Two specimens of the Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) were caught in the River Tyne, north-east England during 2001. The specimens were brought back to the laboratory, sexed, measured and stored in 95% ethanol. Unconfirmed reports of this species' occurrence in the River Tyne were first circulated in 1997.

Ten species of deep-water Pycnogonida are recorded, mainly from the north-eastern Atlantic Basin. Of particular interest are Ascorhynchus abyssi Sars (new to the British Isles), Colossendeis arcuata A. Milne Edwards (northernmost record in European waters), C. bicinc0ta Schimkewitsch (third Atlantic record, depth range increased), C. macerrima Wilson (new records from the English Channel), Nymphon laterospinum Stock (new to the Indian Ocean), Pallenopsis (Bathypallenopsis) oscitans (Hoek) (new to the English Channel and bathymetrical range extension), P. (B.) tritonis Hoek (extension of depth range), P. (B.) tydemani caraibica Stock (second European record, now found at the entrance of the English Channel), and Anoplodactylus arnaudae Stock (range extended to the Rockall Trench).

The age and growth of Kwangtung skate, Dipturus kwangtungensis, in the waters off northern Taiwan were estimated from 422 specimens collected between July 2006 and July 2008 at the Tashi fishing market in north-eastern Taiwan. The sexes-combined relationship between total length (TL) and centrum diameter (D) was estimated as follows: TL = 14.11D0.888 (N = 411, r 2 = 0.94, P < 0.001). Growth band pairs (comprised of translucent and opaque bands) in vertebrae were determined to form once annually, based on the centrum edge analysis. Up to 14 band pairs were found for both sexes. The von Bertalanffy growth function (VBGF), two-parameter VBGF, the Robertson function, and the Gompertz function were used to fit the observed length-at-age data. The Akaike information criterion corrected indicated that the Gompertz function best fit the observed length at age data. Sex-specific growth functions were not significantly different; the sexes-combined growth parameters were estimated as follows: asymptotic length (L ∞ ) = 96.7 cm TL, growth coefficient (k G) = 0.144 year−1 and constant (t 0) = 5.45 year (N = 364, P < 0.01).

The common goby, Pomatoschistus microps (Krøyer), is a small, euryhaline gobiid fish which ranges along the coasts of continental Europe from the Mediterranean to Trondheim, Norway, and also penetrates into the Baltic Sea (Miller, 1973). This species, which can be very abundant, is generally distributed in estuaries, salt marsh and shore pools (Wheeler, 1969; Miller, 1971) and experiences a higher degree of environmental heterogeneity than most of the other European gobiids (Wallis & Beardmore, 1984a).

Spatial analysis, laboratory experiments and field observations in the intertidal zone of La Ranee Estuary (northern coast of Brittany, France) of the infaunal polychaete Perinereis cultrifera indicate that the distribution and the abundance of this species appear to be related to the availability of cobbles. Individuals build U-shaped galleries with a surface gutter network protected by a cobble which acts as a roof. The study of spatio-temporal evolution of P. cultrifera burrows showed experimentally that density is important in space-sharing modalities within the sediment. Effects of increased density lead to modifications in the shape and size of the burrows. The absence of connections between burrows, as observed in ‘sandwich aquaria’ and in resin casts, suggest that the gallery is defended against intruders. The study of the distance between individuals in the laboratory did not reveal a regular distribution pattern. These results probably mean that the area around the burrow opening is not defended and, therefore, does not constitute a territory. Perinereis cultrifera is probably competing for burrow space while food may be shared. Territoriality is certainly the main factor involved in the organization and the spatial arrangements of individuals within a population.

The luminiferous organ of the Macrurid fish Cœlorhynchus cœlorhynchus Risso is described in this paper. It consists of a gland, flattened dorsoventrally, placed in the body-wall, just in front of the pelvic fins. The secretory epithelium is thrown into a series of tubules, projecting downwards from the roof of the gland into a system of collecting spaces: the latter are confluent, posteriorly, with a duct which leads backwards, between the pelvic fins, to the anus. Blind pouches, which run upwards for a short distance beside the rectum, arise from the duct at its external opening at the anus.

Codium amphibium was described by Harvey (1844) on the basis of material sent to him by David Moore, who in turn had received it from the collector, William M'Calla. This material was said to grow 'on turfy banks at extreme high-water mark, near Roundstone, county Galway', and was described as comprising numerous erect, small (to 1/4 in. high), simple, cylindrical or subclavate, obtuse fronds arising from a mass of entangled, divaricately branched filaments densely aggregated into widely spreading patches. Harvey's illustration clearly shows the habit, but his drawing of utricles is neither diagnostic nor accurate [as judged from our study of the type material]. Harvey made particular note of the habitat, which he inferred would place the plant 'beyond the reach of the ordinary sea-level'. In a later work, Harvey (1846, pi. 35 B) illustrated this species with similar drawings and added nothing to the description except to extend the maximum height of the fronds to 'nearly half an inch'. Still later, Harvey (1849, p. 194) increased the maximum height of the fronds to an inch, modified ' simple' to ' usually simple, rarely emarginate or forked', added the locality 'at the head of Birtirbui Bay, Galway' and changed the habitat as follows: 'Turf banks, near high-water mark, but washed by every tide...' Kiitzing (1849, p. 502) furnished a description similar to the original one, based on an Irish specimen sent to him by Berkeley, probably topotype material. In his illustration of this material, Kiitzing (1856, pi. 96, fig. a) snowed an important character of the utricles: a tendency towards pointed apices.

On Tarifa Island (Strait of Gibraltar) several amphipod species were studied from intertidal algae: Ampithoe ferox, Apherusa mediterranea, Hyale spinidactyla, Hyale cf. youngi and Jassa cadetta. The allometric growth of gnathopod 2 in male is demonstrated for A. ferox. Jassa cadetta had been recorded previously only from the northern Adriatic Sea, while Hyale spinidactyla and Hyale cf. youngi had been only known from the Atlantic Ocean. Along the intertidal area, A. mediterranea and J. cadetta were dominant in the low levels located near the infralittoral area, while A. ferox, Hyale spinidactyla and Hyale cf. youngi were distributed in intermediate and upper levels, closer to the supralittoral zone. All the species showed the maximum peaks of abundance from April to October, coinciding with the maximum seawater temperatures.

Twenty-three observations of 26 fin whales Balaenoptera physalus are documented for the northern Adriatic. Records were more common along the eastern coast and have increased over the last decades. The latter coincides with the increased presence of other planktivorous vertebrates (humpback whale, basking shark) and possibly follow changes in the zooplankton abundance.

The distribution of Dodecaceria in northern Europe was found for samples borrowed from museums and other collections. Dodecaceria fimbriata was present in the coastal waters of mainland Britain and the Continent from the English Channel northwards. Dodecaceria concharum was only found in British mainland coastal waters and on the French coast at the western end of the English Channel. It was absent where salinities were below ~34%0. The two species were sampled along the Lothian and Borders coasts and the numbers of D. concharum fell with decreasing salinity as the Firth of Forth was approached. Dodecaceria diceria was found for the first time in the North Sea at depths of 100–200 m. The benthic salinity here is ~35%0.

The cryptic invasion of the Asian macroalga Codium fragile (Suringar) Hariot ssp. fragile on north-eastern Atlantic shores has been long considered a classical example of a successful invader that has competitively displaced native congeners. Yet, the lack of quantitative information about morphologically similar native congeners, namely Codium tomentosum Stackhouse and C. vermilara (Olivi) Delle Chiaje, has hindered interspecific comparisons and ecological predictions. From September 2002 to 2005, we made extensive intertidal surveys on 12 northern and 26 southern rocky shores of the English Channel, specifically documenting the abundance, distribution and identity of Codium assemblages. On the north side of the English Channel, the native C. tomentosum and alien C. fragile were both sparsely distributed in intertidal pools in Devon. In contrast, the natives were absent from and the alien was locally abundant in shallow lagoons and rocky reefs around Bembridge and Whitecliff on the Isle of Wight. Finally, in the Channel Islands off the Atlantic coast of France, Codium spp. were abundant in pools and on low-shore emergent substrata with native species predominating. Patterns of distribution varied substantially among Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney, despite their close proximity. The regional variation in the algal distributions merits further investigation to determine whether the pattern is produced by: (1) anthropogenic activities and effects; (2) ecological interactions; (3) oceanographic factors; or (4) some combination of these.

The starfish Anseropoda placenta (Pennant) is abundant in the gravelly sands of the Bay of Brest (Finistere, France). The size, distribution and density of this animal were evaluated along a transect perpendicular to the River Aulne in the southern part of the Bay. The spawning phases, the recruitment and growth processes were defined. When the entire population was considered, three plurimodal year classes were visible from the length frequency histograms. Year-class segregations were observed. Their density varied in space and time in a manner which suggests a pattern of migration from the southern part of the transect towards the northern part. Juveniles were recruited mainly during the autumn on the gravelly bottom of the southern shallow part. By late winter, they had migrated to the deeper parts of the channel. Feeding preferences do not seem to be the main factor controlling these migrations which are discussed in relation to environmental factors and the intra- and inter-specific competition.

The potential use of fatty acid (FA) profile as a dietary tracer in juvenile Chinese horseshoe crab Tachypleus tridentatus was assessed in a feeding experiment. Selected feed was provided to the juveniles at various growth stages according to their food sources in the wild: larval and adult brine shrimp Artemia salina for the first six months, followed by a mixture of short-neck clam Ruditapes philippinarum and greasyback shrimp Metapenaeus ensis for a further six months. Juvenile horseshoe crab haemolymph and tissues of book gill, opisthosomal spine, chelicera and swimming leg were sampled after the feeding experiment. The FA profiles revealed that the juvenile haemolymph and various tissues had a total of 23–24 FA components. The major FA components consisted of saturated (palmitic and stearic) at 22–34%, monosaturated (oleic) at 7–34% and polyunsaturated (eicosapentaenoic and arachidonic) FAs at 9–27%. According to principal component analysis, the FA signatures of juvenile haemolymph were greatly influenced by the shift of food sources from brine shrimp to clam and shrimp meat, whereas the FA profiles of different tissues were more resistant to the nutrient alteration. The present findings confirmed that the FA profile of both juvenile haemolymph and different tissues reflected the FA composition of recent and previous diets, respectively; and thus may be useful in indicating the foraging information of juvenile horseshoe crabs in the field.

Scanning electron microscopy was used to study the microstructure and internal growth lines of the temperate ahermatypic coral Caryophyllia smithi (Cnidaria: Anthozoa). The arrangement of internal growth lines in combination with the orientation of aragonite crystals were used to describe the pattern of skeletal development in C. smithi. The observed pattern was verified using observations from another study on skeletal development in C. smithi, but which was based only on external observations of skeletons of living and dead specimens in different stages of development. The pattern of skeletal development in C. smithi is suggested to be subdivided into three stages, based on the deposition of specific skeletal elements during the development of the skeleton. In the first ‘juvenile’ stage, various primary skeletal elements are formed: the basal plate, the septa and a primary and secondary septotheca. The second ‘half full grown’ stage is characterized by development of apparently only an extended basal attachment, which enlarges the attachment area to the substratum. In the third ‘full grown’ stage, the edge zone of the polyp tissue is retracted from the extended basal attachment to the calice, and upward growth of the coral predominates followed by lateral thickening of the septotheca, costae, septa and columella. Internal growth lines were found throughout the skeleton and may be composed of, or resulting from the presence of organic matter. The septotheca and the extended basal attachment, which are important for a strong skeletal structure and a strong attachment to the substratum, respectively, are probably thickened faster than the other skeletal elements. Attachment scars were found in areas where attachment of the coral tissue to the skeleton is critical.

Spinal cords in deep sea fishes of 37 families have been examined for the presence and relative size of Mauthner axons. No correlation has been found between fish size, and the relative diameter of the Mauthner axon in different species. However, counts of primary motoneuron number and myotomal muscle fibre number in each segment suggest that Mauthner axon diameter is related to the numbers of these in each segment. The behavioural role of the Mauthner system is discussed, and it is concluded that in certain elongate-bodied fishes such as halosaurs and macrourids, a C-type startle response is unlikely.

Gut residence time (GRT) is often reported to be extremely variable among crustaceans. In this study, GRT was measured in tethered mysids that were fed continuously, and appearance of the first faecal pellet was found to be quite consistent averaging 1.6 h. There was no significant difference between GRT in those mysids held singly and those accompanied by free-swimming conspecifics, even though previous studies have shown metabolic benefits in social behaviour. Gut residence time data from a range of pelagic crustaceans feeding continuously showed a clear linear relationship with size. It appears that, when feeding ceases and crustaceans are allowed to clear their guts in filtered water, GRT can be very long and variable. However, when feeding is continuous, GRT can be relatively short and consistent.

A collection of over one hundred specimens of Syllidae (Polychaeta) from the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions has been examined and identified. The specimens were obtained from 26 stations in the Barents Sea, some Norwegian fiords and localities of the northern North Sea. A total of 21 species were identified; three species (Myrianida langerhansi (Gidholm, 1967), Syllides longocirrata Örsted, 1845 and Sphaerosyllis taylori Perkins, 1981) are new reports for the Arctic Ocean; 2 species are new to science, Streptodonta exsulis sp. nov. and Trypanosyllis troll sp. nov. Streptodonta exsulis sp. nov. have 4 thick, distally strongly knobbed aciculae on each anterior parapodia, shifting to a single, slender acicula on posterior parapodia; falcigers and pseudospinigers distally bidentate; and pharyngeal tooth located centrally and relatively close to anterior rim of pharynx. Trypanosyllis troll sp. nov. have 2, occasionally 3 straight aciculae in parapodia protruding out from parapodial lobes; falcigers bidentate; and body surface densely covered by numerous, small papillae. Based on the description of these 2 new species, some modifications are proposed in the diagnoses of the genera Streptodonta San Martín & Hutchings, 2006 and Trypanosyllis Claparède, 1864.

Amongst Gunnar Thorson's concluding remarks in his review on marine-bottom communities (Thorson, 1957) he noted that a sequel to the study of macrobenthic parallel communities should be a detailed analysis of the meiobenthos and microbenthos within these communities, adding that the work by Remane and his collaborators in shallow water and on beaches in Kiel Bay indicated that the meiobenthos is likely to show a pronounced uniformity within these communities. Many qualitative sub tidal meiobenthic surveys have followed (e.g. Gerlach (1958) for the nematodes; Por (1964) for the copepods) but it is only very recently that wide-scale quantitative work of the type pioneered by Petersen (1913) for the macrofauna has been applied to the meiofauna (Drzycimski (1969) and Soyer (1970) for the copepods; Ward (1973) and Tietjen (1977) for the nematodes). Around the coasts of Great Britain the only subtidal meiobenthic survey is that by Ward (1973,1975) of the nematode genera of Liverpool Bay, although quantitative faunal and environmental data are available for a number of sublittoral stations (Mclntyre (1964) and Wells (1965) for muddy deposits in Loch Nevis and the Fladen North Sea ground; Warwick & Buchanan (1970) for fine sand and silt deposits off the Northumberland coast; and Mclntyre & Murison (1973) for shallow fine sand in Firemore Bay).

When large quantities of bottom soil are brought up by the dredge or grab, the problem of sieving the material within a reasonable time presents itself. The usual practice is to wash the soil through a sieve or series of sieves, the finest being of the order of 1–2 mm aperture, according to the nature of the soil or the size of the animals to be collected. It is usually necessary to agitate the soil either by spraying with a hose or by shaking the sieve in a bath of water, in order that finer particles may pass through the sieve. Many of the more delicate animals are damaged by these methods, and Spooner & Moore (1940), working on the Tamar estuary, found it necessary to mix the mud carefully by hand with water to make a ‘soup’ before it could be sieved without damage to the fauna. For work at sea Hartman (1955) describes a machine by which sieving was accomplished with the aid of water sprays and mechanical agitation of the sieves with power provided by an electric motor.

Manila ropes and trawl twines, and cotton nets, have been immersed in clean sea water for periods up to 14 months, some with alternate wetting and drying, some wet all the time, but in both cases accompanied by storage in air after immersion. All the untreated specimens perished, but the 700 lb. manila ropes retained at least 40% of the original tensile strength.in every case in which a copper soap had been included in the treatment. A previous treatment with cutch is a considerable advantage as shown by the 500 lb. manila ropes and trawl twines, though cutch alone is worthless. Coal tar distillates after cutch are, however, more useful than when used alone, and their mixture with copper soaps gives excellent results. Cutch fixed with bichromate gives tolerably good preservation on nets up to 6 months, but is a poor preservative for trawl twines and ropes which are expected to have a long life. The choice of the copper soap used depends upon the material to be preserved. Naphthenate is the most soluble and penetrates thick ropes excellently; on fine nets it leaches out easily. Oleate is cheaper, but its penetration is less; it does very well with tar on twines and nets. Resinate is the least soluble, but is useful with creosote oil or tar. On account of their greasy nature naphthenate and oleate act as lubricants in ropes.

Immersion tests on other preservatives, kindly suggested by Dr S. G. Barker, are to be begun.