Marine Biology 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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

Notes On The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Occurrence Of Sagitta Friderici Ritter-Zahony (Chaetognatha), Jerry A. Mclelland

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The neritic chaetognath Sagitta friderici Ritter-Zahony, 1911 was identified in plankton samples from the northern Gulf of Mexico in June 1974. Specimens analyzed from two groups of adults ranged from 6 to 13.7 mm long. Meristic values did not appear to be a function of body length except for individuals in the 12.4 to 13.7 mm range that had larger numbers of hooks and teeth.

Adults of Sagitta friderici and the closely related S. tenuis Conant, 1896 were compared and found to be distinguishable chiefly by (1) the number of ova per unit length of the ovary, and (2) the …

Diatoms In The Gills Of The Commercial White Shrimp, Robin M. Overstreet, Susan Safford

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A white shrimp from Galveston, Texas, is the first reported case of a crustacean internally infected by a diatom. Even though more than one species occurred in debris on and between gill filaments, only individuals of Amphora sp. occurred within gills. To determine if a related diatom would easily reproduce within the shrimp and cause. a host-response similar to that observed, we injected cultured specimens of A. coffaeformis into white shrimp. Under the experimental conditions, individuals of that species did not divide, but they elicited an extensive melanistic host-response.

New Records Of Hyperiidea (Crustacea: Amphipoda) From The North Central Gulf Of Mexico, Kenneth C. Stuck, Harriet M. Perry, A. Geoffrey Fish

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Records of 54 species of amphipods of the suborder Hyperiidea from the Gulf of Mexico are presented. Forty-seven species are recorded from the Gulf for the first time. Previous records of occurrence in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and associated North Atlantic waters are provided for each species.

Observations On The Genus Vaucheria (Xanthophyceae, Vaucheriales) From The Gulf Of Mexico, Richard A. Pecora

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Investigations of algal mats from several locations along the Gulf of Mexico from Cameron Parish, Louisiana, to Manatee County, Florida, were conducted from February 1979 to February 1980. Habitat preference, distribution, and morphology are reported herein for nine species and one variety of Vaucheria de Candolle. Five taxa–V. arcassionensis, V. aversa, V. coronata, V. prolifera var. reticulospora, and V. pseudogeminata–are first reports for the Gulf of Mexico coastal region. Vaucheria velutina (=V. thuretii), the most abundant taxon identified in the region, is common in diverse habitats. Vaucheria prolifera var. reticulospora is reported for …

Studies On Amyloodinium Ocellatum (Dinoflagellata) In Mississippi Sound: Natural And Experimental Hosts, Adrian R. Lawler

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Four species of parasitic dinoflagellates have been found to occur naturally on the gills and fins of Mississippi Sound fishes: Amyloodinium ocellatum (Brown 1931) Brown and Hovasse 1946, Oodinium cyprinodontum Lawler 1967, and two undescribed species. Sixteen of 43 species of fishes examined had natural gill infections of A. ocellatum. Seventy-one of 79 species of fishes exposed to A. ocellatum dinospores were susceptible, and succumbed, to the dinoflagellate. Eight did not die even though exposed to numerous dinospores. The most common signs in an infested fish were spasmodic gasping and uncoordinated movements. Trophonts of A. ocellatum were found on …

Origins And Effects Of Spartina Wrack In A Virginia Salt Marsh, Thomas G. Reidenbaugh, William C. Banta

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Movements of mats of tidal wrack (dead Spartina alterniflora) and impacts of the wrack were followed in color infrared aerial photographs of a sloping foreshore salt marsh on Wallops Island, Virginia. Tidal wrack may be stranded in high marsh, where it decomposes, or it may be temporarily stranded at lower elevations. The wrack kills underlying Spartina alterniflora in low marsh and in the transition zone from low to high marsh. Wrack is the major cause of devegetated areas within the marsh, but these areas eventually revegetate, and do not evolve into pans. There are substantial short-term reductions in S. …

Occurrence And Seasonality Of Perkinsus Marinus (Protozoa: Apicomplexa) In Mississippi Oysters, John Ogle, Katherine Flurry

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Oysters from four reefs in Mississippi Sound, sampled over a period of 25 months, were found to have a low prevalence of the protozoan parasite Perkinsus marinus. The greatest values were 80% prevalence, and 0.88 weighted incidence recorded for oysters from Biloxi Bay, Mississippi.

Lepidactylus Triarticulatus N. Sp., A New Haustoriid Amphipod From The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Philip B. Robertson, Charles R. Shelton

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A new haustoriid amphipod, Lepidactylus triarticulatus n. sp., from the northern Gulf of Mexico is described and illustrated. The known range is from northern Padre Island, Texas, to Grand Isle, Louisiana. The species is ecologically plastic. On surf-exposed sandy beaches it is most abundant at the highest intertidal levels, but in fine-grained sands of wave-sheltered localities it occurs throughout the intertidal region into shallow subtidal depths. In central Texas bays it has been collected subtidally at salinities as low as 10 ppt. There are differences in morphological details of peraeopod 7 between the intertidal and subtidal populations which we regard …

Prevalence Of Fimeria Funduli (Protozoa: Eimeriidae) In The Longnose Killifish Fundulus Similis From Horn Island, Mississippi, John W. Fournie, Mobashir A. Solangi

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Eimeria funduli occurred in Fundulus similis from Horn Island, Mississippi, during 1980, in contrast with its apparent absence during 1978 and 1979. Prevalence of the parasite appears to be related to the unusually low salinity in Mississippi Sound, and in ponds and off the beaches of Horn Island. The low salinity may have promoted the migration of infective intermediate hosts from inshore waters to the island.

A Partial Bibliography Of Cyprinodon Variegatus (Osteichthyes: Cyprinodontidae), David A. Bengtson

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A partial bibliography of the sheepshead minnow Cyprinodon variegatus Lacépède, 1803, is presented. Scientific works related to systematics and general biology are listed along with references to recent work involving toxicological bioassays. An extensive search of the literature on parasites of C. variegatus was not conducted.

Vertebral Anomaly In Fundulus Similis, Charles S. Manning

Gulf and Caribbean Research

On May 11, 1978, a longnose killifish, Fundulus similis. exhibiting an extreme lordotic, scoliotic condition was collected on the north shore of Big Lagoon in Escambia County, Florida. The specimen was held for observation in a flow-through seawater aquarium for several weeks prior to being preserved and placed in the Gulf Breeze Environmental Research Laboratory Museum (No. AN-2146).

Enterovirus And Bacterial Evaluation Of Mississippi Oysters, R.D. Ellender, D.W. Cook, V.L. Sheladia, R.A. Johnson

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The numbers of enteric viruses and fecal coliform bacteria in oysters and water samples collected along the Mississippi Gulf coast during 1979 were determined. Ten viral isolates, representing members of the poliovirus group, were identified from an approved oyster harvesting site. The number of virus isolations increased to 51 when oysters were collected from a prohibited harvesting location. The majority of isolates were identified as poliovirus type 1 or 2, coxsackievirus B3 and B4, and echovirus type 24. Fecal coliforms in water samples collected at approved and prohibited locations confirmed the classification assigned to each area by the Mississippi State …

Growth And Residency Of Juvenile Fishes Within A Surf Zone Habitat In The Gulf Of Mexico, Timothy Modde

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Over a 32-month study period, 154,469 fish representing 76 species were collected from the Gulf shore of Horn Island, Mississippi. Fishes collected were identified as either resident or migrant species according to length frequency data. The migrant component, dominated numerically by Anchoa lyolepis, represented the greatest number of species and individuals collected. Resident fishes constituted only six species but comprised 42.0% of all fish captured. The more abundant species residing within the Horn Island surf zone, Trachinotus carolinus, Menticirrhus littoralis, and Harengula jaguana, appeared to utilize this habitat as a nursery for approximately 3 months throughout …

Patterns Of Suspended Particle Transport In A Mississippi Tidal Marsh System, Courtney T. Hackney, Armando A. De La Cruz

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The flux of suspended particulate organic detritus (POD) and suspended inorganic detritus (PID) was studied during ten diurnal tidal periods (24-hour) and three semidiurnal tidal periods (12-hour) between May 1975 and April 1976. The concentration of POD ranged from 1.50 to 19.79 mg/l, while the PID ranged from 3.20 to 99.61 mg/l. There was a net export of POD during four of 13 tidal periods and a net export of PID during five tidal periods. There was a total net movement of 39.32 and 292.51 kg of POD and PID, respectively, into the marsh. On an annual basis, this is …