Marine Biology Commons^™

Notes On Sarcophagids From The New Host Romalea Microptera, And From Terrapene Carolina Carolina, Adrian R. Lawler

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Sarcophagid fly larvae are reported from the new host Romalea microptera (Palisot de Beauvois), a lubber grasshopper. A new locality record is given for Cistudinomyia cistudinis (Aldrich).

Notes On Stenopus Scutellatus And S. Hispidus (Decapoda, Stenopodidae) From Mississippi, Ron Lukens

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Two species of Stenopus were collected in 1976 from a Liberty ship artificial reef near Horn Island, Mississippi. Six specimens of S. scutellatus were collected. This represents an occurrence record for Mississippi. Five specimens of S. hispidus were also collected; thus, extending the range in the Gulf of Mexico by about 400 krn to the northwest.

Ultrastructure Of Lymphocystis In The Heart Of The Silver Perch, Bairdiella Chrysura (Lacépède), Including Observations On Normal Heart Structure, Harold D. Howse, Adrian R. Lawler, William E. Hawkins, Carolyn A. Foster

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The fine structure of normal heart muscle from the silver perch, Bairdiella chrysura (Lacépède), is similar to that previously reported for marine and freshwater teleosts.

Cardiac lymphocystis is a viral disease manifested by single, giant-cell lesions variously located in the epicardium, trabecular spaces, and subendocardium – in direct apposition to myocardial cells. Occasionally, the hyaline capsule of lymphocystis cells partially surround myocardial cells but cause no pathological changes or inflammatory reaction.

The lymphocystis cells contain typical cellular organelles, including the viroplasmic net unique to these cells. Annulate lamellae, often continuous with the rough endoplasmic reticulum, are present, usually along the …

The Eye Lens Weight Technique In Aging Of The Atlantic Croaker, Micropogon Undulatus, Constantine E. Mericas

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The eye lens weight to age relationship was examined in croaker, Micropogon undulatus. Lenses were removed, fixed, and weighed using standard techniques. Age estimates were assigned based on total length measurements. Lens weight showed good correlation with total length. Age could be estimated by eye lens weight, but no more accurately or precisely than with length frequency analysis. Cumulative percent frequency analysis of lens weights showed distinct inflections in the curve, which correspond to hypothesized length at age points. The data seem to verify age structure based on length frequency analysis.

Location Of The Mississippi Sound Oyster Reefs As Related To Salinity Of Bottom Waters During 1973-1975, Charles K. Eleuterius

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The relationship of producing natural oyster reefs of Mississippi Sound to the salinity regime of bottom waters is investigated. Extreme and average conditions were extracted from data taken at 87 stations over a 21-month period from June 1973 through February 1975. With one exception, the producing reefs were subjected to salinity minimums of 2.0 to 4.0 parts per thousand (ppt), maximums of 18.0 to 22.0 ppt, with average conditions being between 10.0 and 16.0 ppt. Salinity-suitable areas in the Sound not now inhabited by oysters are described.

Occurrence Of The Brackish Water Asellote Isopod Munna (Uromunna) Reynoldsi In Texas, Betty J. Callahan, Scott T. Clark, Philip B. Robertson

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The asellote isopod Munna (Uromunna) reynoldsi Frankenberg and Menzies, previously known from coastal swamps a t Sapelo Island, Georgia, is reported from Texas. Several specimens were collected in grab samples from Fence Lake, a small brackish marsh lake (salinity 0 to 2.7 ppt) in Sca Rim State Park, and in a nearby coastal marsh (salinity 4.4 ppt). The present records indicate that the species is a brackish water form.

Notes On The Status Of The Gannet (Morus Bassanus) In The Gulf Of Mexico, With A Record From Mississippi, Gordon Gunter, W. David Burke

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The Northern Gannet nests on rock cliffs in the north Atlantic and winters as far south as Yucatan on the west, and N.W. Africa on the east. The birds are not known to cross land and seem to fly around Florida to enter the Gulf of Mexico. Most numbers have been reported off Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle. Numbers in the western Gulf seem to be few. There are 12 skeletal parts or skins of Texas gannets in museums in Texas and Louisiana. Two specimens have been collected in Louisiana, only one of which is known to remain. …

A Selected Bibliography On The Mass Propagation Of Rotifers With Emphasis On The Biology And Culture Of Brachionus Plicatilis, Mobashir A. Solangi, John T. Ogle

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The rotifer Brachionus plicatilis has shown great promise as food for artificially reared fish and crustacean larvae. A list of references on mass propagation of rotifers is presented alphabetically by author. Citations cover and are indexed as culture, diet, ecology, physiology, population dynamics, reproduction, systematics, geographical distribution, food, and biology of rotifers with emphasis on Brachionus plicatilis.

Vegetative Morphology And Anatomy Of The Salt Marsh Rush, Juncus Roemerianus, Lionel N. Eleuterius

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The extensive rhizome development found in Juncus roemerianus makes this species unique among rushes and is a biological feature responsible, in part, for its domination of large tracts of salt marsh. Branching in certain mature plants is distinctly sympodial, while in most it is obscured by precocious development of the continuation bud and appears to be monopodial. Each vegetative unit is composed of a scaly rhizome which grows to varying lengths and then abruptly turns up at the end to become an erect shoot. A continuation rhizome consistently arises from an axillary bud in a ventral scale leaf. Transitional leaves …

Shrimp Population Densities Within Mobile Bay, Harold C. Loesch

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Brown shrimp and white shrimp populations available to the shrimp trawl in Mobile Bay were estimated on a monthly basis by two methods: one using existing commercial statistics and the other using experimental trawling. These methods produced similar estimates for brown shrimp whose peak standing crop in Mobile Bay occurred in June-July and was estimated at 200,000-300,000 pounds. Commercial landings peaked in July at about 342,000 pounds and were higher than the standing crop, indicating an extremely fast growth rate.

White shrimp data were variable, with commercial statistics indicating a crop in Mobile Bay of about 100,000 pounds from September …

A Bibliography Of Anomalies Of Fishes: Supplement 3, C.E. Dawson, Elizabeth Heal

Gulf and Caribbean Research

This third supplement adds 158 titles to “A Bibliography of Anomalies of Fishes,” which was originally published in this journal in 1964; the first supplement followed in 1966 and the second supplement, in 1971. Citations now total 1498 in the series.

Biology And Distribution Of The Macrocoelenterates Of Mississippi Sound And Adjacent Waters, W. David Burke

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Studies conducted in Mississippi Sound from April 1971 through June 1973 elucidated the seasonal and areal distribution of seven species of macrocoelenterates: Aurelia aurita (L), Chrysaora quinquecirrhu (Desor 1848), Pelagia noctiluca Forskål 1775, Chiropsalmus quadrumantus (Miiller 1859), Rhopilema verrillii (Fewkes 1887), Stomolophus meleagris L. Agassiz 1862, and Physalia physalis (L). Physical parameters presumed relevant to the distribution of each of these animals are presented. Developmental histories of certain of these forms are described.

Penaeid Shrimp Distributions In Mobile Bay, Alabama, Including Low-Salinity Records, Harold C. Loesch

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Low-salinity records in the Gulf of Mexico area for taking Penaeus duorarum in water of 0.7‰ and 28°C, and Penaeus aztecus in water of 0.2‰ and 29.5°C were established in Mobile Bay, Alabama. Catches in Mobile Bay of approximately 20,000 each of P. aztecus and Penaeus setiferus, distributed over a 30-month period, show that P. aztecus taken in the hotter months had a wider salinity preference (5 to 30‰) than those taken in the cooler months (10 to 15‰). During the warmer months P. setiferus was most common in waters below 5‰ and during the winter months was almost …

Growth Of The Shrimp, Penaeus Aztecus, Fed A Diet Of Live Mysids (Crustacea: Mysidacea), John Ogle, Wayne Price

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Commercial brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus) were shown to consume large numbers of mysid shrimp (Mysidopsis almyra) under laboratory conditions. Growth of shrimp fed a diet of mysids was comparable to growth of shrimp fed a diet of Artemia nauplii. It is suggested that mysid shrimp may serve as a food source for juvenile penaeid shrimp in northwestern Gulf coast estuaries.

Technique For Estimating Trawl Efficiency In Catching Brown Shrimp (Penaeus Aztecus), Atlantic Croaker (Micropogon Undulatus) And Spot (Leiostomus Xanthurus), Harold Loesch, James Bishop, Arthur Crowe, Robin Kuckyr, Paul Wagner

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Mark-recapture experiments conducted in a small 17.5 ha lake in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, were used to estimate the efficiency of a 4.9-m (16-foot) otter trawl in capturing brown shrimp, Atlantic croaker, and spot in water 1.5 m deep. The trawl was observed to sweep an area 2.5 m in width. Trawl efficiency was determined to be approximately one-third to one-half for brown shrimp, one-fourth for Atlantic croaker, and only 6 percent for spot.

Amino Acid Changes During In Vitro Decomposition Of Marsh Plant Detritus, Armando A. De La Cruz, Kirit D. Chapatwala, William E. Poe

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Dead plant material was collected from a tidal marsh, ground to a uniform size (250 μm) and decomposed in vitro at 30°C in darkness for 36 days. Crude protein, total amino acids, and essential amino acids increased from 19.0 to 31.0 mg/g, 11.1 to 17.6 mg/g and 5.8 to 8.1 mg/g respectively from day 0 to day 36. The amino acid and crude protein values observed in the detritus are generally low but the increment during decomposition is considered significant in terms of the marine consumers that depend on highly decomposed detritus for food.

Pericardial Adhesions In The Cobia Rachycentron Canadum (Linnaeus), Harold D. Howse, James S. Franks, Robert F. Welford

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Pericardial adhesions are reported in diseased hearts of the cobia Rachycentron canadum (Linnaeus). The epicardium and pericardium are either tightly fused or connected by numerous thick collagenous adhesions over most of the heart surface.

A Comparison Of Petersen Tags And Biological Stains Used With Internal Tags As Marks For Shrimp, B.D. Welker, S.H. Clark, C.T. Fontaine, R.C. Benton

Gulf and Caribbean Research

During May 20-31, 1968, 14,301 brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus) were marked and released in Biloxi Bay, Mississippi. Of these 7,023 were marked by injection with a combination of Niagara Sky Blue 6B stain and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) internal tags and 7,278 were marked with Petersen tags. The objectives of this experiment were to compare the two methods as marks for shrimp and to obtain information on growth rates and migrations. Eighteen weeks after release, 1,942 (28%) of those marked with the biological stain-internal tag combination and 2,286 (31%) of those marked with Petersen tags had been recovered. The …

Mississippi Flora. Iv. Dicotyledon Families With Aquatic Or Wetland Species, Samuel B. Jones Jr.

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The first paper in this series treated some of the monocotyledon families with aquatic or wetland species (Jones 1974). The primary aim of this paper is to improve our knowledge of some of the dicotyledon families with aquatic and wetland plants in Mississippi. Hopefully, this paper will be reviewed and criticized by many, and corrected before the proposed Guide to the Flora of Mississippi is published.

Pelagic Cnidaria Of Mississippi Sound And Adjacent Waters, W. David Burke

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Investigations were made in Mississippi Sound and adjacent waters from March 1968 through March 197 1 to record the occurrence and seasonality of planktonic cnidarians. About 700 plankton samples were taken from estuarine and oceanic areas. From these samples, 26 species of hydromedusae were identified, 12 of which were collected from Mississippi Sound. In addition, 25 species of siphonophorae were identified from Mississippi waters, although only 6 species were collected in Mississippi Sound. From an examination of about 500 trawl samples taken during this period, 10 species of Scyphozoa were found in Mississippi waters, 6 of which occurred in Mississippi …

The Blue Crab Fishery In Mississippi, Harriet M. Perry

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Analysis of 670 trawl, seine and marsh net samples collected from July 1971 through June 1973 provided data on the distribution and abundance of blue crabs in Mississippi Sound. Highest average catches were associated with salinities between 5.0 and 15.0 ppt (parts per thousand) and temperatures between 20.0 and 25.0^oC.

Young crabs congregated in dredged navigational channels and in the marshes that fringe the bays and coastline. Maximum numbers were captured over soft mud bottoms.

Peak numbers of zoeae occurred in the summer and fall. Megalopae were collected in all months. Early crab stages appeared throughout the year. …

Primary Productivity Of Coastal Marshes In Mississippi, Armando A. De La Cruz

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The annual net primary production of nine types of marsh communities common in Mis­sissippi Gulf Coast estuaries were studied by means of the Harvest Method. Production values ranged from 600 g m^-2 yr^-1 for a Sagittaria lancifolia marsh to 2330 g m^-2 yr^-1 for a Phragmites communis marsh. Primary productivity values for the other marsh types are Juncus roemerianus - 1697 g m^-2 yr^-1, Scirpus robustus - 1056 g m^-2 yr^-1, Spartina cynosuroides - 2190 g m^-2 yr^-1, Spartina patens - 1922 g …

A Review Of Salinity Problems Of Organisms In United States Coastal Areas Subject To The Effects Of Engineering Works, Gordon Gunter, Buena S. Ballard, A. Venkataramiah

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The nongaseous substances that normally move in and out of cells are metabolites, water and salts. The common salts in water determine its salinity, and the definition of sea water salinity and its composition are discussed. The relationships of salinity to all phyla of animals living in the coastal waters are reviewed, with emphasis on the estuaries of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the United States, which are particularly influenced by coastal engineering works and changes of salinity caused thereby.

The fauna of estuaries is made up of a few brackish water species which complete their life cycles there, …

An Estuarine Low-Temperature Fish-Kill In Mississippi, With Remarks On Restricted Necropsies, Robin M. Overstreet

Gulf and Caribbean Research

In January 1973, large numbers of Mugil cephalus (striped mullet), weighing approximately 250 gm each, died in two freshwater localities in tidewater bayous of Jackson County, Mississippi. Fish identified as Mugil curema, M. cephalus, Megalops atlantica, Dormitator maculatus, and Fundulus grandis were found dead in other low saline estuarine areas. Fish-kills during cold periods are less commonly encountered in Mississippi than in Texas or Florida. This particular incident is attributed to conditions of stress for fishes incompletely acclimated to the encountered low temperatures. The most deleterious stress was the low saline water which probably allowed a …

Mississippi Flora. I. Monocotyledon Families With Aquatic Or Wetland Species, Samuel B. Jones Jr.

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Keys, distribution maps, habitats, references, nomenclature, and notes are given for some 16 families of monocotyledons occurring naturally or naturalized in Mississippi. These families all contain one or more species which are found in aquatic or wetland habitats. They are: Alismataceae, Araceae, Cannaceae, Haemodoraceae, Hydrocharitaceae, Juncaginaceae, Lemnaceae, Marantaceae, Mayacaceae, Najadaceae, Pontederiaceae, Potamogetonaceae, Rug piaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae, Zannichelliaceae.

Cetacean Notes. I. Sei And Rorqual Whales On The Mississippi Coast, A Correction. Ii. A Dwarf Sperm Whale In Mississippi Sound And Its Helminth Parasites, Gordon Gunter, Robin Overstreet

Gulf and Caribbean Research

I. Gunter and Christmas (1973) described the events leading to the stranding of a baleen whale on Ship Island, Mississippi, in 1968, giving the species as Balaenoptera physalus, the Rorqual. Unfortunately the identification was in error, but fortunately good photographs were shown. The underside of the tail was a splotched white, but there was no black margin. The specimen also had fewer throat and belly grooves than the Rorqual, as a comparison with True’s (1904) photograph shows. Dr. James Mead (in litt.) pointed out that the animal was a Sei Whale, Balaenoptera borealis. This remains a …

Some Effects Of Hurricanes On The Terrestrial Biota, With Special Reference To Camille (Reprint), Gordon Gunter, Lionel N. Eleuterius

Gulf and Caribbean Research

This is a verbatim reprinting of the paper with the same title published in Volume 3, Number 2 of this journal, which was so improperly laid out that reprints with the plates could not be made and the legends were missing.

Protozoan Symbionts From The Anemone Bunodosoma Cavernata From Galveston Island, Texas, Philip J. Phillips

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The anemone Bunodosoma cavernata is a common inhabitant of the Texas coast and cursory observation revealed a large complement of protozoan associates. These included Saprodinium, Euplotes, Paraeuplotes, Vorticella, Cohnilembus, Anophrys, Uronema and Vahlkampfia.

Approximately forty anemones were collected from jetty rocks on Galveston Island on 3 November 1970. Note was made within one day of protozoans found on the external surfaces, in the coelenteron and in surrounding sea water. The anemones were kept until 7 December 1970 under varying conditions and bi-weekly note was made of the associated protozoan fauna.

Some Analyses Of Twentieth Century Landing Statistics Of Marine Shrimp Of The South Atlantic And Gulf States Of The United States, Gordon Gunter, Katherine Mcgraw

Gulf and Caribbean Research

There is a strong correlation between the total catch of white and brown shrimp with dockside prices on the United States Gulf Coast since 1902, but there is no significant correlation between South Atlantic production and prices, probably because the South Atlantic shrimp stocks have been over-fished since the 1920s. There is no negative or positive correlation between the catch statistics of brown and white shrimp of the United States, and these species seem to be weakly competitive, if at all. There is a significant correlation between the annual production of South Atlantic and Gulf white shrimp, but there is …

An Examination Of Legislation For The Protection Of The Wetlands Of The Atlantic And Gulf Coast States, Anthony J. Haueisen

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The most useful aquatic areas in the world are in serious danger of destruction. The estuaries, where fresh water, land and sea meet in a dynamic and highly productive zone, are today gravely threatened through unwise and unplanned excessive use of their valuable but finite capacities. Estuaries include the coastal zone which is affected by both the run-off of fresh water from the land and the salt water from the sea. This zone includes tidal rivers, marshes, bays and river mouths. The value of these estuarine regions has been well established by biologists. However, this value is fully appreciated by …