Two species of large extension feeding barnacles are abundant on exposed tropical rocky shores of northern Australia. The cirri of many specimens carry varying numbers of a commensal diatom in some cases with as many as 2000 individuals on a single cirrus. The araphid diatom resembles the genus, Lichmophora within the family Fragilariaceae although no description has yet been published. Species of Lichmophora are common benthic diatoms in these waters as an epiphyte on macroalgae and common primary fouling diatoms on test panels. The diatom reported here has not been found on any substratum other than the barnacles Tetraclita squamosa and Australobalanus imperator, very rarely on Balanus amphitrite. Analysis of the diatom distribution on the cirri shows significantly higher numbers on the posterior captorial cirri. The effect of commensal diatoms on the feeding efficiency of the barnacles is discussed.

Larvae of vent shrimp from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge are known to disperse widely from the adult habitat. Experimental analysis of the temperature/pressure tolerance of the first zoeal stage of Mirocaris fortunata from the Lucky Strike vent field suggest that the upper limit of vertical distribution is determined by temperature. Conversely, the lower limit is controlled by the maximum pressure tolerance of the larvae.

Clam species belonging to the family Veneridae (Mollusca: Bivalvia) represent very important marine products, especially in the European countries. The increasing economic interest in marine edible molluscs has strongly enhanced the need for a routine method of unambiguous recognition of species in fresh and preserved material, mainly intended to prevent mislabelling and commercial frauds. Here a procedure for identification of soft parts is proposed, by means of SDS-PAGE total protein patterning. In fresh material, this technique allowed recognition of four main regions of diagnostic bands, which have been named V1 (111–99 kDa), V2 (44 kDa), V3 (33–30 kDa) and V4 (19–13 kDa). The main diagnostic region appears to be the V3 band series. SDS-PAGE analysis allows the same technique to be used with denatured samples, such as cooked and preserved soft parts, giving reproducible results, very similar to those of fresh material.

Epibenthic macroalgae were observed to grow more abundantly on the upper surface of the Japanese scallops Patinopecten yessoensis (Bivalvia: Pectinidae) than on other available substrate. A field experiment to examine the hypothesis that colonization of live scallops protects macrophytes from grazing by sea urchins Strongylocentrotus nudus and S. intermedius was performed. Algal growth in the areas with urchins was compared with that in the enclosures without urchins. Each enclosure contained two live scallops, two empty shells, and one rock similar to scallops in size and shape. Twenty live scallops, 16 empty shells and ten rocks were marked and left outside the enclosures. After three months there was no difference in macrophyte mean percentage cover on live scallops inside and outside the enclosures. Percentage cover of macrophytes on dead scallop shells and rocks was significantly lower outside the protective enclosures as compared to unprotected areas. The results support the hypothesis that scallops serve as mobile refugia for macroalgae from urchin grazing.

The stranding of a female specimen of the genus Architeuthis, a species not previously recorded in the Mediterranean Sea, is reported from the southern Spanish coast (Alboran Sea, western Mediterranean). The geographical distribution of the species is discussed.

Length composition, maturation and growth of the ommastrephid squid Todaropsis eblanae were studied using length–frequency distributions (LFDs) and statoliths of squid caught off the north-west African coast. Length–frequency distributions were quite similar in all seasons studied, indicating all year round spawning. However, both high proportions of mature squid in the winter and the hatching peak of squid from our sample in spring suggested the winter–spring peak of spawning. Immature and maturing squid had rather high growth rates, attaining 140—150 mm of dorsal mantle length (ML) by the age of 160—170 d. Todaropsis eblanae is likely to have an annual life cycle on the north-west African shelf.

Over the period 1—4 April 1999 a large number of dead asteroids were washed ashore at the northern end of the Isle of Man. The area is commonly used for public recreation and the stranding prompted numerous alarmed telephone calls to various bodies. Initially, disease or pollution were suspected, but a more detailed examination of the circumstances indicated that the mass stranding was probably a result of tides and weather conditions. The stranding occurred on the east coast of the Isle of Man from about 100 m to the south of the Point of Ayre, which is the northernmost point of the Isle of Man, and extended southwards for ≈600 m. This is a highly exposed shore with a strong tidal flow, subtidally it is shallow, with coarse gravel and exposed bedrock, and extensive mussel (Mytilus edulis) beds, which may be expected to attract large numbers of predatory starfish.

Catches of 11 juvenile specimens of Polyprion americanus (Osteichthyes: Polyprionidae) are reported under fish aggregation devices (FADs) in waters off Mallorca (western Mediterranean). Sampling was carried out fortnightly by surrounding artificial FADs with a purse seine from April 1995 till February 1997. Juveniles were present from June–August. Specimens were mostly solitary during the period of association to the FADs, with a length interval of 25.8 and 34.2 cm total length. The trophic spectrum was analysed to explain a possible food link with the FAD. The diet of Polyprion was mainly based on juvenile fish Trachurus and the eunestonic isopod Idotea metallica that were associated with the objects providing evidence for a trophic relation to the artificial structures.

The first dorsal fin spines were used to estimate the age of juvenile bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, from the Mediterranean Sea. Observations on the type of growth zones occurring on the outside margin of each spine section by month and marginal increment analysis indicated that only one translucent zone is formed per year between February and April, when lower sea surface temperatures are observed. Age estimations were based on counts of translucent zones on the spine sections and mean size at estimated age was calculated for the first three years of life.

One hundred and fifty-one Centroscyllium fabricii stomachs containing food were analysed on board freezer vessels in north-west Atlantic in 1992. Three length groups were established to study variations in diet with length. The most important prey group was waste products from fish processing by the fleet and fish. Diet varied with length, smaller specimens feeding on crustaceans and molluscs, offal and fish forming the main prey in larger predators.

The hypothesis of a locomotor role for the free rays of Trigloporus lastoviza is supported by: (1) their periodic retraction and protraction during slow displacement over the substratum whenever the propulsive body wave responsible for swimming is not visible; (2) the integration of the rays' individual cycles into a hexapod gait apparently generated by a metachronal impulse; and (3) the kinematic features of the longest free ray in relation to the bottom-walking velocity.

The pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata) is an offshore, tropical and subtropical delphinid found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. The species has only recently been studied, mostly from specimens collected from strandings. While over 52 reports exist for the Atlantic Ocean, only one record exists for the Caribbean Sea. A new record of a mass stranding of pygmy killer whales from the British Virgin Islands is documented and the pathology and life history of the specimens is described, associating the stranding process with the meteorological and oceanographic disturbance of Hurricane Marilyn, which devastated the Virgin Islands a day prior to the stranding. This stranding event constitutes the sixth known mass stranding for the species worldwide, the first record for pygmy killer whales for the northeastern Caribbean and the second for the entire Caribbean Sea.

The discovery of a shallow water (<2 m) foraging site off the Greek Island of Kefalonia, where diving and foraging behaviour of male loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) could be observed simultaneously, was of great interest. The preferred food sources were shown to be the bivalve mollusc Mytilus galloprovincialis, the sea grass Posidonia oceanica, and the entrails of fish discarded by local fishermen. Whilst foraging, the turtles generally rested on the seabed and employed their forelimbs to clear away detritus from their selected prey. Foraging dives were of short duration (mean ±SE = 2.3 ±0.43 min, N=96) compared to deeper dives reported in the literature presumably, because of the small lung volumes required to attain neutral buoyancy at such shallow depths.

The natural abundance of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios for Nereis diversicolor (Annelida: Polychaeta) from 16 sites around the UK are analysed. Differences in the isotopic compositions reflect variations either in the dietary origin or in the estuary characteristics. In contrast to Stiffkey Nereis, the ones from the other estuaries are characterized by broad δ13C (−13.9 to −22.6‰) and δ15N (+11.3 to +17.9‰) ranges. An hypothesis based on sediment denitrification is discussed to explain the anomalously heavy δ15N compositions of Nereis from the Humber Estuary (+16.9 to +18.1‰) and Breydon Water (+17.7±0.5‰).