The mojarras (Eucinostomus) are a widespread group of coastal fishes of controversial taxonomy because of similarities in their external morphology. In the present study, we assessed the genetic diversity of species and populations of Eucinostomus using DNA barcodes using a systematic and phylogeographic context. In total, 416 COI sequences of all valid Eucinostomus representatives were analysed based on public databases and collected specimens from the north-eastern coast of Brazil (Western South Atlantic). Several cases of misidentification were detected in the barcode dataset (E. argenteus, E. harengulus, E. gula, E. dowii and E. jonesii) that could account for the taxonomic issues in this genus. In contrast, we identified four molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs), with divergence above 2% in the Western Atlantic, that correspond to cryptic forms within E. argenteus, E. harengulus, E. gula and E. melanopterus. These data suggest that Plio-Pleistocene events (rise of the Panama isthmus, Amazonas outflow and sea-level fluctuations) played a major role in the diversification of mojarras. While subtle morphological differences have been used as proxies to discriminate Eucinostomus species, the genetic data proved to be efficient in differentiating them and revealing potentially undescribed taxa. Therefore, we recommend that further taxonomic studies in mojarras should incorporate DNA-based evidence.

Iranian coastal fishers targeting narrow-barred Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson) recently replaced their historical multifilament gillnets with those made from monofilament, evoking management concerns over potential increases in catch-per-unit-of-effort. During 20 fishing days, we compared catches from replicate surface-set gillnets that were identical in terms of mesh size (140 mm stretched opening), length (180 m), depth (30 m), hanging ratio (0.56) and spatio-temporal deployment, but had different materials: multifilament (1.8-mm diameter twisted twine) vs monofilament (0.8-mm diameter twine). Compared with the multifilament gillnet, there was a trend of greater catches (up to 1.3×) of S. commerson and another retained species, mackerel tuna (Euthnus affinis), along with one discarded species, giant catfish (Netuma thalassina) by the monofilament gillnet. However, statistical significance was restricted to E. affinis catches and a bias towards smaller S. commerson. These differences were attributed to species-specific catching mechanisms within gillnet material, with larger S. commerson retained by their teeth in the multifilament and all E. affinis more securely retained by their deeper bodies in the monofilament. Gillnet materials require regulation to preclude excessive effort on fully exploited stocks of species such as S. commerson.

The present study investigated the effects of a fish weir, a fixed trap used by artisanal fisheries, on the intertidal macrobenthic infauna of a macrotidal sandy beach on the Amazon coast. Biological and sediment samples were collected from within the weir and at five points of increasing distance (10 cm, 50 cm, 1 m, 2 m, 5 m and 50 m) from the external portion of the trap. The sediments from the weir and at 10 cm were dominated by mud, with a gradual decline in fine grains, water content and organic matter with increasing distance from the weir to 50 m (control). Taxon abundance and richness were significantly higher in the weir and at 10 cm than at the other sampling points. There was a trend of decreasing density and richness of the infauna from the weir to 1 m (which was a point of transition between the muddy and sandy sediments), after which the biological descriptors tended to increase once again. A shift was also observed in the dominant trophic groups, with a decrease in the abundance of the deposit feeders with increasing distance from the weir. By contrast, predators were more abundant at the points further from the weir. Our results indicate that fish weirs alter the associated sedimentary habitats, due to the increased protection from the action of waves and currents, with a micro-scale (from a few centimetres to 1–2 m) influence on the local macrofauna.

A new species of ampithoid amphipod, Sunamphitoe gigantea sp. nov., is described from Katsurakoi, Hokkaido, Japan. The new species most closely resembles S. eoa, but can be distinguished from it by the shorter flagellum of antenna 1, the maxilla 1 inner plate that bears two slender setae, the short dactylus of male gnathopod 2, and the presence of a group of long setae on anterior margins of pereopods 3 and 4 bases. Nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I obtained from the type specimens also differentiated this new species from the congeners. Ontogenetic morphological changes of the male gnathopod 2 are briefly discussed.

Ocean warming and acidification are expected to influence the biology of the ecologically and economically important red king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus. We investigated transcriptome responses of adult, larval and juvenile red king crab to assess sensitivity to reduced pH and elevated temperature. In adults, gill tissue (but not heart or cuticle) responded to reduced pH by differentially regulating many genes involved in metabolic, membrane and cuticular processes, but not ionic or acid/base regulation. In larval crabs, we found little evidence for a strong transcriptomic response to pH, but did observe large differences in the transcriptomes of newly hatched and one-week old larvae. In juvenile crabs, we found that there was a strong transcriptomic response to temperature across all pH conditions, but that only extreme low pH caused transcriptomic shifts. Most of the genes in juveniles that were differentially expressed were for cuticular and calcification processes. While inferences regarding the specific biological responses associated with changes in gene expression are likely to change as resources for red king crab genomics enabled studies continue to improve (i.e. better assemblies and annotation), our inferences about general sensitivities to temperature and pH across the life stages of red king crab are robust and unlikely to shift. Overall, our data suggest that red king crab are more sensitive to warming than acidification, and that responses to acidification at the transcriptomic level occur at different levels of pH across life stages, with juveniles being less pH sensitive than adults.

The description of the movements and habitat preference of marine fishes is essential to understand their biology and in the evaluation of commercially exploited species and the conservation of endangered ones. In this regard, little is known about the movements of the totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi), despite its being listed as critically endangered and having been a relevant fishery resource in the past century in Mexico. Totoaba is a fish species endemic to the Gulf of California characterized by late maturation, prolonged life and annual reproduction. Totoaba has maintained its known historical distribution range, although its movements and habitat occupancy in the water column have remained poorly understood. The present study describes, for the first time and at a daily fine scale, the vertical movements and habitat preferences of the totoaba in the Upper Gulf of California. Pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) were used to record depth and temperature at 4-minute intervals. Ten individuals were caught and tagged in May 2016 in the Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta Biosphere Reserve. All PSATs were either prematurely released or lost. Data derived from two recovered tags that saved data for 43 and 75 tracking days, respectively, were analysed. The results showed that tagged fishes moved southward to the vicinity of Angel de la Guarda Island; these are consistent with spatial displacement patterns reported in the literature, with a linear displacement of 223 km from deployment to pop-up sites. Fish spent 47% of the time within a depth range of 25–35 m. Depth increased to 70 m for one fish in early summer (late June). The preferred temperature of fishes ranged between 21–23°C. A generalized linear model revealed that vertical movement was influenced by temperature. The vertical displacement of the totoaba shows a diurnal variation that may be associated with the distribution of its prey. Further work is needed to test this hypothesis with a larger number of organisms.

Capitulum mitella is a tropical/sub-tropical intertidal barnacle of high economic value. However, no studies have yet focused on the effects of the extrinsic and intrinsic factors that affect the metamorphosis of this species. The current study stored cyprids at room temperature (24–26°C) and low temperature (7°C) and then compared the effects of age and storage temperature on cyprid metamorphosis. The effects of salinity and temperature on cyprid metamorphosis and survival were examined. Results showed the following. (1) Young 0-day cyprids were not competent to metamorphose, and C. mitella cyprids had a pre-competent phase. (2) The cyprid metamorphosis percentage at different storage temperatures with the same age was higher at room temperature than at 7°C. Low temperature storage of cyprids appeared to be unsuitable for C. mitella. The ideal storage time at room temperature for cyprids was 3–5 days. (3) The cyprids could complete metamorphosis at a salinity range of 20–45 mg l−1, and the optimum salinity range for metamorphosis was 25–35 mg l−1. At 15 mg l−1 salinity, the cyprids could survive but failed to metamorphose. (4) The cyprids could survive and complete metamorphosis at 18–36°C, and the optimum temperature range for metamorphosis was 21–33°C. The metamorphosis of C. mitella cyprids can tolerate a wide spectrum of salinity and temperature, which is related to the distribution location, habitat environment and lifestyle. Results of this study may provide a basis for the settlement biology, recruitment ecology and aquaculture of this species.

For many benthic marine invertebrates, inversion (being turned upside-down) is a common event that can increase vulnerability to predation, desiccation and unwanted spatial transport, and requires behavioural ‘self-righting’ to correct. While self-righting behaviour has been studied for more than a century, the repeatability (R) – the portion of behavioural variance due to inter-individual differences – of this trait is not well understood. Heritability and the evolution of animal behaviour rely on behavioural repeatability. Here, we examined the self-righting technique of a cold-water holothurid, Parastichopus tremulus, and assessed the repeatability of this behaviour. Under laboratory conditions, P. tremulus consistently used muscle contractions to curl its body and roll itself back to an upright position, which provided for rapid (x̅ ± SD = 96.7 ± 49.8 s) and highly repeatable (R = 0.75) self-righting in the short term that varied between individuals (range of individual average righting times = 34.8–217.0 s). Righting time tended to increase with animal size; however, substantial variation was evident at comparable sizes, as average righting time ranged from 34.8–155.5 s for animals ~20 cm in body length. Contrary to previous studies on other echinoderms, we found no evidence of improved righting times for P. tremulus over time. This study ultimately provides the first detailed documentation of self-righting behaviour for P. tremulus and suggests that this species displays a high degree of repeatability for this trait in the short term.

The stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) and total mercury concentrations (THg) of the three marine catfish species Aspistor luniscutis, Bagre bagre and Genidens genidens were evaluated to understand their trophic relationship in northern Rio de Janeiro state, south-eastern Brazil. The δ13C was similar among the three marine catfishes, whereas δ15N was similar in A. luniscutis and B. bagre and lower in G. genidens. THg was higher in G. genidens and lower in B. bagre. The greater assimilation of Sciaenidae fishes and squids by A. luniscutis and B. bagre resulted in smaller isotopic niche areas and trophic diversity but higher isotopic niche overlap, trophic redundancy and evenness. For G. genidens, the similar assimilation of all prey items resulted in the broadest isotopic niche among the marine catfishes. The higher mercury content in G. genidens is consistent with an increased important contribution of prey with a higher Hg burden. The bioaccumulation process was indicated by significant correlations of δ15N and THg with total length and total mass. Additionally, a significant correlation between THg and δ15N reflected the biomagnification process through the food web.

A century or so after the cessation of almost all mining in Cornwall, certain estuaries still have extremely high sediment concentrations of toxic trace metals, particularly copper and arsenic, but also lead and zinc. These high trace metal loadings in the sediments are to a large degree bioavailable to the local infauna, especially sediment-ingesting invertebrates. Some sediment trace metal bioavailabilities are so high as to be of ecotoxicological concern, with deleterious effects on the local biota at levels of biological organization up to and including changed community structure. The estuaries of interest here are those of the Rivers Carnon (Restronguet Creek), Tamar (and Tavy), Gannel, West Looe and Hayle. These estuaries are especially attractive field sites for comparative trace metal ecophysiology and ecotoxicology research for they lack the confounding presence of other anthropogenic contaminants inevitably present in most estuaries in the developed world. The estuaries also offer a range of combinations of different trace metals and a comparative gradient of sediment bioavailabilities of these trace metals.