The occurrence of the candelabrum coral Ellisella paraplexauroides in Italian waters (Sicily Strait, Mediterranean Sea), was documented during a remotely operated vehicle cruise, carried out by ISPRA in May 2010 on-board the RV ‘Astrea’. Five specimens were photographed and sampled from 80 to 94 m depth on the north-east coasts of Pantelleria Island, confirming the distribution of this species in the central Mediterranean Sea. A description of the living colonies and other taxonomic and ecological characteristics is provided.

Polka-dot ribbonfish Desmodema polystictum was recorded for the first time from Indian waters. A single specimen of D. polystictum (107 cm total length and weighing 480 g) was collected from Tharuvaikulam landing centre, north to Tuticorin, on the south-east coast of India during September 2010. The distinguishing characters of the species from other species of the family are discussed. Morphometric and meristic characters of D. polystictum are presented in this paper. With the present report, the distribution area of this species now extends to the Indian waters.

The cardinal fish, Apogonichthyoides sialis, previously known from the eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific, is reported from the south-west coast of India (Kerala coast). The specimens are described and figured.

Upwelling can determine important changes in community structure on rocky shores. However, studies on the meiofauna in areas of upwelling are scarce and do not include analysis on the species level for Copepoda Harpacticoida. The present study aimed to describe the Harpacticoida community in a region under the influence of coastal upwelling (Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). The hypothesis tested was that temporal differences in the fauna would be greater at the rocky shore more affected by upwelling. Samples were collected from the sublittoral of two rocky shores: Sonar, which is more exposed to upwelling, in January and June 2004; and Pedra Vermelha, which is a sheltered shore, in March and September 2002. Each sample consisted of four replicates collected by scraping epilithic algae along with the associated sediment. Weekly data on surface water temperature and nitrate content denoted stronger upwelling in 2002 compared to 2004. Nine genera of Copepoda Harpacticoida are reported for the first time for the Brazilian coast. Univariate indices identified no differences between rocky shores or seasons, whereas multivariate analysis indicated significant differences in assemblages between shores and between seasons. The strong variation in physicochemical conditions associated with upwelling favoured the dominance of opportunistic species, such as Parastenhelia spinosa. At the Sonar rocky shore, temporal differences were significantly stronger than at Pedra Vermelha, thereby confirming the initial hypothesis. These results indicated that the occurrence of upwelling had a very important role structuring the Harpacticoida assemblage at the species level.

The aim of this paper is to describe the population structure and some reproductive aspects of Hippolyte zostericola during an annual cycle. Samples were taken bimonthly, from June 2009 to April 2010, with a Colman–Seagrove sledge net on seagrass meadows located in the internal margin of Isla del Carmen, Campeche, Mexico. The population structure of H. zostericola was similar throughout the cycle analysed. The males, significantly smaller than females (0.57–1.8 and 0.55–3.52 mm carapace length (CL), respectively), were more frequent between 0.8 and 1.54 mm CL, whereas in larger size-classes (1.8–3.52 mm CL) only females were registered, ovigerous principally. The sex-ratio was always in favour of males, mean of 1.3 males per female. Size at maturity (CL50) was 2.28 ± 0.1 mm CL. Based on the presence of ovigerous females throughout the year it is considered that the reproduction of H. zostericola is continuous. The main breeding season and recruitment occurs during the first third of the year. The mean fecundity of the species was 144 ± 69 eggs and varies with female size. The higher egg loss occurred in larger females (37.3%) and the relationship between fecundity and female size was estimated as negative allometric, which suggests that age influences the fecundity of the species.

The genus Achirus is made up of demersal fish that have a close relationship with the substrate and exhibit peculiar aspects during their larval stage. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the abundance of Achirus larvae differed among a set of habitats in the estuary of the Formoso River in the State of Pernambuco (north-eastern Brazil). Sampling was performed monthly between April 2009 and March 2010, and comprised horizontal hauls with plankton net during the day and night in mangrove, beach and reef habitats. Fish larvae were sorted, identified, measured and larval stage recorded. Density and body length values were used in a non-parametric analysis of variance for the determination of variations between seasons, habitats and diel periods. A total of 204 larvae were collected, with an average density of 2.1 larvae.100 m−3. Density was greater in the nocturnal samplings, with no differences found between habitats. The larvae occurred in the yolk-sac to post-flexion stage, with pre-flexion the most abundant stage (78%). Size segregation was observed. Larger larvae were captured at night and in the mangrove. The smallest larvae were caught on the reef, with length increasing toward the mangrove. The results indicate that Achirus larvae come from deeper regions near reefs, where spawning probably occurs, and perform ontogenetic migration towards the shallow waters of mangrove, where they settle.

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) migrate between their feeding grounds, located in high latitudes, and their breeding grounds, located in low latitudes, exhibiting certain levels of site fidelity to their migratory destinations. The residence time, also known as occupancy rate, can be defined as the minimum number of days that those individuals remained in the same area. In this paper, site fidelity and residence time of humpback whales that breed off the northern coast of Bahia, Brazil were investigated. Data were collected between 2000 and 2009 on-board research cruises and whale watching vessels. This paper also studies possible differences between males and females with respect to site fidelity off the Brazilian coast, using data collected since 1989. A total of 841 whales were photo-identified. The vast majority of the whales (96%, N = 809) were seen only once in the studied area, while 4% (32 individuals) were seen twice. Most of the resights occurred within the same season (72%, N = 23), while 9 resights (28%) occurred in different years. None of the individuals were seen more than twice. The average site fidelity rate was 1% and the occupancy rate varied from one up to 21 days (mean = 5.3; SD = 5.4, N = 23).

The original description of Tegula ignota was based on three shells found on the coast of Totoralillo Sur, northern Chile. Until now, there are no reports of living specimens of the species. The present study redescribes this snail based on shell, radula, epipodium and mantle characteristics observed in living specimens collected from the subtidal zone of La Boca, central Chile. Additionally, we extend the distribution of T. ignota more than 700 km to the south-eastern Pacific with additional material. Molecular analyses based on the 16S ribosomal DNA mitochondrial gene show that T. ignota is most closely related to Tegula atra than other Chilean species of Tegula. Voucher specimens of T. ignota were deposited in the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Chile.

The association of invertebrate communities with macroalgae rafts has received much attention over recent decades, yet significant gaps in our knowledge remain with respect to the colonization process. Using laboratory-based experiments and in situ field trials in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, this study investigated whether members of the known rafting genus Idotea (sub-phylum Crustacea; order Isopoda) could effectively colonize rafts after shore seaweed detachment, or if their presence merely reflected a passive marooning process. Test tank arenas were used to identify traits that may influence the rafting potential of the dominant shore species Idotea granulosa and the well known rafter Idotea baltica. When released mid-water, I. granulosa initially ascended and associated with floating seaweed whereas I. baltica tended to descend with no clear habitat association. These findings conflict with the differential distribution of these Idotea species among rafts and shore algae, thus highlighting the complex nature of the potential of organisms to raft. In the field we considered the relative ability of different Idotea species to colonize tethered rafts composed of Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus, cleaned of all vagile organisms and deployed at locations adjacent to established intertidal Idotea species populations. At the end of the experiment (after 44 days) rafts were inhabited by known rafting and shoreline species, confirming that colonization can occur after algal detachment. Previously considered shoreline species on occasion outnumbered well known rafters suggesting that a wide range of Idotea species can readily avail of macroalgal rafts as a potential dispersal mechanism or alternative habitat.

Vertical distribution of fish larvae can be modified by a series of physical processes occurring in the water column at different time and spatial scales and also by biological processes occurring during larval development. To assess the factors affecting the vertical distribution of larval anchoveta Engraulis ringens during austral spring, meteorological and oceanographic features were measured and stratified ichthyoplankton sampling was carried out in central Chile during active upwelling events. In November 2001, during the upwelling season, southerly winds dominate, and intrusion of low dissolved oxygen occurred in nearshore waters; preflexion larvae of E. ringens were collected in the mixed layer of the water column (the Ekman layer) irrespective of day and night hours. Larvae larger than 10 mm showed an inflated gas bladder during night collections, and non-inflated gas bladder during day hours. Larvae with inflated gas bladders were located significantly at shallower depths during night than at day hours, indicating a direct relationship between gas bladder inflation, diel vertical migration of larval E. ringens and decrease of wind-induced turbulence at night. We discuss the potential implications of larval E. ringens vertical distribution and its variability on the horizontal transport off coastal waters during the upwelling season off central Chile as a biophysical coupling to enhance coastal retention.

Knowledge about the diet of fish-eating predators is critical when evaluating conflicts with the fishing industry. Numerous primary studies have examined the diet of grey seals Halichoerus grypus and common seals Phoca vitulina in a bid to understand the ecology of these predators. However, studies of large-scale spatial and temporal variation in seal diet are limited. Therefore this review combines the results of seal diet studies published between 1980 and 2000 to examine how seal diet varies at a range of spatial and temporal scales. Our results revealed extensive spatial variation in gadiform, perciform and flatfish consumption, likely reflecting variation in prey availability. Flatfish and gadiform consumption varied between years, reflecting changes in fish assemblages as a consequence of factors such as varying fishing pressures, climate change and natural fluctuations in populations. Perciform and gadiform consumption varied seasonally: in addition there was a significant interaction between season and seal species, indicating that grey and common seals exhibited different patterns of seasonal variation in their consumption of Perciformes and Gadiformes. Multivariate analysis of grey seal diet revealed spatial variation at a much smaller scale, with different species dominating the diet in different areas. The existence of spatial and temporal variation in seal diet emphasizes that future assessments of the impact of seal populations should not be based on past or localized estimates of diet and highlights the need for up-to-date, site specific estimates of diet composition in the context of understanding and resolving seal/fisheries conflict.

In order to improve the methodology for growing and maintaining corals in captivity, a consortium of European zoos, aquaria and academia executed a four-year public/private collaborative research and innovation project (CORALZOO) on the breeding and husbandry of stony corals. CORALZOO comprised the following topics: (1) sexual and asexual breeding of corals in captivity, including techniques for propagation, feeding and induction of natural coral colony morphogenesis; and (2) coral husbandry: development of generic bioassays to evaluate biotic and abiotic husbandry parameters and to monitor coral health, elaboration of methods for identification and treatment of coral diseases and optimization of transport and acclimation procedures. The results of this project are reviewed.

Apseudopsis latreillii is a common tanaidacean species widely-distributed in the north-east Atlantic, but its diagnostic characters remain unspecified. Furthermore, intraspecific variation in relation to its developmental stages has not been described. Knowledge about this variation is needed owing to the difficulty of identification of the significant number of juvenile specimens within samples, particularly when sympatric with other apseudid species. Specimens from three different localities of the north-east Atlantic have been examined, and the size of 766 individuals has been measured. Study of postmarsupial development shows that the manca II is followed by two juvenile stages before reaching maturity. Males present two possible morphologies. After a preparatory stage, females pass through a sequence of copulatory instars followed by intermediate stages in which the female loses the ovisac after manca release. Characters allowing the distinction of A. latreillii specimens regardless of developmental stage are the combination of a pointed and downturned rostrum, pereonites without apophyses, three ventral spines on the pereopod 1 propodus, and one dorsodistal spine on the merus.