Life Sciences Commons^™

Mississippi Manatees, Gordon Gunter, Gerald Corcoran

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The taxonomy and the distribution of the American manatee Trichechus manatusare reviewed briefly. Its distribution extends from 50°N on the eastern coast of North America to 19°S in South America. Records from the northern Gulf coast are given including sightings from Mississippi in January 1979, and one from the open ocean off Louisiana in July 1979. A live manatee was captured in the Gulfport, Mississippi, Harbor in January 1979, and was transported to Sea World in Orlando, Florida. It still lives there in good condition. A carcass of a female was found near the eastem end of Ship Island …

Status Of Turtles On The Mississippi Coast, Gordon Gunter

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Sea turtles have declined in numbers and federal agencies have become concerned with the numbers drowned in trawls by commercial shrimpers. Records are given of freshwater turtles and of the gopher tortoise in low-salinity waters. These include the Florida cooter Pseudemys floridana, the snapping turtle Chelydra serpentina, the alligator snapper Macroclemys temmincki, and the gopher Gopherus polyphemus. The diamondback terrapin Malaclemys terrapin pileata is common in brackish waters of Alabama and Mississippi. All sea turtles of the western Atlantic Ocean may be expected in Mississippi waters except for the Pacific ridley Lepidochelys olivacea, indigenous in …

A Preliminary Checklist Of Marine Benthic Diatoms Of Mississippi, Michael J. Sullivan

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A checklist of diatoms collected from various benthic habitats in coastal salt marshes and offshore seagrass beds of Mississippi has been compiled for the first time. The checklist includes 213 taxa (species and their varieties) in 43 genera with 19 of these taxa found only on the leaves of offshore seagrasses. Synedra fasciculata var. intermedia (Grun.) Sulliv. comb. nov. is proposed to be consistent with the nomenclature of the nominate variety. Future work with this ecologically important group of marine algae should result in many new additions to this preliminary checklist.

Larval Development Under Laboratory Conditions Of The Xanthid Mud Crab Eurytium Limosum (Say, 1818) (Brachyura: Xanthidae) From Georgia, Hiroshi Kurata, Richard W. Heard, Joel W. Martin

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Larvae of the xanthid mud crab Eurytium limosum were reared in the laboratory from hatching to first crab stage. Four zoeal stages and one megalops staged were obtained and are described. Complete larval development required about 15 days under culture conditions of 26.0° to 28.0°C and 25 ppt sea water. A long antenna and short antennal exopods consign E. limosum to the Group I xanthid zoeae of Rice (1980). The first stage zoea closely resembles that of Panopeus herbstii and is distinguished by having the dorsal spine strongly recurved at the extremity. Stages 2 to 4 are distinguished from Rhithropanopeus …

Morphometrics Of The Burrowing Clam Diplothyra Smithii Tryon, Alfred P. Chestnut

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Diplothyra smithii Tryon, a small bivalve mollusk, is a common inhabitant of the calcareous shell material of the American oyster, Crassostrea virginica Gmelin. Large populations of this clam are found on commercial oyster reefs in the western portion of Mississippi Sound. Several aspects of the population of D. smithii in Mississippi Sound were examined.

On the Pass Marianne Reef, 71% of the live oysters and 44% of the dead shells were infested with D. smithii. The mean number of clams removed from valves of live oysters was 22.1 ± 1.7 (range, 1-109; N = 146). Infested dead shells had …

Effect Of Mineral Deficiency On The Growth Of The Salt Marsh Rush Juncus Roemerianus, Lionel N. Eleuterius, John D. Caldwell

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Plants of the salt marsh rush Juncus roemerianus were grown in deficient and complete nutrient solutions, and the growth responses were compared qualitatively and quantitatively. Plants grown in solutions deficient in K, S, P, and Mg were similar in appearance, which exemplified severe growth retardation. Plants grown in solutions deficient in Ca, N, and Fe also were very similar in total growth response, but had much longer leaves, more shoots, and greater biomass than those grown in the K, S, P, and Mg deficient solutions. Plants grown in complete nutrient solutions, with various sources of Fe, were very robust. Growth …

Growth Kinetics And Longevity Of The Salt Marsh Rush Juncus Roemerianus, Lionel N. Eleuterius, John D. Caldwell

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Vegetative development of shoots of the tidal marsh rush Juncus roemerianus was studied quantitatively in short (S) , medium (M), and tall-leaved (T) populations. Shoot longevity varied between populations, with some shoots producing one leaf and living 4 months, while others produced seven leaves and lived over 4 years. An equation was developed from plastochron and leaf-age determinations to estimate shoot age in each population studied. Major morphological events common to all populations were (1) cessation of growth of the first leaf produced on an erect stem when growth of the second leaf was initiated, and (2) death of the …

Silica And Ash In Several Marsh Plants, F.C. Lanning, Lionel N. Eleuterius

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Ash and silica content and their depositional patterns in tissues of Spartina alterniflora Loisel., Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene, Scirpus validus Vahl., Zizania aquatica L., and Limonium carolinianum (Walt.) Britt. were determined. Zizania aquatica leaves had the highest silica content (6.0%) of any of the plant parts tested; silica making up over half of the ash. Silica in the plants was opaline in character. Limonium carolinianum did not accumulate silica in any great amount. However, ash content was very high in Limonium carolinianum and Scirpus validus making up over 17% of the dry weight of the leaves. X-ray diffraction showed the …

Ichthyofaunal Colonization Of A New Artificial Reef In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Ronald R. Lukens

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Ichthyofaunal colonization of a new artificial reef was monitored from June 1975 through September 1977. Direct observations were accomplished using SCUBA. Theories of colonization and species equilibrium of islands and islandlike habitats were applied to the colonization data from the artificial reef. Sixty species of fishes from 33 families were recorded at the reef. Fifty-two percent of these species were primary reef fishes and 48% were secondary. Colonization data were produced only from the occurrence of primary reef fish. Data indicate that ichthyofaunal communities in the northern Gulf of Mexico are heavily influenced by seasonal changes in temperature, and that …

Pseudomma Heardi, A New Peracarid (Crustacea: Mysidacea) From Continental Shelf Waters Off Mississippi, Kenneth C. Stuck

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Pseudomma heardi n. sp. is described and illustrated. Specimens were obtained from plankton samples taken in 18 to 60 meters depth in offshore waters of Mississippi. This new species can be distinguished from other species of Pseudomma by the presence of 16 to 21 serrations on the anterior and lateral margins of the ocular plate, strong lateral spine of antennal scale which extends well beyond apex of scale and 4 to 6 spines on lateral margins of telson.

Trends In Ex-Vessel Value And Size Composition Of Reported May - August Catches Of Brown Shrimp And White Shrimp From The Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, And Alabama Coasts, 1960-1978, Charles Wax Caillouet, Dennis Brian Koi

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Exponential models were used to characterize (1) ex-vessel value (in dollars) per shrimp by size category (count; i.e., number of shrimp per pound, heads off); (2) size composition (expressed as cumulative weight of the catch in pounds, heads off, by size category); and (3) ex-vessel value composition (expressed as cumulative ex-vessel value, in dollars, of the catch by size category) for reported May-August catches (inshore and offshore combined) of brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus) and white shrimp (P. setiferus) from the Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama coasts (statistical areas 10-21) from 1960 to 1978. Exponents of the …

Trends In Ex-Vessel Value And Size Composition Of Reported Annual Catches Of Pink Shrimp From The Tortugas Fishery, 1960-1978, Charles Wax Caillouet, Dennis Brian Koi

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Exponential models were used to characterize (1) ex-vessel value (in dollars) per shrimp by size category (count; i.e., number of shrimp per pound, heads off), (2) size composition (expressed as cumulative weight of the catch in pounds, heads off, by size category), and (3) ex-vessel value composition (expressed as cumulative ex-vessel value, in dollars, of the catch by size category) for reported annual catches (inshore and offshore combined) of pink shrimp (Penaeus duorarum duorarum) from the Tortugas fishery (statistical areas 1 and 2 combined) from 1960 to 1978. Exponents of the models were used as indices to investigate …

Observations Of Deep-Reef Ichthyofauna From The Bahama And Cayman Islands, With Notes On Relative Abundance And Depth Distribution, Ronald R. Lukens

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Observations of fish species inhabiting vertical wall habitats were conducted in the Bahama and Cayman islands. Twenty-three species from 12 families were recorded from various sites during the study. Number of species and abundance of individuals decreased with depth on the escarpments observed. Gramma melacara was the only species found throughout the depth ranges on all escarpments observed. Information about these habitats is sparse and more investigations are warranted.

First Recorded Observance Of The Dinoflagellate Prorocentrum Minimum (Pavillard) Schiller 1933 In Mississippi Sound And Adjacent Waters, Harriet M. Perry, Jerry A. Mclelland

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The present paper documents the occurrence of the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum in Mississippi Sound and adjacent coastal waters. Outbreaks of discolored water are attributed to blooms of P. minimum in February 1977 and in January and February 1981. Data are presented on the seasonality of the organism in St. Louis Bay. Observations on water appearance and a descriptive analysis of the cells are presented for the 1981 blooms.

Observations On The Distribution And Seasonality Of Portunid Megalopae In Mississippi Coastal Waters, Kenneth C. Stuck, Harriet M. Perry

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Observations on the distribution and seasonality of common coastal portunid megalopae are presented. Callinectes sapidus megalopae were abundant from May through November. The megalopae of C. similis, though present throughout the year, peaked in numbers from February through April. With the exception of January, Portunus spp. megalopae occurred in all months, with maximum numbers collected in April. Callinectes sapidus megalopae commonly occurred at all stations, whereas, the megalopae of C. similis and Portunus spp. appeared to be limited by salinity.

Preliminary Observations Of The Effect Of Eimeria Funduli (Protozoa: Eimeriidae) On The Gulf Killifish Fundulus Grandis And Its Potential Impact On The Killifish Bait Industry, Mobashir A. Solangi, John T. Ogle

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Liver infections of Eimeria funduli, a pathogenic coccidium, greatly affected growth of Fundulus grandis (Gulf killifish) maintained in an aquaculture facility for 55 days. At termination of the experiment, average weight gained by uninfected killifish was 877.5% compared to 308.0% in diseased fish. There appeared to be no correlation between mortality and disease in this study.