 18) and Neozoanthus sp. Iran (N = 1). While the first three are known species, the last two were potentially novel undescribed species. Palythoa aff. mutuki has an external appearance similar to Palythoa mutuki. However, mitochondrial DNA sequences obtained from these specimens placed them in a previously undescribed species group. The Neozoanthus specimen was morphologically and molecularly different from other described Neozoanthus species. This is the first record of this genus from the Persian Gulf and neighbouring areas. Since there is not much work on zoantharians identification in the Persian Gulf, further sampling and investigation is needed to speculate on the accuracy of these potentially new species and to complete the knowledge of zoantharian diversity in this area.

Multiple tagging devices have been developed for long-term studies and estimating demographic parameters in sea urchins. In this study, we evaluated the use of passive integrated transponders (PIT-tag), and two types of nylon tags (T-bar and S-tag) in the sea urchin Diadema antillarum by measuring retention rate and apparent survival. The PIT-tags exhibited the highest retention, followed by T-bars, and lastly the S-tags. Differences in recapture were detected among the three types of tags (H = 6.99, P = 0.030). An a posteriori pairwise comparison test found significant differences between PIT-tags and each of the other two types (P < 0.05), whereas T-bar and S-tag did not exhibit significant differences between them (P > 0.05). The semi-captivity experiment exhibited similar results to the field experiment in terms of retention. This experiment also found higher mortality with T-bars. Differences between previous studies conducted under controlled conditions and experiments carried out in the field reflect high variability and the necessity of testing tagging procedures under both settings. The S-tag induced high spine autotomy and low retention; whereas the T-bar demonstrated low retention and low survival. Although the retention rate of PIT-tags was significantly higher than the other two, retention rates were still too low for practical utility in long-term field experiments. In conclusion, the present study does not support the use of any of these tags for long-term studies in D. antillarum.

In 1913 a successful attempt was made to introduce the European Turbot to New Zealand waters. On 12 January of that year 298 young fish, caught in the neighbourhood of Plymouth, and kept for some time at the Marine Biological Station, were put aboard the Waimana. Of these fish 195 were safely transported across the tropics, and were put into the tanks at the Portobello Marine Hatchery. The operation was a very successful one, thanks to the care of the late T. Anderton, who was then Curator of the hatchery.

The turbot were originally from one to two inches in length. It was intended to liberate most of them in the sea, but, on consideration, it was decided to keep them in captivity. Three years later (May, 1916) there were still 182 fish, 5 having died and 8 having been liberated in the sea. They grew very rapidly in the tanks, so much so that in May of 1916 many were about 18 inches in length. To keep these large fish healthy was difficult, and so, in 1916, 128 of them were liberated in Taukutu Bay.

In the Mediterranean Sea, the most conspicuous cleaner fish is the wrasse, Symphodus melanocercus, a specialized cleaner wrasse. In this fish species, energetic investments in reproduction are different for males and females. Female S. melanocercus were found to be more active in cleaning and ingested significantly more gnathiid isopod larvae than males. Male cleaners foraged more on benthic animals and showed a strong preference for clients according to their mucus characteristics. Results indicate that female S. melanocercus are more likely to be specialized, in terms of cleaning behaviour, than males. We suggest that females are more honest than males and that they play an important role in preserving the good reputation of S. melanocercus as a cleaner fish.

Galathea intermedia is common, but cryptic, on Clyde maerl deposits where it lives in small groups of mixed sex and age, sharing shelters (typically dead Dosinia shells) to avoid predation. Its appearance is marked by six iridescent blue spots which may play an important role in intra- or interspecific interactions.

Investigations were made on spatial and temporal variation, population structure, growth, recruitment and mortality in the intertidal flats of Kunsan (Korea, Yellow Sea) of an inarticulate brachiopod Lingula unguis. Statistical analysis indicates significant spatial differences and a significant relationship between density and ratio of sands to silts, suggesting that the distribution and density of this species were related to particle size. The population consisted of three year-classes, with a similar size composition each year, of which the second year-class was a major component. From estimation of parameters of growth monthly length–frequency was analysed by ELEFAN. Parameters of growth were estimated, using the modified von Bertalanffy growth function (VBGF) model incorporating seasonal variation in growth. The growth parameters are: L∞=44.00 mm SL, K=0.88 y−1, C=0.90, WP=0.48. The recruitment pattern shows two major recruitments per year. The maximum life span is estimated as 3.45 y. Total mortality (Z) by length-converted catch curve was estimated at 3.65 y−1. The population mainly occurred in fine sands and exhibited patchy distribution.

The present study was undertaken in order to analyse whether macrobenthic communities can or not be used in monitoring programmes of the environmental quality of fish ponds. Functional community analysis and biotic metrics were analysed aiming at the assessment of their effectiveness in discriminating potential impacts of fish production in these systems. The macrofaunal patterns in earthen fish ponds of the Ria Formosa lagoon showed to be influenced by the input of fish food during the production cycle and by changes in abiotic parameters caused by seasonality and fish production. Polychaetes were generally dominant considering the number of taxa and abundance. The trophic functional analysis of the benthic communities showed that the deposit-feeding functional group dominated in both areas of the ponds but within water entrance areas there was an increase of suspension-feeding, carnivory and herbivory feeding modes. The presence of less trophically mixed communities within feeding areas may be related to the relative high disturbance levels of these areas. From the biotic indicators that show a differential response to organic input in fish earthen ponds, the abundance of Capitella spp. as well as the diversity (Shannon–Wiener and Margalef species richness), evenness (Pielou) and AMBI indices seem to be the best indicators to be used in monitoring studies in similar systems. Managers should pay particular attention when Capitella spp. taxa are observed within the feeding areas. Nevertheless, manipulative experiments are needed in order to test the dominance levels of Capitella spp. and the values of those indices that are of concern.