A herd of female sperm whales with calves was observed for the first time off the coast of Monaco in mid December 2001. The herd was composed of more than ten animals: the adults were foraging; the calves were resting. The adult whales measured less than 12 m in length and the calves were estimated to be 5 m. This occurrence is discussed.

Calyptogena gallardoi sp. nov. is described from eight articulated and 15 separated valves collected by dredge at ∼760 m depth off the Bay of Concepción, central Chile (∼36°S). In general outline, C.gallardoi sp. nov. is close to C. pacifica and to a new species of Calyptogena from Peru, from which it differs in details of the shell shape and hinge margin. Bivalves of the genus Calyptogena are typical constituents of marine chemosynthesis-based communities, and are therefore indicators of reducing environments. In the area of occurrence, the presence of C. gallardoi sp. nov. is related to methane seepage, associated in turn with the extensive gas–hydrate fields recently reported for the Chilean margin along 35°S to 45°S. Gas-saturated sediments as well as fragments of other chemosynthetic endosymbiont-containing clams of the families Vesicomyidae, Lucinidae, Thyasiridae and Solemyidae were also retrieved in the area.

Calyptogena gallardoi sp. nov. is the first species of Calyptogena s.s. and the second species of the family Vesicomyidae so far described for the south-eastern Pacific area.

More than 127 specimens of the bivalve mollusc Idas simpsoni were collected from the skull of a fin whale Balaenoptera physalus. The skull was trawled up from a depth of 430 m near Mljet Island in the south Adriatic Sea. This is the first finding of I. simpsoni in the Adriatic Sea.

growth and mortality rates of larval japanese spanish mackerel (scomberomorus niphonius) were estimated by using otolith daily increments in 1997 and 1998 in the sea of hiuchi, central seto inland sea. there was no day–night difference in the abundance and size-distribution of s. niphonius larvae in the 3–10 mm size-classes, indicating the larvae were efficiently collected by the larva-net used for sampling (1.3 m mouth diameter, 0.5 mm mesh). mean absolute growth rate (0.748 mm d−1 in 1997, 0.821 mm d−1 in 1998), weight specific growth coefficient (g: 0.402 in 1997, 0.444 in 1998) and mortality coefficient (m: 0.784 in 1997 and 0.625 in 1998) were among the highest reported for marine fish larvae. scomberomorus niphonius seems to have evolved survival strategies characterized by fast growth with strong piscivory that can reduce duration of the larval period with the high mortality. in 1997, spatial distribution of the larvae was not well corresponded to that of their prey, clupeid larvae, and the larval feeding incidence was lower than in 1998. recruitment potential assessed by examining the ratio of g:m was lower in 1997 (0.513 in 1997, 0.711 in 1998) due to the lower g and higher m values. prey fish availability may be one of the important determinants for the recruitment potential by controlling the larval mortality due to starvation and/or starvation-related predation.

A new species of the genus Tambja is described from the western Atlantic on the coast of Brazil. To date, the genus Tambja was represented in the Atlantic Ocean by nine species but only three of them have been recorded from the western Atlantic: T. gratiosa from the Gulf of Mexico, T. divae from Brazil and T. oliva from the Caribbean coast of the Isthmus of Panama. Tambja stegosauriformis sp. nov. is easily distinguished from all its congeneric Atlantic species of the genus by having very well developed light blue tubercles scattered on the yellowish-orange ground with an elongate crest behind the gill until the end of the tail. The anterior margin of the notum is very wide and elevated and it extends into a kind of lapel around the rhinophores. This peculiar external morphology and its conspicuous coloration characterize this species.

a sample of 178 specimens, collected along the south-eastern cost of sicily (central mediterranean sea), was analysed. most meristic counts and measurements given by previous authors were updated, due to the larger variability observed in the present sample. sexual dimorphism was observed in fish-size and in other morphometric measurements, mostly concerning the head region. the most useful diagnostic characters of scorpaena maderensis were the presence of cycloid scales on the chest and the pectoral fin base, some features of body coloration and the shortness of supraocular tentacles, the latter two being easily detectable also during field observation. only a few morphometric and meristic measurements, along with some morphological features, were indicated as further elements to distinguish s. maderensis from s. porcus.

acoustic surveys were carried out in three regions of the aegean sea where fish farming zones have been established in order to study the mesoscale effect of fish farms on the spatial structure of wild fish communities. in each area two sites were sampled during may and september. one site was close to the fish-farming zone while the other (reference site), was located in a place with similar topography at a mean distance of 20 nautical miles from the fish-farming zone. geostatistical techniques (omnidirectional and exhaustive variograms) were used to analyse and visualize the spatial structure of the wild fish assemblage in each site. the spatial structure of wild fish aggregations at all three fish farming zones showed consistently a pronounced directionality during both sampling periods, indicating that the wild fish patch was oriented towards a specific direction. this was not observed in the respective reference areas. the observed directionality suggested a response at a mesoscale level of the wild fish biota to the presence of the fish farms in the adjacent coastal area.

A feeding frenzy of 12 octopuses of Vulcanoctopus hydrothermalis was observed from the manned submersible ‘Alvin’ at Parigo, a 2620 m deep hydrothermal vent on the East Pacific Rise. The aggregated benthic octopuses at the active vent used their arms and webs to forage on bathypelagic amphipods, apparently targeting their attacks based on contact with the swarming amphipods. Individual octopuses wrapped their arms around the mantles of smaller octopuses, apparently in competition for prey. Although members of the prey species, Halice hesmonectes, are individually small (<5 mm long), the density of their swarms may make them attractive prey for the octopus. Inactive sulphide spires encircled part of this vent site; octopuses that climbed these spires had easy access to the dense prey swarms. The presence of the spires may uniquely enable this site to support simultaneous foraging by large numbers of octopuses.

predator–prey interactions between fish and macrofauna in kelp (laminaria hyperboea) forest were examined. fish were caught in gill-nets and fish traps at two sites and throughout the diurnal cycle. their stomach contents were analysed. the most abundant fish species, except pollachius virens, were caught in larger numbers at night than during daytime. the examined fish fed throughout the diurnal cycle and kelp-associated fauna were found to be important prey. pollachius virens was caught in the same numbers throughout the diurnal cycle and contained mainly pelagic prey, in larger numbers during the day than at night. small labrids were specialists, feeding mainly on the two numerically dominant kelp-associated gastropods rissoa parva and lacuna vincta. the larger labrus bergylta, gadus morhua and myoxocephalus scorpius were generalists, feeding on a large range of kelp-associated invertebrates. some fish species showed preference for particular vertical levels when feeding in the kelp forest. the most mobile and/or the largest invertebrates were most heavily preyed upon.

The shell morphology of mud snails, Zeacumantus subcarinatus, both uninfected and infected by trematodes, was compared to determine if different trematode species induce different degrees of alteration in host shell shape. Snails harbouring either the echinostomatid Acanthoparyphium sp., or a double infection by the microphallid Maritrema novaezealandensis and an undescribed philophthalmid species, had a wider shell base relative to the rest of the shell spire, than uninfected snails or snails infected by only one of the latter two trematode species. These results are independent of any differences in shell length among the different infection groups. The findings of this study suggest that alterations in host shell morphology are species-specific trematode manipulations of host phenotype rather than a generalized host response to castrating trematodes.

patterns of distribution and abundance of giant sea anemones and anemonefish were compared among coral reefs along the coastline of sinai in the northern red sea. the sea anemones varied widely in abundance between reef areas containing different habitat types. they were rare on steep reef slopes with abundant coral cover (=low-density anemone sites, 0.09–0.68 anemones per 1000 m2 of reef area), but were common at a site containing patch reefs interspersed with sand (=high-density anemone site, 6.00–8.11 anemones per 1000 m2). distributions of the endemic two-band anemonefish (amphiprion bicinctus) varied significantly between the two main host anemone species. at the high-density site, individuals of the sea anemone heteractis crispa either did not contain anemonefish, or were occupied by single juvenile fish as shown in previous studies. at low-density sites h. crispa usually hosted clusters of juvenile anemonefish. in contrast, individuals of the sea anemone entacmaea quadricolor hosted either single adult fish (high-density site) or pairs of breeding adults (low-density sites), frequently in addition to some juvenile fish. mechanisms that prevent anemonefish from reaching adult size and forming breeding pairs in h. crispa may include high fish mortality above a size threshold because this host cannot adequately protect them from predation when they become large, active emigration of fish to e. quadricolor as described in previous reports, and/or environmentally-controlled cessation of fish growth. we conclude that in the northern red sea, individuals of h. crispa potentially serve as nurseries for anemonefish.

Species of marine bivalve molluscs identified in the last nine years in the Greek waters have been used to update the checklist published in 1996 (Fauna Graeciae VII) by inserting necessary changes and adding new records. The updated version includes 13 new species among which three are exotics (non-Mediterranean species), five rare, two new deep sea and one previously considered a fossil species. Also, as a result of new resources, the distributions of pre-existing native molluscs have been updated to include new habitat areas. The nomenclature is also up to date based on the CLEMAM Database. Thus five species are now excluded either because they are junior synonyms of pre-existing valid species (2) or because of old spurious records (3 species). Additions and corrections of the 1996 checklist have resulted in a total of 308 bivalves in Greek waters.

humphead wrasse (cheilinus undulatus) are widely distributed throughout the indo-pacific region, but usually at low densities. this species' distribution in india includes lakshadweep, gulf of mannar, the east coast and the andaman and nicobar islands. the abundance and distribution of this species on the west coast of india was unknown prior to this study.

The condition of three intertidal Paracentrotus lividus populations, which inhabit an area between Rabat and Casablanca (Morocco) known by its high wave energy and its substantial anthropogenic disturbances were described. The growth rate of the juvenile sea urchins in this intertidal zone was low compared with more sheltered populations. A sharp increase in the gonad index was observed between January and March at the beginning of a period of algal production, and was concomitant with increases in seawater temperature and food consumption rate. This gonad index increase was followed by a single spawning period occurring between March and June, probably triggered by the phytoplankton bloom induced by upwelling conditions. Larval development in all three populations was severely inhibited and could be explained, in part, by high and generalized Cu contamination throughout the region. Specific contamination of particular populations by Pb or Hg was attributed to local industries and the incomplete dispersion of pollutants in spite of the high hydrodynamics along the Moroccan Atlantic coast. One of the three populations studied showed strong indications of abnormal development; the degradation of its condition appeared to be due to the presence of a wadi (temporary river) which can seasonally reduce the salinity, directly affecting the sea urchin physiology and indirectly enhancing the metal toxicity.

A re-assessment of the rocky sublittoral biota at Hilsea Point Rock in south Devon, UK was undertaken 50 years after the first descriptive surveys. The overall appearance of the fauna and flora in 2003 was much as described in the 1950s but with some species not re-found in 2003 and some species added to the lists from the 1950s.

one specimen of wahoo, acanthocybium solandri was caught in june 2004 by artisanal fishermen in the straits of messina, sicily. this epipelagic species has a circum-tropical distribution and in the mediterranean has been recorded only twice. meristic characteristics, gonads and stomach contents were analysed. two species of parasites, the giant trematodes hirudinella ventricosa and the monogenean neothoracocotyle acanthocybii were detected in the stomach and in the gills, respectively. the presence of these helminths, typical of hosts captured in atlantic and pacific waters is consistent with the migration of this specimen via gibraltar.

Colonies of the phlebobranch ascidian Perophora japonica were found in August 2003 in Humboldt Bay, northern California, growing on a submerged settling panel. This species has a unique terminal budding in addition to the usual subterminal stolonial budding: bright yellow stellate plaques form at the tips of many stolons. The plaques break off, float away and reattach, subsequently forming new stolons and new colonies. The presence of these plaques, and the larger size of the zooids, distinguish it from the native Perophora annectens. This is the first North American record for this species.

this paper describes the interaction between two species: white anglerfish lophius piscatorius and its specific leech parasite calliobdella lophii off the north of spain. catches of white anglerfish by the spanish gill-net fleet operating in those waters were sampled monthly in 2001. abundance, mean intensity and prevalence were used to analyse infestation level by c. lophii. prevalence of leeches and fish length was significantly correlated. mean intensity was higher on larger white anglerfish. significant differences were found in the presence of leeches by fish length between areas, with higher values in the western part of the studied area. no significant differences were found in the presence of leeches between sexes or seasons.

One specimen of African threadfish was caught near Split (middle Adriatic) on 26 September 1973 and donated to the Museo Storia Naturale di Genova (MSNG). Tortonese reported on the extralimital capture of this species (under the name Scyris alexandrina) without any other data. This was neglected and this species was not put in the list of Adriatic fish. After revision of the specimen and data from the MSNG it could be suggested that the species must be in the list of Adriatic fish. This record represents the northernmost occurrence of this species in the world.