The first population of mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki , was discovered in a wetland area of the upper Tamar Estuary, northern Tasmania, Australia, in November 2000. We report aspects of the structure and reproductive biology of this population, based on 1567 fish collected between August 2001 and January 2002. Females dominated most catches. Maximum lengths were 48.9 and 23.6 mm standard length (SL) for females and males, r...

The nature of benthic biofilm was assessed in four streams in New Zealand, two flowing through native tussock grassland and two through exotic Pinus radiata forest. Components of the biofilm were described using epi‐fluorescent staining (DAPI) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of rock and wood substrata. DAPI and SEM analyses showed significantly more bacteria and fungi on rock and wood in tussock as opposed to pine strea...

Re: Kirby, D. S.; Abraham, E. R.; Uddstrom, M. J.; Dean, H. 2003: Tuna schools/aggregations in surface longline data 1993–98. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 37 : 633–644.

Metallothionein (MT) is a protein found in most eukaryotes where its primary role is the regulation of homeostasis of the essential metals copper and zinc. MTs have an additional protective role through their binding of toxic metals such as cadmium and mercury. Increased expression of MT in response to harmful levels of these metals has been demonstrated for several aquatic species. In this study, the expression of MT in the l...

Three manipulative experiments were done to estimate the selectivity of conventional and new sizes and configurations of mesh for school prawns, Metapenaeus macleayi , in three south‐eastern Australian recreational fishing gears (haul, push, and scoop nets). The treatment meshes examined were: (1) conventional‐sized, diamond‐shaped mesh used in all gears (20 mm in scoop nets and 30 mm in push and haul nets); (2) 30 mm in scoop...

We examined the response of four species of New Zealand marine algae ( Ecklonia radiata, Apophlaea lyallii, Rhodymenia spp., Ulva lactuca ) and a sea urchin ( Evechinus chloroticus ) to spatial variation in ultraviolet radiation (UV‐R) by examining the concentration of UV‐R absorbing compounds known as mycosporine‐like amino acids (MAAs). The purpose was to understand how, and the degree to which, local marine species could po...

A new species, Crustorhabditis chitwoodi , was discovered in nutrient agar plates inoculated with beach sand collected from an ocean beach in New South Wales, Australia. The three other known species of the genus have all been found as commensal inhabitants of ocypodid shore crabs. It is suggested that the sand inoculum was seeded with dauer larvae of the nematode that had been dispersed by scavenging crabs. The new species is...

Reports of anomalously pigmented cetaceans, including melanistic (all‐black) individuals are infrequent. We observed four melanistic southern right‐whale dolphins ( Lissodelphis peronii ) including a calf, off Kaikoura (42°34'S, 173°50'E), New Zealand. We also compiled records of melanistic individuals from five other species of cetaceans. The ecological context of melanistic pigmentation of cetaceans is not well understood; h...

Comparative data were obtained on the growth and survival of early juveniles of the trumulco snail Chorus giganteus from settlement to an age of 4 months when fed either of the mussel species Semimytilus algosus or Perumytilus purpuratus . Growth of the snails after 4 months was significantly greater when fed S. algosus , ending with a mean size of 6162 μm compared with 5192 μm with P. purpuratus . Survival between the two fed...

This work examines the diel change of energy storage and its associated patterns of thermal stratification during the ice‐free period in a high mountain lake (La Caldera Lake, Sierra Nevada, Spain), in response to meteorological conditions. Bihourly data have been implemented to a standard methodology of surface heat exchange calculations in lakes. Strong variations have been observed on the diverse components of the energy bu...

The dispersion patterns and feeding behaviour of intertidal whelks were investigated in north‐eastern New Zealand. Aggregations of whelks feeding on clams occurred regularly, with an average of 15–20 individuals per aggregation. Death of clams was attributable to predation in up to 50% of the aggregations, although scavenging of dead and moribund animals was the main activity of whelks. Laboratory and field studies showed that...

We examined temporal changes at the Three Kings Islands, New Zealand in 1993 and 2002 in the diet of the endemic herbivorous fish Odax cyanoallix (Family Labridae) and in habitat‐forming macroalgae, and compared these with published accounts from 1979. The diet of O. cyanoallix predominantly comprised the laminarian Ecklonia radiata in 1993, and the fucoids Sargassum johnsonii and Landsburgia quercifolia in 2002. In depths S....

Factors affecting the development of the embryos and production of larvae of the spiny lobster Sagmariasus verreauxi were investigated. Mature lobsters were collected from the fishery in New Zealand and held in captivity until they moulted, mated, and extruded eggs. For females, moulting took place in winter (July/August) and mating occurred 58–88 days later in early spring. The ovigerous females were then held at three temper...

Photosynthetic characteristics of intertidal Zostera capricorni were measured under different tidal conditions in Whangapoua Harbour on the eastern Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, and compared with permanently submerged seagrass beds. Photosynthetic characteristics were measured using pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorom‐etry and oxygen (O2) electrode techniques. Gross light saturated photosynthesis measured as oxygen ex...

Faecal contamination of rural streams is of increasing concern in New Zealand. This study assessed hill‐country streams in the Whatawhata district that were impacted by pastoral farming, indigenous forest, or Pinus radiata forest; by measuring Escherichia coli bacteria at 14 sampling sites fortnightly for 2 years. E. coli concentrations were highest in streams flowing through grazed pasture. In both years there was a noticeabl...

A sample of 189 short‐finned eels ( Anguilla australis ) from four geographical areas in New Zealand were examined for the occurrence of the swimbladder nematode Anguillicola spp. Anguillicola novaezelandiae was found in three of the four localities. Overall, the prevalence was low ( Anguilla anguilla‐Anguillicola crassus ), it was concluded that the New Zealand short‐finned eels do not greatly suffer from this infection. In p...

On shallow temperate subtidal reefs, habitat types are usually defined subjectively by the dominance or presence of major macroalgal species. Many of these habitat types (e.g., urchin barrens, kelp forest) are frequently used in the literature but little attempt has been made to quantitatively define these habitats. A survey of shallow subtidal reefs in north‐eastern New Zealand identified a number of commonly occurring “habit...

Temporal changes in the abundance and horizontal and vertical distribution of phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll a) in Tasman Bay, New Zealand were associated with changes in water column stratification, because of seasonal climatic effects and variations in the magnitude of freshwater inflows. The water column throughout the bay was usually strongly stratified. Vertical gradients in salinity, the result of outwelling river pl...

Two new species of Xanthocalanus are reported from the New Zealand continental slope. The female and male of X. longispinus n. sp. is described as well as the female of X. stewarti n. sp. Aspects of X. fallax and X. minor from Norway are re‐described and illustrated where observations differed from previous descriptions. Females of the two new species are distinguished from all other Xanthocalanus by a combination of character...

To improve understanding of the temporal and spatial variability of biological productivity relevant to fisheries enhancement within Tasman Bay, New Zealand, it is necessary to evaluate the importance of variations in river inflows on inorganic nutrient dynamics. To achieve this, a series of synoptic surveys of surface and water column salinity fields and inorganic nutrient concentrations were carried out over a 1‐year period,...

Larvae of two commercially important fish species, namely southern hake ( Merluccius australis ) and hoki ( Macruronus magellanicus ), are described for the first time from material collected in southern Chile. Observations on a third species, blue whiting ( Micromesistius australis ), are also provided. The three species demonstrate larval characteristics typical of gadiform fishes, including a short gut, and pigmentation dis...

The water quality impact of a herd of 246 dairy cows crossing a stream ford was documented. Two cow crossings produced plumes of turbid water associated with very high concentrations of faecal indicator bacteria ( Escherichia coli ) and high suspended solids (SS) and total nitrogen (TN). On the first crossing, towards the milking shed, the cows were tightly‐bunched and produced a sharp spike of contamination ( E. coli peaking...

Twenty‐four blennies collected in east Auckland, New Zealand, were identified as the Australian oyster blenny, Omobranchus anolius using taxonomic and molecular characters. This species appears to have been introduced recently to New Zealand. Auckland oyster blennies mainly inhabited dead oyster shells in water pooled under intertidal boulders on mudflats. Specimens ranged from small juveniles to large mature males, suggesting...

We used standardised techniques to assemble 18 food‐webs in streams subject to four land uses; exotic pasture, native tussock, native forest, and pine plantation. There were clear differences in the algal productivity and standing crops of organic matter between the forested (native and pine) and grassland (tussock and pasture), but not within each grouping. Algal productivity was more than twice as high in the grassland sites...