Marine Biology Commons^™

A Record Of Bermudrilus Peniatus (Oligochaeta: Tubificidae) From The Gulf Of Mexico, Christer Erseus

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The marine tubificid Bermudrilus peniatus Erséus, 19?9 (subfamily Phallodrilinae) is reported fromoff the west coast ofcentral Florida, at about 75 m depth. The species was previously known only from coral reefs at Bermuda.

Aspects Of The Biology Of The Red Drum, Sciaenops Ocellatus, In Mississippi, Robin M. Overstreet

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Several hundred specimens of the red drum from Mississippi were critically assessed. Regression equations for standard-length (SL) versus total-length differed between males and females and between small and large members of the same sex. A single regression line represented the weight-SL relationship for males with females. For condition coefficients to be helpful, fish had to be grouped at least by sex, season, and length or stage of maturity. By 12 months of age, most fish were about 30 to 32 cm SL and their distribution ranged throughout Mississippi Sound rather than being restricted to inshore bayou and marsh habitats like …

Aspects Of The Biology Of The Spotted Seatrout, Cynoscion Nebulosus, In Mississippi, Robin M. Overstreet

Gulf and Caribbean Research

About 3,000 specimens of the spotted seatrout from Mississippi Sound and adjacent water grouped by males and females had a nearly identical standard length (SL) versus total length (TL) relationship, although the equation for males in winter differed from that for those in other seasons. When investigating the SL-weight relationship, some differences occurred both among seasons and between sexes. Therefore, condition coefficients (K) were calculated to compare male and female groups according to their length and state of maturation on a seasonal basis. The hepatosomatic index (HSI) tended to increase with fish length, with relatively high values occurring in winter …

A Note On The Reproductive Season Of The Carolina Marsh Clam Polymesoda Caroliniana (Bosc) In An Irregularly Flooded Mississippi Marsh, Courtney T. Hackney

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The gonadal development of Polymesoda caroliniana in an irregularly flooded, brackish marsh was followed for 13 months. Ripe individuals (condition prior to spawning) were found in May, July, August, and October, suggesting either an extended period of spawning or three discrete spawning periods. This pattern is different from another study of P. caroliniana in a more flooded habitat.

The observed gonadal condition correlates with the presence of newly recruited clams in the marsh during most of the year, but failed to explain a pulse of juveniles found in February. The different reproductive pattern observed in this brackish marsh may be …

Amphipods Of The Family Ampeliscidae (Gammaridea). Ii. Notes On The Occurrence Of Ampelisca Holmesi In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Gary D. Goeke, Jerry M. Gathof

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Ampelisca holmesi is reported herein from the grass beds behind the barrier islands of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Previous records are reviewed and the male of the species is described for the first time. The material agrees well with the original description and the recent redescription. Mouthparts for A. holmesi are described, illustrated, and compared with those of A. verrilli from the northeastern coast of the United States.

Amphipods Of The Family Ampeliscidae (Gammaridea). I. Ampelisca Bicarinata, A New Species Of Amphipod From The Gulf Of Mexico, Gary D. Goeke, Richard W. Heard

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A new species of the benthic amphipod genus Ampelisca Kroyer, is described and illustrated. Previous records of the Pacific species Ampelisca cristoides Barnard, 1954, from the western North Atlantic are now assignable to the proposed new species, Ampelisca bicarinata. These two closely related sibling species are compared and their specific differences enumerated.

Distribution Of The Marsh Periwinkle Littorina Irrorata (Say) In A Virginia Salt Marsh, R. Wyle Crist, William C. Banta

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Littorina irrorata varies over its geographic range in maximum size, preferred elevations relative to tidal datum planes, and in the type of vegetation it inhabits. On Wallops Island, Virginia, postlarvae of Littorina irrorata with shell lengths < 5 mm long live almost exclusively in dead, curled-up leaves of Spartina alterniflora at elevations near mean tide level, below elevations occupied by larger conspecifics. Snails longer than 5 mm in length increase in average size with decreasing elevation. This distribution is opposite to that found by Hamilton (1978) in a marsh in Florida. No difference was found in our study area in growth rate of marked snails at two different elevations, so the size-elevation …

Effects Of Saltwater Intrusion From The Inner Harbor Navigation Canal On The Benthos Of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, Jane A. Junot, Michael A. Poirrier, Thomas M. Soniat

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A study of the benthos of southern Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, was conducted from July 1976 to July 1978. Seven offshore stations and three stations in the New Orleans Marina complex were sampled seasonally. Offshore stations formed a transect from the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway to the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (I.H.N.C.). A west to east gradient of increasing salinity and salinity stratification was evident.

Faunal differences among stations were assessed using indices of diversity, biological dominance, pollution, and station homogeneity. The fauna of the marina stations had a low species diversity and was dominated by annelids, indicative of a stressed environment. …

Community Structure Of Diatoms Epiphytic On Pneumatophores Of The Black Mangrove, Avicennia Germinans, In A Louisiana Salt Marsh, Robert S. Maples

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The taxonomy, diversity, and similarity of diatom assemblages epiphytic on pneumatophores of black mangrove, Avicennia germinans (L.) L., in southeastern Louisiana were investigated. A total of 109 taxa representing 27 genera were identified in samples from five sites. The most abundant taxa were Nitzschia brittonii Hagelstein, Nitz. frustulum (Kutz.) Grun., Navicula diserta Hust., Denticula subtilis Grun., and Amphora tenuissima Hust. Comparisons with previous studies indicate that the diatom flora epiphytic on A. germinans in this study is much more characteristic of temperate salt marshes than of subtropical mangrove communities.

Tanaidacea (Crustacea: Peracardia) Of The Gulf Of Mexico. Iii. On The Occurrence Of Teleotanais Gerlachi Lang, 1956 (Nototanaidae) In The Eastern Gulf, Jurgen Sieg, Richard W. Heard

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Teleotanais gerlachi Lang, 1956, a euryhaline member of the family Nototanaidae, known from Brazil and El Salvador, is reported from the eastern Gulf of Mexico (west coast of Florida) and the west coast of Africa (Nigeria). The species is diagnosed and illustrated. Differences between Teleotanais and the superficially similar genus Paratanais (Pantanaidae) are briefly compared and discussed.

Taxonomy And Distribution Of Edotea (= Tropedotea) Lyonsi (Menzies And Kruczynski, 1983) N. Comb. (Crustacea: Isopoda: Idoteidae), Gary D. Goeke, Richard W. Heard Jr.

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Tropedotea lyonsi Menzies and Kruczynski, 1983, is reported from the waters off Alabama southeastward to Cape Romano, Florida. The monotypic genus Tropedotea was recently erected on the basis of coxal plates of pereonites V to VI1 visible in dorsal view and a reduced number of articles in both antennae. Pereonites V to VI11 are also visible in dorsal view in Edotea Guérin-Ménéville, 1843, and the number of articles in antenna 1 and 2 of Tropedotea Menzies and Kruczynski, 1983, is the same as in Edotea. Hence Tropedotea lyonsi is assigned to the genus Edotea and Tropedotea is designated a …

Size And Distribution Of Resting Eggs In A Natural Population Of The Rotifer Brachionus Plicatilis, Terry W. Snell, Brian E. Burke, Stuart D. Messur

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Resting eggs of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis were collected from the sediments of a brackish-water pond near Tampa, Florida. These core samples were examined for resting egg density and size. Resting egg density decreased exponentially from the surface down to 7 cm in the sediments at all stations, with depth in the sediments accounting for 42.3% of the total variance. The maximum resting egg density recorded was 194 RE/cm³ with no significant differences in density among stations. Resting eggs were found to be significantly larger in the top 2 cm of sediment than resting eggs from deeper in the …

A Key To The Porcellanid Crab Zoeae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) Of The North Central Gulf Of Mexico And A Comparison Of Meristic Characters Of Four Species, Robert C. Maris

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A taxonomic key is provided for the two zoeal stages of five genera and six species of the Porcellanidae (Crustacea: Anomura) from the north central Gulf of Mexico. Measurements, carapace structures, and appendages are compared among zoeal specimens of Euceramus praelongus Stimpson, 1860; Petrolisthes armatus (Gibbes, 1850); Polyonyx gibbesi Haig, 1956; and Porcellana sigsbeiana A. Milne-Edwards, 1880. Positive correlations are noted between rostral spine length and carapace length in E. praelongus (zoeae I) and P. sigsbeiana (zoeae I) and in posterior spine lengths and carapace length in E. praelongus (zoeae I) and P. gibbesi (zoeae I).

Evaluation Of A Leased Oyster Bottom In Mississippi Sound, John Supan

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Twenty-four pairs of spat plates, strategically located on a 600-ha (1500-a) oyster lease, were monitored biweekly to determine the rate of oyster spatfall. Spatfall occurred from May 6 to July 31 and again from August 15 to October 24, 1979. The greatest spatfall occurred from August 15 to September 4, 1979. Data from shell bags that accompanied the spat plates indicated a maximum growth of 3.2 cm in two months. Oyster spat which attached to the planted cultch materials on the leases grew up to 7.9 cm during the 17-month sampling period, ending December 11, 1979. The lease area is …

A Historical Note Concerning Salt In Vertebrate Blood And In The Sea, Gordon Gunter

Gulf and Caribbean Research

In 1902 and 1903 G. von Bunge and A. B. Macallum became impressed independently with the similarity between the salt content of ocean water and vertebrate blood. Von Bunge’s ideas concerned NaCl and were stated in a physiology text. Macallum’s ideas, related mostly to the proportions of Na, K, and Ca in sea water and blood, were set forth in a series of papers ending in 1926. Bayliss (1927) and Pearse and Gunter (1957) accepted this thesis. Conway (1943, 1945) questioned it on the grounds that the salts from land erosion do not correspond to those in the sea. However, …

Ex-Vessel Value And Size Composition Of Reported May - August Catches Of Brown Shrimp And White Shrimp From 1960 To 1981 As Related To The Texas Closure, Charles Wax Caillouet Jr., Dennis Brian Koi

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Indices were used to test for trends in ex-vessel price spread (value per shrimp by size category), size composition, and ex-vessel value composition of the reported May-August catches (inshore and offshore combined) of brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus) and white shrimp (P. setiferus) from the Texas coast, the Mississippi River to Texas, and Pensacola to the Mississippi River, from 1960 to 1981. Levels of reported May-August catch and ex-vessel value of the catch also were examined for the same period. Statistical tests were conducted to determine if 1981 was an outlier as compared to other years, in …

Multilinear Models For The Prediction Of Brown Shrimp Harvest In Mississippi Waters, Frederick C. Sutter Iii, J.Y. Christmas

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A multilinear regression analysis of water temperature, salinity, and number of postlarval brown shrimp in nursery areas was used to predict the June and July commercial harvest of brown shrimp in Mississippi waters. A total of 80.2% of the variation in harvest was accounted for by this model. When an effort variable was added to the equation, the amount of variation explained by these parameters increased to 85.4%. The coefficients of the two multilinear equations were recalculated exclusive of the data set for the last year to test the predictive capabilities of the models. For that year, the first model …

An Unusually Small Egg-Carrying Callinectes Sapidus In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, With Comments On The Barnacle Loxothylacus Texanus, Robin M. Overstreet, Harriet M. Perry, Gerald Adkins

Gulf and Caribbean Research

This communication reports the smallest verified egg-carrying specimen of Callinectes sapidus. With a carapace 20 mm long by 47 mm wide, the female measures considerably less than most other mature individuals, but about the same as an average-sized individual infected with an adult specimen of the rhizocephalan Loxothylacus texanus.

Spatial And Temporal Patterns In The Macrobenthos Of St. Louis Bay, Mississippi, James T. Mcbee, Walter T. Brehm

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Benthic community structure in St. Louis Bay was studied for 23 months. Cluster analyses distinguished two habitats: open water areas and areas near the marshy shores of rivers and bayous. Two groups of “euryhaline opportunistic” species were dominant at the open water stations. Temporal patterns of the “euryhaline opportunists,” which appeared to be controlled by a combination of reproductive pulses and seasonally intense predation, showed that the greatest abundance of macroinfauna occurred during the cooler months with reduced recruitment during the second year. The river-bayou stations were characterized by two groups of “estuarine endemic” species. One of these groups was …

Observations On The Food And Food Habits Of Clapper Rails (Rallus Longirostris Boddaert) From Tidal Marshes Along The East And Gulf Coasts Of The United States, Richard W. Heard

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The feeding habits of five nominal subspecies of clapper rails (Rallus longirostris Boddaert) collected in tidal marshes along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the United States are compared. Data on the food from the stomachs of 183 rails were analyzed and the earlier literature critically reviewed. During the warmer months (May through early fall), crabs, predominantly Uca spp., comprised the major part of the food items found. Limited data on a few rails collected during late fall and winter, when Uca spp. are not usually available, indicate that snails then become a major part of the clapper rail’s …

Evaluation Of Flow-Through, Static, And Recirculating Systems For The Intensive Culture Of The Gulf Killifish Fundulus Grandis With Observations On A Solar-Heated Recirculating System For The Bait Industry, John T. Ogle, Mobashir A. Solangi

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Three systems (flow-through, static, and recirculating) for intensive culture of the Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) for bait were evaluated. The outdoor recirculating system proved most successful. Killifish maintained in this system attained an average weight of over 2.0 gm in 42 days, an acceptable market size. Whereas the solar-heated recirculating system sustained fish densities equivalent to 1,000,000/ha and a survival rate of 86%, growth of killifish in this system was less than that observed in both the static and outdoor recirculating systems. Algae appeared to be an important nutritional component of the diet of juvenile killifish. Individuals of …

Elevational Variations In The Lowest Limit Of Spartina Colonization In A Virginia Salt Marsh, Thomas G. Reidenbaugh, William C. Banta, Santoria Mendoza, Robert P. Strieter, Michele Varricchio

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Elevations of lowest colonization of smooth cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora, were surveyed along the edge of a juvenile salt marsh at Wallops Island, Virginia. This lowest limit of Spartina varied over one-third of the local mean tidal range, with lowest occurrences between mean low water and mean low water neaps. Four geographical factors appeared to influence the lowest limit of Spartina: (1) tidal scouring in areas where tidal channels were constricted, (2) scalloping of the marsh edge over a sloping substrate, (3) patterns of historical development of the marsh, and (4) ice scouring of previously colonized Spartina over winter. …

Size-Specific Emergence Of The Marsh Snail, Littorina Irrorata: Effect Of Predation By Blue Crabs In A Virginia Salt Marsh, Hilary S. Stanhope, William C. Banta, Michael H. Temkin

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Marsh periwinkles of 5 to 7 mm in shell height were eaten regularly by blue crabs. Fractures marking unsuccessful crab attacks were present in about 25% of medium-sized (10-16 mm) snails and over 60% of larger snails (over 16 mm). Medium-sized snails, subject to predation, leave the water more frequently than larger snails, but only about a quarter of the snail population leaves the water during high tide. We found no evidence that the snails leave the water because they sense blue crabs in the water.

Tanaidacea (Crustacea: Peracardia) Of The Gulf Of Mexico. Ii. The Occurrence Of Halmyrapseudes Bahamensis Băcescu And Gutu, 1974 (Apseudidae) In The Eastern Gulf With Redescription And Ecological Notes, Jurgen Sieg, Richard W. Heard, John T. Ogle

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Halmyrapseudes bahamensis Băcescu and Gutu, 1974 is reported from two localities in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. A redescription is presented based on examination of type material and a large collection of Gulf specimens. Ecological notes are presented on the occurrence, seasonality and distribution of H. bahamensis in two tidal marsh systems near St. Marks, Florida. The taxonomic status of H. bahamensis in relation to the two other described species of Halmyrapseudes is discussed.

Tanaidacea (Crustacea: Peracardia) Of The Gulf Of Mexico. I. Introduction And An Annotated Bibliography Of Tanaidacea Previously Reported From The Gulf Of Mexico, John T. Ogle, Richard W. Heard, Jurgen Sieg

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A brief summary of the biology and a historical review are presented for the Tanaidacea. An annotated bibliography is provided for published reports and records of Tanaidacea from the Gulf of Mexico.

A Marine Midge From The Gulf Of Mexico, Randall Howard

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The distribution of the marine midge Telmatogeton japonicus Tokunaga (Diptera) is extended into the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. This is the first reported use of offshore oil and gas platforms by marine midges and the first occurrence of this typically rocky shore intertidal group in an offshore environment.

Food Contents Of Six Commercial Fishes From Mississippi Sound, Robin M. Overstreet, Richard W. Heard

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Specific dietary contents from six fishes collected in Mississippi Sound are recorded. In order of their importance, primary components grouped in major taxonomic categories were fishes, penaeid shrimps, and other crustaceans for Cynoscion nebulosus; Crustaceans and fishes for C. arenarius; fishes and crustaceans for C. nothus; crustaceans, pelecypods, and polychaetes for Pogonias cromis; crustaceans, molluscs, polychaetes, and fishes for Archosargus probatocephalus; and fishes and penaeid shrimps for Paralichthys lethostigma. Principal items in the diets of most of the fishes included Anchoa mitchilli, Penaeus aztecus, P. setiferus, and Callinectes sapidus. Those …

The Occurrence Of Lightiella Jones, 1961 (Crustacea: Cephalocarida) In Mobile Bay, Alabama, Richard W. Heard, Gary D. Goeke

Gulf and Caribbean Research

During July 1979, two adult specimens belonging to the cephalocaridan genus Lightiella Jones, 1961 were collected in a box core sample taken at the mouth of Mobile Bay, Alabama. These two specimens were compared to the four described species of Lightiella, and found to be most similar to the northeastern Atlantic species of L. incisa Gooding, 1963 and L. floridana McLaughlin, 1976. Due to a combination of differences in the thoracopodal setation and incisor process of the mandible, the Mobile Bay form cannot at this time be assigned to any of the described species of Lightiella. The two …

Heat Death Of Least Tern Chicks On The Gulfport, Mississippi, Beach In 1980, Gordon Gunter

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The Least Tern is among the smallest of the long-winged flyers and an indescribably ethereal impression emanates from it in flight. Thus great interest was generated when this tern began to nest on the mainland beach of Mississippi Sound about 12 years ago. In 1980, Least Tern chicks died in numbers on the beach and this generated considerable comment and some bombast. An upstate ornithologist announced that poison in the food chain was the cause, but no poison has ever been found in the carcasses of the dead chicks or in the water. The mortality of Least Tern chicks was …

Effects Of Storms On Rice Rats Inhabiting Coastal Marshes, James L. Wolfe

Gulf and Caribbean Research

During 1979, three storms with winds in excess of 73 km/hr and tides up to 1.5 m above normal struck a section of the Mississippi coast where a population study of the rice rat, Oryzomys palustris, was in progress. There were no noticeable effects on population levels, and many individual animals survived the storms.