Paratectonatica tigrina employs three predatory tactics against bivalve prey: wall-drilling, edge-drilling and non-drilling (suffocation) tactics. In this study, we conducted laboratory experiments to examine the predator–prey interactions between the naticid gastropod P. tigrina and two species of bivalve prey, Ruditapes philippinarum and Meretrix lusoria, and to investigate how predatory tactics

Structure and diversity of sessile zoobenthic assemblages seem to be driven not only by chemical-physical constraints and biological interactions but also by substrate lithology and its surface features. Nevertheless, broadly distributed crustose epilithic corallines could mask the role of substrate on animal settling. To evaluate the direct influence of different rocky substrates, occurrence and coverage

Sardinella aurita has become an important source of fish protein-intake in NW African countries, where one stock is considered from Morocco to south Senegal, performing seasonal reproductive migrations along the coast. Although data are limited for the fisheries involved and for life-history knowledge of the species in the area, a precautionary approach is recommended to avoid overexploitation. Commercial

Marine hydroids, the polyp stage of hydrozoans, are assumed to be carnivores and play an important role in benthic-pelagic coupling processes by regulating zooplankton populations and transferring energy. The known hydroid diets mainly consist of zooplankton as well as some benthic diatoms and metazoans, almost all of which have smaller dimensions than the polyp. In the present study, a large-scale

Mating strategy and sexual dimorphism of morphological traits of the leucosiid crab Pyrhila pisum were elucidated by analysing relative growth patterns of chelipeds and abdomen, and gonad development patterns. Male adults had long chelipeds compared with juvenile males and females. Among male adults, two phases with different slopes could be found in the regression lines; their chelipeds growth pattern

Horizontal and vertical distribution of cephalopod paralarvae (PL) from the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS) in the Western Caribbean was studied during two oceanographic cruises in 2006 and 2007. A total of 1034 PL belonging to 12 families, 22 genera, 24 species, 5 morphotypes and a species complex were identified. Abralia redfieldi, Onychoteuthis banksii and Ornithoteuthis antillarum were

Mesoscale features within the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) are known to influence zooplankton dynamics. Here we describe the composition of the zooplankton assemblage off shelf during summer in relation to environmental conditions, with emphasis on hyperiid amphipods and salps. Zooplankton samples were collected in summer of 2015 and 2016 in the central and southern GOM and in the Yucatan Channel in 2015.

Age, growth and reproduction biology of the golden grey mullet, Chelon auratus (Risso, 1810) have been studied in the Istanbul Golden Horn area. Fish length ranged from 13.4–46.8 cm, and age from 1–10 years, respectively. The sex ratio (female:male) was 1:1.08. The length-weight relationship was estimated as W = 0.0127L2.89, W = 0.0099L2.97 and W = 0.0156L2.82 for both sexes combined, females and males

In order to determine the sex of Chelonia mydas individuals found within one of the principal foraging areas of the Gulf of California during any given stage of ontogeny, 529 individuals were sampled in Bahía de los Ángeles from 1995–2012, and their morphometric data were collected. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed for the morphometric variables, and two principal components were

In Thailand, two species of rhizostome jellyfish, Rhopilema hispidum and Lobonemoides robustus, are commercially harvested. The cnidomes, nematocyst size and toxicities were compared between these species. Rhopilema hispidum and L. robustus each had four types of nematocysts on their oral arms. For R. hispidum, these nematocyst types included two types of isorhiza and two types of rhopaloid, while

Rhamphobrachium (Rhamphobrachium) agassizii is reported from the Cantabrian Sea, Spain, from depths of 925–1207 m. This is its first record off the Iberian Peninsula and in European waters, representing its northernmost distribution in the North Atlantic Ocean to date. Previous reports of R. (R.) agassizii from the eastern and western North Atlantic demonstrate its apparent amphi-Atlantic distribution

The catostylid jellyfish, Crambionella annandalei was originally described by Rao (1932) based on a preserved specimen collected from the Andaman Sea. Since then, no detailed taxonomic studies have been conducted and the species is often misidentified. Here, we provide a detailed morphological re-description of C. annandalei from fresh material collected at a variety of locations along the east coast

The goal of this study was to study the distribution of potential habitat markers (Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca, Mn/Ca and Li/Ca) in water from the Paranaguá Estuarine Complex (Brazil) and to study habitat use patterns of Cathorops spixii through ontogeny employing otolith microchemistry. Fish were caught from three sampling sites while water samples were collected at eight stations covering a salinity range from

In this paper a rare case of a double swordfish mortal attack against an adult blue shark (Prionace glauca) is reported. A female blue shark, with a total length of 3 m, was found stranded along the southern Sicilian coast (Strait of Sicily, Mediterranean Sea) on 30 May 2018. The analysis of this carcass revealed the presence of two swordfish bill fragments, impaled in the shark head; the former on

Since the mid-1980s, swarms of the rhizostome Rhopilema nomadica have been an annual phenomenon in Israeli Mediterranean coastal waters during the summer months. Despite its annual prominence and the potential impact on food webs and ecosystem services, studies concerning its feeding ecology and its interactions with other biota in the marine food web have not been conducted. During summer 2015 gut

This work aimed to test whether the colour variability featured by the European nudibranch Polycera quadrilineata is consistent with the concept of a single polychromatic species or may hide multiple lineages. Samples from across the geographic range of P. quadrilineata together with representatives from worldwide species with a focus on Atlantic diversity, were gathered and studied using an integrative

Morphometric analysis is one of the tools widely used to quantify, analyse and describe the variations in the biological forms of animals. In this study, we examined the linear morphometric variations of the shell of the small intertidal gastropod Echinolittorina lineolata and compared the patterns to identify variations among populations and between sexes. The individuals were collected from latitudes

The loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) is a circumglobal species and is listed as vulnerable globally. The North Pacific population nests in Japan and migrates to the Central North Pacific and Pacific coast of North America to feed. In the Mexican Pacific, records of loggerhead presence are largely restricted to the Gulf of Ulloa along the Baja California Peninsula, where very high fisheries by-catch

Estuarine habitats are major nurseries for the European flounder Platichthys flesus, with different year classes sharing food and space resources. Hence, an understanding of feeding strategies that optimize resource use and maintain carrying capacity is fundamental for sustainable and successful ecosystem management. The main feeding areas of juvenile European flounder (including 0-group and 1-group

Contaminants causing sex-altering, endocrine disrupting-like (ED) effects, or otherwise influencing reproduction, have been of growing concern to humans for more than 50 years. They have also been a perturbing, though less well-studied, phenomenon in marine organisms, following the recognition of tributyltin (TBT)-induced imposex and population extinctions in (neo)gastropods in the 1970s. Whilst ED

Knowledge of bio-physicochemical variables is essential to better understand the functioning of tropical marine ecosystems, which are rich in biodiversity and provide nutrition and livelihoods to billions of people in the developing countries. This study analysed the spatial and temporal variability of phytoplankton and zooplankton with chlorophyll, primary productivity, temperature, salinity, oxygen

A thermo-tolerant diatom species has been isolated from Tunisian hot spring water (40°C). The isolated diatom has been molecularly identified and classified into the genus Halamphora. The growth kinetics, lipid content and distribution of fatty acids were assessed at 20 and 30°C temperature levels and constant irradiance in controlled batch cultures (11 days). Halamphora sp. showed better growth (μ

Three new species of echinoderid kinorhynchs are described from Daidokutsu, a submarine cave in Ryukyu Islands, Japan. Echinoderes gama sp. nov. is characterized by the presence of middorsal acicular spines on segments 4–8; lateroventral acicular spines on segments 7–9; lateroventral tubes on segment 5; sublateral tubes on segment 8; laterodorsal tubes on segment 10; and type-2 gland cell outlets in

The continental shelf edge of the NW Gulf of Mexico supports dozens of reefs and banks, including the West and East Flower Garden Banks (FGB) and Stetson Bank that comprise the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS). Discovered by fishermen in the early 1900s, the FGBs are named after the colourful corals, sponges and algae that dominate the region. The reefs and banks are the surface

Marine gastropods are consumed worldwide due to their nutritional quality, having important economic value in international markets. In the gulfs of Northern Patagonia (Argentina), marine gastropods are captured as complementary resources during bivalve artisanal fisheries. In this study, we determined the biochemical composition during the reproductive cycle of four edible marine gastropods abundant

Lysmata vittata is considered an invasive shrimp in the Atlantic Ocean and some characteristics might have contributed to its invasive success, such as its larval nutritional vulnerability during the early stages of development. The objective of this study was to evaluate the early larval stages of the shrimp L. vittata. Ovigerous specimens were captured in an estuarine region of north-eastern Brazil

A new species of chionelasmatid sessile vent barnacle, Eochionelasmus coreana sp. nov., is described and illustrated on the basis of specimens collected from the Solitaire hydrothermal vent field in the Central Indian Ridge of the Indian Ocean. This new species is morphologically very similar to E. ohtai, the type species of the genus Eochionelasmus. However, it differs from E. ohtai in its distribution

Syntopic species with similar anatomic configuration may face strong competition for trophic resources, thus relying on developed mechanisms to ensure coexistence. The present study investigated the influence of body size on trophic interactions between juveniles of two closely related fish species at three sandy beaches in south-eastern Brazil. A total of 150 fish were sampled, where 103 were identified

We report the results of a survey of the fishes of Kāne‘ohe Bay, O‘ahu, conducted in 2017 as part of the Smithsonian Institution MarineGEO Hawaii bioassessment. We recorded 109 species in 43 families. The most speciose families were Acanthuridae (11 species), Gobiidae (11 species), Pomacentridae (10) and Chaetodontidae (9 species). Nine of the species that we collected are known or suspected to be

We have estimated the length at maturity and length-weight relationships for five fish species inhabiting the deep-sea from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands off the Indian coast between 295–650 m deep in a trawl survey carried out in March–April 2017. Hauls were carried out by a high-speed Demersal Trawl Crustacean Version trawl net and analysis was performed for a total of 832 specimens. Length at

For species with environmental sex determination, understanding the relationship between reproduction and environmental factors is important for predicting their reproductive output. Here, we study intra-annual variation in green turtle nesting during the 2010–2016 seasons at Penang Island (5°16′28″–5°28′15″N 100°10′52″–100°11′55″E), Malaysia. The additive modelling on a monthly-basis number of nests

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) have been surveyed for at least two decades on the southern Brazilian coast. However, little is known about their distribution and habitat use in lower latitudes of the South-western Atlantic Ocean. Aiming to study the movements and distribution of the species along the south-eastern Brazilian coast, we made a comparison of photo-identified individuals of the

The genera Ophiophragmus and Amphiodia are amphiurids that are considered taxonomically difficult due to their great resemblance, few diagnostic characters and synonymy problems. Our aim is to redescribe the species using scanning electron microscopy and morphometry of diagnostic structures, and to provide new information for the identification of these Ophiuroidea. Five Amphiodia spp. and six Ophiophragmus

Moulting is essential for crustacean growth, but is one of the causes of mortality, because a crustacean cannot move during and just after its ecdysis. In the cases of ectosymbiotic crabs, escape from the host's hostile response may also be a problem during its own ecdysis. In this study, Sestrostoma sp. (Varunidae), an ectosymbiotic crab which clings to the ventral abdomen of upogebiid shrimps with

The diet and feeding habits of the pelagic thresher shark Alopias pelagicus were analysed based on 104 stomachs (N = 84 females, 20 males) collected off Santa Rosa de Salinas, in the Ecuadorian Pacific. The sharks were caught between February 2008 and January 2009 in artisanal fisheries. The trophic spectrum of A. pelagicus included 19 prey items (10 cephalopods and 9 teleost fishes), the main four

Although marine phylogeographers have accumulated knowledge of the evolutionary history of various invertebrates, there is a large bias among the taxa regarding genetic data. The order Polycladida is a typical example for which little genetic information at population level is available. Here, we focused on the polyclad flatworm Stylochoplana pusilla, distributed in the Japanese Pacific coastal area

The coast of Aragua is a home of bottlenose dolphins (BND), Atlantic spotted dolphins (ASD) and fishermen (FIS) from four towns. A photo-identification study was carried out on BND to estimate their home ranges. From 2004 to 2008, 100 field surveys were carried out along 30 km of coastline (92.12 km2). In each sighting of BND, information regarding date, time, latitude/longitude and photographs were

Resource partitioning is important for species coexistence. Species with similar ecomorphological characters have a high potential for competition, especially when close phylogenetically. The diet and resource partitioning of four snappers (Lutjanus alexandrei, L. analis, L. jocu and L. synagris) was studied in the Tubarão River, north-eastern Brazil, between March and November 2012. Specimens were

Marine traffic has both short- and long-term effects on cetacean behaviour, yet fishing vessels present a unique situation as they disturb cetaceans whilst potentially offering alternative foraging opportunities. The Istanbul Strait is a key area for the study of anthropogenic disturbance on cetaceans due to heavy human pressure in a narrow space where at least three cetacean species are regularly

The catch of Japanese butterfish, Psenopsis anomala in Taiwan is greater than those of any other nation; however, the biology, particularly the age and growth, of this economically important fish species is little known. This study describes the age and growth of P. anomala based on 734 specimens (340 females, 363 males, 31 unsexed) caught by trawl fishery in the north-eastern waters off Taiwan from

The amphipod Ericthonius didymus Krapp-Schickel, 2013 is reported for the first time outside its type locality in European waters, from the French Atlantic coast and from the Azores, Portugal. In particular, a large population was recorded in Arcachon, France. Molecular analyses were made to confirm the validity of three closely related Ericthonius species: E. didymus, E. convexus and E. pugnax. An

The reproductive biology and diet of the longtail butterfly ray Gymnura poecilura is described based on 630 specimens (N = 377 females and 253 males). The mean disc width (WD) of females and males was 576.7 mm (range = 190–920 mm) and 416.3 mm (230–550 mm), respectively. Sexual dimorphism in size was seen, with the maximum size of males being only 60% of the maximum female size. The disc widths at

Some biological aspects of marbled spinefoot (Siganus rivulatus) were determined from a southern Aegean Sea small-scale fishery. A total of 721 individuals were captured (335 females, 279 males and 87 immature) and sex ratio was found to be 1:1.27, female to male. Total lengths and ages of individuals ranged between 9.0–26.1 cm and 1–9 years. Asymptotic length (L∞), growth coefficient (K) and the theoretical

Over the last 25 years, the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) has made a significant return to the Southern Bight of the North Sea and the English Channel due to a shift in distribution from northerly regions. Although the ecological drivers of this return are unclear, this species faces multiple threats in the region, including by-catch and habitat degradation. Ferry-based surveys were conducted

Since 2012, when Ophiothela was first described in the Atlantic, there has been no consensus regarding its identification. It has been described as O. mirabilis, O. cf. mirabilis, O. danae, or only Ophiothela sp. In order to fill these gaps, our aim was to test if specimens from Brazil are Ophiothela mirabilis and/or Ophiothela danae. Syntypes from the Museum of Comparative Zoology and United States

This study presents two years of characterization of a warm temperate rhodolith bed in order to analyse how certain environmental changes influence the community ecology. The biomass of rhodoliths and associated species were analysed during this period and in situ experiments were conducted to evaluate the primary production, calcification and respiration of the dominant species of rhodoliths and epiphytes

The catch of Japanese butterfish, Psenopsis anomala in Taiwan is greater than those of any other nation; however, the biology, particularly the age and growth, of this economically important fish species is little known. This study describes the age and growth of P. anomala based on 734 specimens (340 females, 363 males, 31 unsexed) caught by trawl fishery in the north-eastern waters off Taiwan from

This study verifies the food assimilation of a carnivorous teleost in different timescales (weeks vs months) and evaluates how it uses the food sources. The target species is the adult ribbonfish, Trichiurus lepturus, a voracious teleost caught in commercial fisheries off south-east Brazil (21°S–22°S). The isotope models indicated Chirocentrodon bleekerianus as the main food in the ribbonfish diet

The Order Suberitida is defined as a group of marine sponges without an obvious cortex, a skeleton devoid of microscleres, and with a deletion of a small loop of 15 base pairs in the secondary structure of the 28S rDNA as a molecular synapomorphy. Suberitida comprises three families and 26 genera distributed worldwide, but mostly in temperate and polar waters. Twenty species were reported along the

Generation of ion electrochemical potential differences by primary active transport can involve energy inputs from light, from exergonic redox reactions and from exergonic ATP hydrolysis. These electrochemical potential differences are important for homoeostasis, for signalling, and for energizing nutrient influx. The three main ions involved are H+, Na+ (efflux) and Cl− (influx). In prokaryotes, fluxes

For the management of mollusc resources, knowledge of various population parameters and exploitation level of the population of wedge clams are needed. Population dynamics on wedge clam, Donax scortum is still unknown in Asia. FAO-ICLARM Stock Assessment Tools (commonly known as FiSAT) was used for calculating population parameters of this species. The specimens of D. scortum were collected from Padukere

Black scorpion fish (Scorpaena porcus) is an important species for both artisanal and industrial fisheries in the Turkish Black Sea, with 306 tonnes landed in 2017. The diet composition of this species was investigated through the examination of their stomach contents. A total of 621 S. porcus (ranging from 12.79–765.5 g) were caught by trammel net in the south-eastern Black Sea (Turkish waters) from

We report on the relationships between some conspicuous Mediterranean photophilous sponge species and Caulerpa cylindracea, a non-indigenous species. A diversification of defence strategies and behaviour is highlighted in target species belonging to different orders of Demospongiae from a western Mediterranean Marine Protected Area (NW Sardinian Sea). Caulerpa cylindracea displays a strongly invasive

Rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) are regularly present in continental shelf areas of the South-western Atlantic. However, there is little information on the natural history and ecology of these delphinids. This study evaluated the occurrence, habitat use and individual movements of the species in coastal waters off Rio de Janeiro, south-eastern Brazil. Data were obtained from boat surveys

We present the description of a new species of genus Timea and the re-description of T. hechteli from cryptic habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. Timea alcoladoi sp. nov. is an encrusting, pale orange sponge, with megascleres ranging from styles to subtylostyles (185–990 μm long) and a single category of microscleres, spherostrongilaster characterized by a prominent rounded centre (5–15 μm in diameter)

Humans who eat fish are exposed to mixtures of healthful nutrients and harmful contaminants that are influenced by environmental and ecological factors. Marine fisheries are composed of a multitude of species with varying life histories, and harvested in oceans, coastal waters and estuaries where environmental and ecological conditions determine fish exposure to both nutrients and contaminants. Many

Microalgal blooms are a natural part of the seasonal cycle of photosynthetic organisms in marine ecosystems. They are key components of the structure and dynamics of the oceans and thus sustain the benefits that humans obtain from these aquatic environments. However, some microalgal blooms can cause harm to humans and other organisms. These harmful algal blooms (HABs) have direct impacts on human health

Growth rates of newly-metamorphosed urchins from a single spawning event (three males and three females) were highly variable, despite being held en masse under identical environmental and nutritional conditions. As individuals reached ~5 mm diameter (0.07-0.10 g wet weight), they were placed in growth trials (23 dietary treatments containing various nutrient profiles). Elapsed time from the first

Recent studies of hydrozoans suggest that metabolic factors associated with the physiology of gastrovascular fluid transport play a role in regulating morphogenetic development of colonies. In that context, the objective of this study was to develop a system to experimentally control diets of hydrozoans in culture that could be used to test effects of specific compounds. This diet delivery system consisted