Recent observations of unusual mass stranding and mortality of two Indian Ocean crustacean species, the swimming crab Charybdis smithii and the mantis shrimp Natosquilla investigatoris, are documented and analysed. Strandings of C. smithii were observed for the first time in the equatorial Indian Ocean, the main area of its pelagic distribution. Strandings of mantis shrimps are reported from throughout the western Indian Ocean; occurrences of mass stranding in the Maldives Archipelago mark an extension of the known range of N. investigatoris into the central Indian Ocean. Mortality of crabs probably represents a ‘catastrophic event’. In contrast, mantis shrimp strandings, which were always associated with a sudden increase of its biomass (‘blooms’), are apparently post-reproduction mortalities indicating potential semelparity for this species.

The salp Thalia rhomboides is distributed in the shallow depths during the day, and is thus at increased risk of predation by visual predators and from the damaging effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation compared with species distributed in deeper layers in the daytime. The integument (tunic) of T. rhomboides may have adaptive optical properties, but the absorption spectra of the unfixed tunic demonstrate that the tunic transmits UV as well as visible light, indicating that the tunic is not an effective barrier against UV radiation. Ultrastructural observation revealed that the surface of the tunic cuticle is covered in a nipple array consisting of hemispherical protuberances approximately 40 and 30 nm in diameter in solitary and aggregate zooids, respectively. Simulation of light reflection of a nipple array using rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) indicated that the reflection is slightly lower for the nipple array than for a flat surface at high angles of incidence (θ > 80°). This result supports the idea that the nipple array serves to make the salp less visible. The simulation also indicated that the height and distribution of the salp nipple array do not have an optimal structure for causing an antireflection effect. A mechanical restriction might exist on the structures, and the nipple array could also serve another function. The size and distribution of nipples may be controlled by the need to meet the complex requirements of multiple essential functions.

The feeding biology of bahia sprat (Rhinosardinia bahiensis) was studied in two habitats of a tropical semi-arid estuary, on the north-eastern Brazilian coast. Samplings were collected on a monthly basis (January 2010–February 2011), and fish were caught during the day using an 8 m beach seine. Habitat use was size-dependent, with tidal mudflat occupied by higher size-classes than tidal creeks, which were occupied by smaller conspecifics. The diet analysis of different size-classes revealed that all sizes of fish consumed similar taxa (Calanoida, Cyclopoida and Decapoda larvae), and that the relative proportion of taxa consumed reflected fish size. Dietary differences between the two nursery areas mainly reflected prey availability. Although high diet overlap was only found between some size-classes in tidal mudflat, these results seem to demonstrate a strategy for efficient use of space potential; intraspecific competition was probably minimized by a differential habitat use patterns.

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.

The present research provides detailed information on the geographic and bathymetric distributional patterns of fishes and describes the main species assemblages of the continental shelf and upper slope off El Salvador. The sampling was based on 673 bottom-trawl tows taken during research surveys from April to November 2003. The data analysis was based on presence-absence matrixes and was conducted with PRIMER 6 software. A total of 148 fish species were recorded during the study period: the families with the highest number of species were Sciaenidae (13) and Carangidae (10), and the highest percentages of occurrence were registered for Porichthys margaritatus (40.6%), Pontinus sp. (34.8%) and Monolene dubiosa (33.1%). The cluster analysis by depth showed three faunistic associations: (1) on the inner and part of the mid continental shelf (20–60 m), (2) one bathymetric stratum on the mid continental shelf (80–100 m), and (3) on the outer continental shelf and upper slope (120–240 m). The cluster analysis by geographic zones showed separation between three zones: Western, Central and Eastern Zones off El Salvador. The Central zone is characterized by a different fish community of mixed habitat, while the main factor that determined the fish assemblages on the continental shelf and upper slope was depth.

The stomach contents of juvenile Magellanic penguins, Spheniscus magellanicus, stranded along the Atlantic coast (21–23°S) during the extreme mortality event of 2008 were analysed. The isotopic profiles of this species and their prey in a wintering area are presented to identify trophic relationships and to evaluate whether the prey species recovered in the stomach contents were assimilated. The prey groups recorded were molluscs (cephalopods and gastropods), teleost fish, and, to a lesser extent, crustaceans (decapods and isopods). Cephalopods were the most representative prey, and Argonauta nodosa was the most abundant species. Plant remains and solid waste were atypical items found in the stomach contents. The nitrogen isotope (δ15N) values found in this study confirm the higher trophic position of the penguins (14.5‰) relative to their prey (11.7–12.3‰). The carbon isotope (δ13C) measurements of all species are characteristic of marine coastal environments (−18.7 to −16.8‰). A Bayesian approach applied to stable isotope mixing models showed that cephalopods are assimilated to a greater extent than fish. However, the poor nutritional condition of specimens that reach the Brazilian coast, especially at the northern limit of migration (~21°S), indicates that prey ingestion is not sufficient for the maintenance of body weight.

The current study investigated basic biological features for two co-occurring shore crabs Pachygrapsus marmoratus and P. transversus in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Differences in population structure, reproductive periods and settlement patterns were studied along the coast of Lebanon. Sizes of sampled individuals ranged from 4 to 37 mm carapace width (CW) for P. marmoratus and from 3.5 to 24 mm CW for P. transversus. Males were larger than females in both species, each of them exhibiting different size frequency distributions. Both male and female proportions were similar for P. marmoratus while males dominated the population of P. transversus. Fecundity and egg sizes were higher in P. marmoratus and fecundity was directly related to body size for the two crabs. Size structures differed between studied locations showing size restrictions for specific size-classes. Females from both species remained ovigerous for about 5 months, with P. transversus (May–August) started 1 month after P. marmoratus. Larger sized females displayed higher fecundities. The recruitment of juveniles lasted 5 months for both P. marmoratus (December–May) and P. transversus (November–April). Our results showed that niche partitioning occurred between the two species, where P. marmoratus starts incubating earlier than P. transversus while young of the year of the latter settle earlier on the reefs, taking advantage of convenient seawater temperatures and thus minimizing competition. This study shed some light on the populations of grapsid crabs living in the eastern Mediterranean and provided baseline information on the biology and ecology of the two congeneric shore crabs and their interactions.

This paper analyses the population dynamics, growth and feeding ecology of Dicentrarchus labrax in order to gain a better understanding of its present role in the western Dutch Wadden Sea ecosystem. Otolith analysis showed that the population is mostly comprised of individuals aged 3–5 years old and between 20 and 45 cm in length. In autumn, 0-group juveniles are also an important part of the population. Both juveniles and adults use the area as a feeding ground exhibiting an opportunistic feeding strategy that relies on available prey, especially the brown shrimp Crangon crangon. Stomach content analysis and nitrogen stable isotope analysis showed an ontogenetic shift towards piscivory and a general decrease in the dominance of invertebrates with increasing size. Over the last 50 years, large between-year fluctuations in D. labrax abundance have been observed with an underlying increasing trend from about 1990 until 2007 followed by a subsequent decline. Spring abundance showed significant relationships with temperature and salinity while autumn abundance was only related to temperature. Spring and autumn D. labrax abundance were also strongly related to abundance of brown shrimp C. crangon prey. Long-term trends in temperature and salinity in the area suggest that environmental conditions for juvenile growth have become optimal, resulting in increased abundance since the mid-1980s. Continued monitoring of the dynamics of this species in the Dutch Wadden Sea is important to understand and anticipate the effects of climate change on the D. labrax population and its role in the local food web.

This study reports for the first time on the whole epibiont fauna of loggerhead marine turtles, Caretta caretta, in the western Mediterranean, analysing the factors that account for the predictability and composition of the assemblage. A total of 104 loggerhead turtles stranded along the coasts of eastern Spain during 1995–2006 were surveyed for epibionts. A total of 39 epibiont taxa were identified, three of them being new records for loggerhead turtles: Bittium sp., Idotea metallica and Jassa sp. The assemblage was composed of a group of 27 facultative taxa that use turtles as any inanimate buoyant substrate, and 12 taxa that have developed more specific associations to marine turtles, including six species that occur in marine turtles exclusively, two that dwell also on other hosts, and four that can also survive as free-living forms but have developed a strong association with marine turtles. Hierarchical clustering and Similarity Profile Analysis based on the occurrence of 166 epibiont taxa from nine available surveys indicated that the epibiont assemblages from loggerhead turtles in the western Mediterranean (WM) are similar to those from Central Mediterranean (CM), but significantly different from turtles surveyed in the eastern Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The subset of epibionts occurring on WM and CM turtles is defined by a combination of geographic factors (exclusive Mediterranean epibiont taxa) and ecological factors (relative absence of littoral-benthic taxa). Loggerhead turtles from WM and CM apparently exploit both pelagic and benthic habitats in similar fashion, representing a homogeneous unit for epibiont recruitment.

A total of 1725 specimens of Dentex maroccanus caught in the eastern coast of Algeria from June 2011 to May 2012 were examined for an age and reproduction study. Total length (TL) ranged from 10.4 cm (16.05 g) to 26.8 cm (300.80 g). The maximum estimated age was 7 years for females and 8 years for males. The growth function of Von Bertalanffy fitted to back-calculated size at age data was: TL = 36.64[1 − e−0.2(t−0.5)] and TL = 37.26[1 − e−0.2(t−0.5)] for females and males respectively. Total length – eviscerated weight (We) relationship was estimated as We = 0.012 TL3.046 for females and We = 0.011 TL3.067 for males, being allometrically positive for both sexes. Sex-ratio was 1:0.9 in favour of females. A five-stage maturity scale based on macroscopic characteristics was identified and used to classify the gonads. The reproductive season, evaluated from a gonadosomatic index, extended from May to September. Fifty per cent maturity of the tested sample was reached at a total length of 14.4 cm TL for females and 15.1 cm TL for males.

Two seahorse species, Hippocampus spinosissimus and Hippocampus trimaculatus, sampled in east and west coastal waters of Peninsular Malaysia, fed mostly on crustacean prey; small caridean shrimps and amphipods as adults (both species), and copepods and larval meroplankton as juveniles (for H. trimaculatus only). The similar short relative gut length (~0.4) of both species is consistent with a carnivorous diet. Both species are considered specialists in prey selection, focusing on slow-moving epibenthic, hyperbenthic and canopy-dwelling crustaceans that dwell on the mud-sand seabed, or are associated with seagrass or mangrove areas. In this light, seahorses with their juveniles in shallow waters are vulnerable to coastal reclamation and development.

The network of roots and rhizomes of seagrasses plays an important role in coastal ecosystems by anchoring the substrate firmly, controlling the biogeochemistry of the sediments and providing habitat for many infaunal organisms. The purpose of this study was to compare five seagrass communities in southern Thailand in terms of species composition, belowground biomass, redox potential and the abundance of the dominant bivalve Pillucina vietnamica. The communities of Halophila ovalis, Cymodocea rotundata, Thalassia hemprichii, H. ovalis with C. rotundata and C. rotundata with T. hemprichii were studied. Belowground biomass, redox potential, bivalve abundance and bivalve size differed among communities and depths (P < 0.05). The redox potential in vegetated areas was lower than in bare sand, showing that seagrass roots trapped more organic matter than did bare sand. The lowest redox potential was in a monospecific patch of the branching root species, C. rotundata. The abundance of P. vietnamica in vegetated areas was lower than in bare sand (P < 0.05). Pillucina vietnamica was relatively large in size in the monospecific stands of C. rotundata and T. hemprichii, where relatively high root biomass and belowground biomass, respectively, were found. Our results suggest that seagrass promotes anoxic conditions belowground by trapping sediment but could obstruct the burrowing activity of lucinids, as dense populations of lucinids occurred mainly in bare sand. However, seagrass also provided shelter for lucinids, as larger bivalves were found in seagrass areas. The interactions among belowground seagrass parts, the biogeochemistry of sediments and the lucinids are highly complex and merit further study.

Otolith microstructure analysis was used to determine daily age, growth rate and hatching periods of young of the year (YOY) common two-banded seabream, Diplodus vulgaris, collected at two sites by using beach seine from Çanakkale shallow waters between January and December 2007. Total length of the YOY D. vulgaris was between 12 and 86 mm and the daily ages ranged between 42 and 313 days. Somatic growth rate estimated by fitting a linear regression to the age–length data set was calculated as 0.273 mm day−1. According to the length–age regression analysis, maximum daily growth rates were found 0.277 mm day−1 in the lowest sea temperature period and minimum values of 0.274 mm day−1 were observed in the declining sea temperature period. Analysis of covariance indicated that there were no significant differences in the linear growth equations for the two cohorts (F = 0.4008, P = 0.527). Hatching period of the YOY was estimated to occur between October and March with relatively higher frequency in January. This study has shown that YOY D. vulgaris is a winter spawner in the Çanakkale shallow waters.

Based on data from 151 underwater surveys (scuba) between 2002 and 2007, the present study assessed the reef fish fauna from a scarcely known region on the north-eastern Brazilian coast (Ceará State). A checklist of 179 taxa is provided and the zoogeographic patterns are analysed and discussed, including six other localities. Based only on assemblage composition, the reef fish fauna from Ceará showed a strong resemblance (73%) with the reefs of Risca do Zumbi (RN) and Paraiba (PB). The data from the visual censuses including abundance values corroborate the evaluation based only on composition and suggest ecological factors as the main drivers of the fish assemblages in the region.

The stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes and fatty acid composition of tapertail anchovy (Coilia mystus) at four migration stages collected around the Changjiang Estuary were analysed to investigate the variations in the trophic biomarkers during the fish migration. δ13 C and δ15N values of C. mystus ranged from −21.5 to −15.4‰ and from 6.9–15.8‰, respectively. Both δ13C and δ15N were enriched during migration. Polyunsaturated fatty acids were the dominant fatty acids and the major fatty acids found in C. mystus were C20:5n-3, C22:6n-3, C20:4n-6, C16:0, C18:0, C16:1n-7, C18:1(n-9, n-7) and C20:1 + C22:1. Significant changes among C. mystus at different migration stages were found both in the fatty acid composition and specific fatty acid concentration. Though the enrichment of stable isotopes may due to multiple factors (e.g. diet shift, environment and ontogeny), the dietary influence can be determined by the variation in fatty acid composition. Changes in the concentrations of benthic markers (C18:1n-7 and C20:4n-6) and pelagic markers (C18:1n-9 and C20:1 + C22:1) in C. mystus during the migration may suggest that benthic and pelagic food sources alternately dominated the anchovies' diet during different migration stages. It seems that application of multiple biomarkers in the trophic study of migratory fish will elevate the reliability of the analysis.

Artificial reefs (ARs) are often used to improve fishing and, consequently, the economy of a region. However, the way in which the species use the reefs may vary between fish assemblages. An assessment was made of the influence of an AR complex on the transient fish population off the northern coast of Rio de Janeiro state and, therefore, two control areas were sampled. Gillnets were used to capture individual fish in six sampling surveys. Cumulative abundance and biomass curves (ABC) were used to assess the possible effects of the reefs on the community's functional structure. In the dry season, during which the influence of the Paraíba do Sul River is smaller, a larger richness of r-strategy species and juveniles of K-strategy species was observed in the reef area compared with the control areas, suggesting that the AR acts as a protective environment for these species. During the lower river discharge period the results indicated a potential disturbance in the functional structure of the AR fish community and, therefore, a less stable environment relative to the control areas. This ‘instability’ warrants a positive connotation, as it indicates that the artificial reefs are harbouring species that are particularly sensitive to predation, making the reef a powerful tool for maintaining these populations on the northern coast of Rio de Janeiro.

The population structure and reproductive biology of deep-water continental margin Cynoglossidae is poorly known. Here, we focused on two highly abundant species of the upper slope of the NW Mediterranean Sea, Symphurus nigrescens and S. ligulatus. Megafaunal sampling of 37 hauls was conducted between April 2003 and May 2004 in the Blanes canyon and the adjacent open slope between 300–1500 m depth. The differential bathymetric distribution between the two species was surveyed by standardizing catch data per unit of swept surface and by pooling resulting densities by 100 m depth interval. Females of both species were classified into a five-stage maturity scale according to their external appearance and their gonads dissected for histological analysis. The analysis of the species' bathymetric distribution revealed a differential and only partial overlap. In both species, an increase in size with depth was observed coinciding with the dominance of females in deeper depth strata. The shallower species, S. nigrescens showed a marked spawning period with a peak in summer. In contrast, the deeper-living species, S. ligulatus, presented a longer spawning period ranging from spring to autumn. Moreover, histological examination demonstrated that the ovaries of both species had an asynchronous organization. Present results on spatial-temporal size frequency distribution, spawning temporality and oocyte size are discussed assuming interspecific competition and the different environmental conditions related to their bathymetric distribution.

Thunnus alalunga is an important commercial tuna species widely distributed in the three major oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean population is currently classified as a data-poor stock and little is known about its basic life history parameters. This study provides the first detailed information on some aspects of the reproductive biology of T. alalunga from the western Mediterranean Sea. A total of 16 104 specimens were measured between 2005 and 2012. The overall sex ratio of females to males was 1.1:1, although the ratio was female biased in fish <70 cm fork length (LF) and male biased in those >75 cm LF. Histological analysis of the ovaries (N = 587) and the monthly variation of the gonadosomatic index for both sexes showed that spawning occurred from June to August, which is a much shorter period than the 7 months reported for T. alalunga in tropical oceanic waters. Thunnus alalunga caught during June and July are capable of spawning daily. The gonadosomatic index values for T. alalunga from the western Mediterranean were up to eight times higher than those of T. alalunga from other oceans. Histological examination of the ovaries showed that the minimum length at sexual maturity of females was 56 cm LF, which is considerably smaller than those estimated for other stocks.

Temperature is one of the most influential factors for the sexual maturation of fishes, but understanding of the extent to which temperature affects the maturational schedules is limited in multiple-spawning fishes over a protracted season. This study examined the effect of temperature on sexual maturation of Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus siblings under high and low temperature regimes on different birthdates. The maturation probability differed between the two temperature regimes. Specimens in high temperature regimes matured at much smaller size and younger age than their counterparts. Also, a significant difference in the maturation probability between sexes was found at low temperatures, but not at high temperatures. Our findings show that temperature affects the maturational schedules of siblings of Japanese anchovy, suggesting that the size and age at sexual maturation could differ among cohorts, even in a given sampling location and/or year.