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Marine Biology

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Journal

2000

Articles 1 - 7 of 7

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Relationship Between Pea Crab (Pinnotheres Maculatus) Parasitism And Gonad Mass Of The Bay Scallop (Argopecten Irradians), Paul A.X. Bologna, Kenneth L. Heck Jr. Jan 2000

Relationship Between Pea Crab (Pinnotheres Maculatus) Parasitism And Gonad Mass Of The Bay Scallop (Argopecten Irradians), Paul A.X. Bologna, Kenneth L. Heck Jr.

Gulf and Caribbean Research

We investigated the prevalence of pea crabs (Pinnotheres maculatus) in bay scallops (Argopecten irradians) from 1994 through 1996 in a scallop population from St. Joseph Bay, Florida. We also assessed their impacts on scallop reproductive potential. Our results showed that prevalence in bay scallops varied between 0 and 20% and were extremely low during 1996 (<2%). Comparing Gonadal-Somatic Indices (GSI) between infested and non-infested bay scallops in samples assessed the impact of pinnotherid parasitism. Results showed that GSI was significantly reduced in infested individuals compared to non-infested individuals of the same size range (t12 = 2.3, P <0.04). These results suggest that P. maculatus infestation may lower the reproductive potential of individual scallops, but the low rates of parasitism may only minimally impact the host population.

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Fecundity Of Litopenaeus Setiferus, Farfantepenaeus Aztecus And F. Duorarum, In The Southwestern Gulf Of Mexico, Martin Perez Velazquez, Adolfo Gracia Jan 2000

Fecundity Of Litopenaeus Setiferus, Farfantepenaeus Aztecus And F. Duorarum, In The Southwestern Gulf Of Mexico, Martin Perez Velazquez, Adolfo Gracia

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Fecundity of white shrimp, Litopenaeus setiferus, brown shrimp, Farfantepenaeus aztecus, and pink shrimp F. duorarum and relationships to gonad weights and total and carapace length were estimated. Ovigerous females were collected in the southern Gulf of Mexico in February, May, August and November 1993. Fecundity was estimated by means of a gravimetric method. The equations relating fecundity to total weight and fecundity to gonad weight were linear in the 3 species. However, an exponential relationship was found between fecundity and carapace length in L. setiferus and F. aztecus. Of the relationships examined, gonad weight was considered a …

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Possible Sustained Effects Of Hurricanes Opal And Erin On The Macrobenthos Of Nearshore Habitats Within The Gulf Islands National Seashore, Chet F. Rakocinski, Sara E. Lecroy, Jerry A. Mclelland, Richard W. Heard Jan 2000

Possible Sustained Effects Of Hurricanes Opal And Erin On The Macrobenthos Of Nearshore Habitats Within The Gulf Islands National Seashore, Chet F. Rakocinski, Sara E. Lecroy, Jerry A. Mclelland, Richard W. Heard

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Possible sustained effects of hurricanes Opal and Erin on the macrobenthos of nearshore habitats of the Florida district of Gulf Islands National Seashore were assessed. Pre-hurricane macrobenthic data originating mainly from a large-scale faunal inventory conducted during 1993 were compared with posthurricane data collected one year after the 1995 disturbances. Nearshore habitats examined included both exposed and protected sand beaches, as well as grassbed and lagoon sites. Within one year after the hurricanes, few faunal effects could be discerned at exposed beach sites, whereas possible faunal effects were apparent in protected nearshore habitats. Abundances of 4 major epifaunal crustacean taxa …

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Feeding Habits Of Juvenile Lane Snapper Lutjanus Synagris From Mississippi Coastal Waters, With Comments On The Diet Of Gray Snapper Lutjanus Griseus, James S. Franks, Katherine E. Vanderkooy Jan 2000

Feeding Habits Of Juvenile Lane Snapper Lutjanus Synagris From Mississippi Coastal Waters, With Comments On The Diet Of Gray Snapper Lutjanus Griseus, James S. Franks, Katherine E. Vanderkooy

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Stomach contents analysis was used to quantitatively describe the diets of juvenile lane snapper, Lutjanus synagris, and juvenile gray snapper, Lutjanus griseus, from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Juvenile snapper were collected by trawling at two estuarine, deep channel sites in Mississippi coastal waters from September 1996 to January 1997. Lane snapper (n = 53) and gray snapper (n = 12) both consumed a variety of prey organisms, but primary prey were amphipods, decapods (shrimp and crabs), and fishes. The most important prey items for lane snapper based on percent Index of Relative Importance (%IRI) were shrimp remains …

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The South American Neritic Copepod Ctenocalanus Heronae Vega-Pérez And Bowman (Calanoida) In The Gulf Of Mexico, With Comments On The Taxonomy Of The Genus, E. Suarez-Morales, A. Leon-Oropeza Jan 2000

The South American Neritic Copepod Ctenocalanus Heronae Vega-Pérez And Bowman (Calanoida) In The Gulf Of Mexico, With Comments On The Taxonomy Of The Genus, E. Suarez-Morales, A. Leon-Oropeza

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A single adult female specimen of the calanoid copepod Ctenocalanus heronaeVega-Pérez and Bowman was collected during a zooplankton survey carried out in February 1997 in Campeche Sound, the central-southeastern portion of the Gulf of Mexico. The taxonomy of the genus Ctenocalanus Giesbrecht is still unclear. Characters used to separate the species have been considered rather subtle. In this paper the taxonomic illustrations of the specimen collected are accompanied by a revision of the taxonomic features commonly used to identify the species. New, previously overlooked characters such as the cephalosome/urosome ratio, the shape of the 5th legs and particularly the …

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Oceanic And Neritic Ichthyoplankton At The Edge Of The Continental Shelf In The Southern Gulf Of Mexico, Cesar Flores-Coto, Fernando Flores-Hernandez, Faustino Zavala-Garcia, Virgilio Arenas-Fuentes, Maria Adela Monreal-Gomez, David Alberto Salas-De-Leon Jan 2000

Oceanic And Neritic Ichthyoplankton At The Edge Of The Continental Shelf In The Southern Gulf Of Mexico, Cesar Flores-Coto, Fernando Flores-Hernandez, Faustino Zavala-Garcia, Virgilio Arenas-Fuentes, Maria Adela Monreal-Gomez, David Alberto Salas-De-Leon

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Oceanic and neritic ichthyoplankton were examined at a single sampling site at the edge of the continental shelf in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Double oblique tows were made with a 60 cm Bongo net fitted with 505 µm mesh netting. Collections were taken every 2 hours over a 24 h period during spring, summer and fall of 1992. Fish larvae were described as either oceanic or neritic depending upon adult lifestage habitat. The larvae of 59 taxa were collected in spring (50 oceanic, 9 neritic), 53 in summer (26 oceanic, 27 neritic) and 55 in fall (22 oceanic, 33 …

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Lunar Periodicity And Bioluminescence Of Swarming Odontosyllis Luminosa (Polychaeta: Syllidae) In Belize, Gary R. Gaston, Jennifer Hall Jan 2000

Lunar Periodicity And Bioluminescence Of Swarming Odontosyllis Luminosa (Polychaeta: Syllidae) In Belize, Gary R. Gaston, Jennifer Hall

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Few benthic polychaetes have the notoriety of the bioluminescent “glowworm”, Odontosyllis luminosa San Martin, 1990, that inhabits soft-sediment habitats of the Caribbean. A few nights after a full moon, apparently during most months of the year, a most unusual phenomenon occurs. Female glowworms leave the sediments, swim toward the water surface, and release a bioluminescent egg mass, causing a bright green glow near the water’s surface. The female’s luminescence attracts the males, which also glow briefly. The tiny worm has a bright glow, and viewing it is a favorite pasttime in the Caribbean. Over 50 years ago investigators linked the …

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