A replica method involving the use of a polyvinylsiloxane impression material with a resin cast, particularly suitable in the study of marine biofilms, is described. The technique has advantages over other methods in that it is quick, non-toxic, non-destructive and inexpensive. Replicas of critical-point dried eggcases of the dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula (L.) (Elasmobranchii: Squaliformes) showed the replica to be true down to the size of bacteria. It was also possible to replicate larger areas such as patches of living barnacles on an intertidal rock.

The study of marine biofilms often involves the use of destructive techniques such as conventional scanning electron microscopy (SEM), histology and in vacuo spectroscopic methods (Baier & Meyer, 1986), so a single surface may not be examined repeatedly. Alternatively, the surface of interest may not be amenable to examination by standard techniques due to, for example, large size or incompatibility of the material of interest. In materials science the use of replica techniques to overcome such problems have been common (Goodhew, 1973), though techniques commonly involve the use of solvents (Loh, 1989) or silicone elastomers that may have a curing period of several hours (Gordon, 1984) and are consequently unsuitable for the study of biofilms. Scott (1982) reviewed the use of dental impression materials for field use in metallurgy and in recent years, dental impression materials have been used in the study of plant morphology (Green & Linstead, 1990). In this paper we consider the use of a hydrophilic polyvinylsiloxane impression material in the study of both microscopic and macroscopic marine biofilms.

Examination of a small sample of Podocerus chelonophilus found clustered around mucus-exuding epidermal lesions of juvenile loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) collected off Madeira revealed the presence of fibrous material in the gut contents. The absence of planktonic remains suggested that these amphipods had been exploiting turtle material directly.

With the exception of the Cyamidae (whale lice), rather few amphipod taxa consistently live in association with marine vertebrates. Sea turtles, however, have been recorded carrying gammaridean and caprellidean epibionts by Caine (1986), who reported eight gammaridean species (including two domicolous fouling species) from nesting loggerhead turtles in Florida.

The fourth Cephalopod International Advisory Council (CIAC) Symposium, on The Behaviour and Natural History of Cephalopods, was held at Vico Equense, Naples, Italy, from 5 to 11 June 1994. The meeting comprised lectures, poster sessions, keynote review lectures and a series of workshops. These were designed to examine the present status of six key subject areas and to identify possible ways forward for research. Summaries of the main conclusions from the workshops are given here in order to draw the attention of a wider audience to some of the main issues now being debated among students of cephalopod behaviour.

Stomachs of 385 specimens of Seriola dumerili (Risso, 1810) have been analysed. Their coefficient of repletion is 50·8% in juveniles and 90·3% in adults. Juveniles feed almost exclusively on Teleostei with Engraulis encrasicholus and Sardina pilchardus as the main food; Cephalopoda (Loligo vulgaris and Sepiola sp.) and Crustacea (Squilla mantis) are also eaten. Adults feed on a great diversity of Teleostei headed by S. pilchardus and Merluccius merluccius.

According to Smith-Vaniz (1986)Seriola dumerili is both epibenthic and pelagic, occurring at 18–72 m in small to moderate schools. Juveniles are associated with flotsam in oceanic or offshore neritic waters. Adults often live near reefs or at deep off-shore holes or drop-offs. It is found from the Mediterranean and the Bay of Biscay to South Africa, from Nova Scotia to Brazil, and also in the Arabian Gulf, Australia, Japan and the Hawaiian Islands.

Surface energy has been demonstrated to have a significant effect upon the settlement and growth of many marine organisms. However, the measurement of surface energy has either been too expensive for most marine laboratories to consider its use, or the methods used have relied upon classical contact-angle theory. Modern contact-angle theory and a video-based technique using captive bubbles are described. The technique is non-destructive, inexpensive, rapid and accurate enough to compare living and man-made surfaces. A precision of ~5° has been achieved and rapidly-changing angles can be quantified. Data for PTFE sheet, Parafilm, acetate sheet, Geltek gel, sea-water-conditioned slate, Porphyra umbilicalis (L.) Agardh, Ciona intestinalis (L.), and Cyanea capillata (L.) are presented. The contact angles for the living surfaces are smaller (31–44°) than for all the non-living surfaces (73–112°), suggesting overall higher surface energies for the biological materials studied.