Diets of reef-dwelling labrids (Choerodon species) vary with body size, season and habitat: influence of foraging ability, specialization and opportunism.

Contemporary multivariate statistics were used to test the hypotheses that the dietary compositions of three populations of labrids on the west Australian coast are related to body size and undergo seasonal changes and to elucidate the relative extents and basis for any dietary differences within and between those populations. Gut content analyses determined the dietary compositions of Choerodon rubescens in marine waters of the outer reefs in the World Heritage Area of Shark Bay (26° S; 114° E) and of Choerodon schoenleinii in inner protected reefs of that large embayment. The dietary compositions of C. rubescens and C. schoenleinii differed significantly among length classes, progressed serially with increasing body size, both overall and almost invariably in each season and were more closely related to body size than season, whose effect was at best minimal. The size-related dietary change in C. rubescens involved, in particular, a shift from crustaceans and non-mytilid bivalves to mytilid bivalves and echinoid echinoderms. Although the diet of C. schoenleinii followed similar size-related changes, it contained a greater volume of gastropods when the fish were small and mytilids when large and only a small volume of echinoids. The dietary composition of C. rubescens in the Abrolhos Islands, 300 km to the south of Shark Bay, was related both to length class and season and differed from that of this labrid in Shark Bay with the ingestion of lesser volumes of mytilids and greater volumes of echinoids. The size-related changes in diet imply that these species shift from foraging over soft substrata to over reefs as their very well-developed jaws become sufficiently strong to remove attached and larger prey. The dietary compositions of C. rubescens and C. schoenleinii in Shark Bay and of C. rubescens at the Abrolhos Islands were related far more to habitat-locational differences than to length class and season. The above intraspecific and interspecific differences in diet are consistent with qualitative accounts of the relative abundances of the main prey in their respective environments, supporting the view that, despite specializations in their feeding apparatus, these labrids can feed opportunistically to a certain extent and could thus potentially respond to moderate changes in the composition of their prey caused by climate change and other anthropogenic effects.

Optimization of foraging and diet by the piscivorous Othos dentex (Serranidae).

The aim of this study was to determine the dietary characteristics and mouth morphology of Othos dentex and to use these data, together with in situ observations of feeding behaviour, to elucidate how foraging and diet are optimized by this piscivorous serranid. Seasonal spear and line fishing over reefs in south-western Australia yielded 426 O. dentex (total length, LT , 183-605 mm), among which the stomachs of 95 contained food. The food in the stomachs of 76 fish was sufficiently undigested to be seen to contain, almost invariably, a single fish prey, which was typically identifiable to family and often to species. The prey of O. dentex, which were measured (LT ), represented 10 families, of which the Labridae and Pempheridae constituted nearly two-thirds of the prey volume. Two-way crossed analysis of similarities of volumetric data for stomach contents showed that the dietary compositions of the different length classes of O. dentex in the various seasons were significantly related to length class of prey, but not to prey family, length class within the various prey families or season. Furthermore, an inverse (Q-mode) analysis, including one-way analysis of similarities, showed that the patterns in the prey consumed by the different length classes of O. dentex in the various seasons were related more strongly to length class than prey family. The former trend is exemplified in a shade plot, by a marked diagonality of the length classes of prey with increasing predator size. The ingestion of typically a single teleost prey, whose body size increases as that of O. dentex increases, reduces the frequency required for seeking prey, thus saving energy and reducing the potential for intraspecific competition for food. The ability of O. dentex to ingest large prey is facilitated by its possession of a very large gape, prominent recurved teeth, dorsal and independently-moveable eyes, cryptic colouration and effective ambush behaviour. Othos dentex has thus evolved very cost-effective mechanisms for optimizing its foraging and diet.

Biological characteristics of three co-occurring species of armorhead from different genera vary markedly from previous results for the Pentacerotidae.

Biological characteristics of Pentaceropsis recurvirostris, Paristiopterus gallipavo and Parazanclistius hutchinsi were determined from commercial gillnet samples from temperate south-western Australian coastal waters. Growth zones in otoliths, with more than a few such zones, were readily detectable only after the otoliths had been sectioned. Visual analyses and modelling of the trends in marginal increments on sectioned otoliths demonstrate that these opaque zones are formed annually. Maximum ages of 55, 36 and 49 years, derived for P. recurvirostris, P. gallipavo and P. hutchinsi, respectively, reflect relatively low mortalities. These longevities greatly exceed those estimated, using otoliths, for Pentaceros wheeleri and Pentaceros richardsoni, which belong to the other pentacerotid subfamily. These differences may be due to the counts of 'daily' growth zones in sectioned otoliths of P. wheeleri not representing the complete age range of that species and the zones detected in whole otoliths of P. richardsoni not constituting the complete range of annually-formed zones. Pentaceropsis recurvirostris, P. gallipavo and P. hutchinsi recruited into the fishery in the sampling area as 2-3 year-old fishes. Pentaceropsis recurvirostris and P. hutchinsi exhibited little or no subsequent growth throughout the remainder of their protracted life, whereas, P. gallipavo continued to grow for c. 5 years and then underwent little further growth. Spawning of P. recurvirostris and P. hutchinsi peaked in the austral winter and autumn, respectively, but in the austral spring and summer with P. gallipavo, which is more typical of temperate species. Although the females of P. gallipavo and P. hutchinsi were mature, this did not apply to a few P. recurvirostris, some of which were >20 years old, implying that any given female of this species does not always spawn every year. Ovarian mass greatly exceeded testis mass, indicative of pair spawning, which is consistent with field observations. In contrast to P. recurvirostris and P. hutchinsi, the sex ratio was heavily biased towards males and the spawning period longer in P. gallipavo, suggesting that selection pressures for spawning success were greater for this latter species.

Variations in the presence of chloride cells in the gills of lampreys (Petromyzontiformes) and their evolutionary implications.

Although confined to fresh water, non-parasitic species of lampreys and the landlocked parasitic sea lamprey, all of which were derived relatively recently from an adromous ancestors, still develop chloride cells, whose function in their ancestors was for osmoregulation in marine waters during the adult parasitic phase. In contrast, such cells are not developed by the non-parasitic least brook lamprey Lampetra aepyptera, which has been separated from its ancestor for >2 million years, nor by the freshwater parasitic species of the genus Ichthyomyzon. The length of time that a non-parasitic species or landlocked parasitic form or species has spent in fresh water is thus considered the overriding factor determining whether chloride cells are developed by those lampreys.

Dietary variations within a family of ambush predators (Platycephalidae) occupying different habitats and environments in the same geographical region.

This study has determined the extents and basis for variations in the composition of the prey ingested by the abundant species of a family highly adapted for ambush predation, i.e. Platycephalidae, in a region (south-western Australia) where that family is found in different habitats and environments. Dietary data were thus collected for Leviprora inops and Platycephalus laevigatus from seagrass in marine embayments and for Platycephalus westraliae from over sand in an estuary. These were then collated with those recorded previously for Platycephalus speculator from over sand and in seagrass in an estuary and for Platycephalus longispinis from over sand in coastal marine waters. While crustaceans and teleosts together dominated the diet of all five species, their percentage volumetric dietary contributions varied greatly, with those of crustaceans ranging from 7% for L. inops to 65% for P. speculator and those of teleosts ranging from 29% for P. longispinis to 91% for L. inops. For analyses, the data were separated into two sets. The first comprised the 17 dietary categories of invertebrates and all identified and unidentified teleosts collectively, while the second consisted of the 23 identified teleost families, both of which were subjected to permutational analysis of variance (PERMANOVA), analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) and a new (two-way) version of the RELATE procedure. The diets of three species changed seasonally, when using invertebrate dietary categories and teleosts collectively, but with only one species, when employing identified teleost families, probably reflecting a greater tendency for invertebrate than teleost prey abundance to change during the year. On the basis of dietary data for invertebrate taxa + teleosts collectively, the diets of three of the five species changed serially with body size, with a fourth species feeding, throughout life, predominantly on the carid Palaemonetes australis. Based on identified teleost families, the diets of the three species that fed predominantly on teleosts underwent serial size-related changes. Although L. inops and the co-occurring P. laevigatus both consume large volumes of teleosts, the former ingests larger, less demersal and more mobile prey, e.g. the labrids Haletta semifasciata and Neoodax balteatus, than the latter, e.g. the scorpaenid Gymnapistes marmoratus, reflecting the possession by L. inops of a far longer head and larger buccal cavity. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the large differences in the volumes of crustaceans and teleosts consumed by each platycephalid species are related to differences in the relative availability of these prey in the different habitats or environments of each species.

Characteristics of the ichthyofauna of a temperate microtidal estuary with a reverse salinity gradient, including inter-decadal comparisons.

Data on the fish fauna of the Leschenault Estuary on the lower west coast of Australia were collected and used as a model to elucidate the characteristics of permanently open estuaries with a reverse salinity gradient, which undergo seasonal changes similar to many other estuaries with Mediterranean climate. Focus was placed on determining (1) the relationships of the number of species, density, life cycle category and species composition of fishes with region (within estuary), season and year and salinity, (2) whether species are partitioned along the lengths of such systems and (3) the extent and significance of any inter-decadal changes in species composition. The analyses and interpretation involved using multi-factorial permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) and analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) designs, and three new or recently published visualization tools, i.e. modified non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) plots, coherent species curves and segmented bubble plots. The base, lower, upper and apex regions of the Leschenault Estuary, along which the salinity increased in each season except in winter when most rainfall occurs, were sampled seasonally for the 2 years between winter 2008 and autumn 2010. Estuarine residents contributed twice as many individuals, but less than half the number of species as marine taxa. While the numbers of marine species and estuarine residents declined between the base or lower and apex regions, the individuals of marine species dominated the catches in the base region and estuarine residents in the other three regions. Ichthyofaunal composition in each region underwent conspicuous annual cyclical changes, due to time-staggered differences in recruitment among species, and changed sequentially along the estuary, both paralleling salinity trends. Different groups of species characterized the fauna in the different regions and seasons, thereby partitioning resources among species. The ichthyofauna of the apex region, in which salinities reached 54 and temperatures 36° C, recorded the highest maximum density and, in terms of abundance, was dominated (90%) by three atherinid species, emphasizing the ability of this family to tolerate extreme conditions. Comparisons between the data for 2008-2010 and 1994 demonstrate that the spotted hardyhead Craterocephalus mugiloides and the common hardyhead Atherinomorus vaigiensis had colonized and become abundant in the Leschenault Estuary in the intervening period. This represents a southwards extension of the distribution of these essentially tropical species during a period of increasing coastal water temperatures as a result of climate change. The abundance of weed-associated species, e.g. the western gobbleguts Ostorhinchus rueppellii and the soldier Gymnapistes marmoratus, increased, whereas that of the longfinned goby Favonigobius lateralis decreased, probably reflecting increases in eutrophication and siltation, respectively.

Biology of the harlequin fish Othos dentex (Serranidae), with particular emphasis on sexual pattern and other reproductive characteristics.

Key biological characteristics of the harlequin fish Othos dentex, a representative of a monospecific genus of the Anthiinae (Serranidae), were determined from samples collected around reefs on the south coast of Western Australia. The females of this relatively long-lived species (maximum recorded age in this study = 37 years) attained only a slightly greater maximum total length and age than males and neither the length nor the age-frequency distributions showed a conspicuous sex-based bimodality. Furthermore, gonads from a wide size and age range of O. dentex were shown by histology, at several locations along their length, to always comprise exclusively either ovarian or testicular tissues. Thus, O. dentex is a gonochorist, a sexual pattern only previously recorded definitively for one other anthiine serranid, i.e. Epinephelides armatus, which also occurs in south-western Australia. Similar to E. armatus, O. dentex possesses 'solid' testes with a central sperm duct, thereby differing in structure from those typically found in serranids, in which there is a central membrane-bound 'ovarian' lumen and peripherally located sperm sinuses. The gonadal characteristics and sexual pattern of these two gonochoristic anthiines are not consistent with a recent proposal for the trends exhibited by the evolution of gonochorism and protogyny within the Serranidae. Othos dentex has indeterminate fecundity and a protracted spawning period (7 months) and, on the basis of underwater observations and a low gonado-somatic index (I(G)) for males, is a pair spawner, which is unusual for a gonochorist of a serranid or member of a related family. While the large spots on the lower half of the body of O. dentex are shown quantitatively to be similarly yellow in juveniles and adult females, they then become blue in males at maturity and this intensifies during the spawning period, when they presumably play an important role in agonistic interactions among males and courtship with females. The attainment of maturity and rapid growth by O. dentex early in life may reflect selection pressures to reduce predation mortality during that period. Total mortality in the population is moderately low during later life, implying that the current fishing pressure on O. dentex is relatively light.

Species compositions and ecology of the riverine ichthyofaunas in two Sulawesian islands in the biodiversity hotspot of Wallacea.

This account of the riverine ichthyofaunas from the islands of Buton and Kabaena, off south-eastern mainland Sulawesi, represents the first detailed quantitative checklist and ecological study of the riverine fish faunas in the biological hotspot of Wallacea. The results are based on analysis of samples collected by electrofishing at a wide range of sites from July to September in both 2001 and 2002. While the fauna was diverse, with the 2179 fishes caught comprising 64 species representing 43 genera and 22 families, the catches were dominated by the Gobiidae (26 species and 25% by numbers), Eleotridae (seven species and 27% by numbers), Zenarchopteridae (three species and 22% by numbers) and Anguillidae (two species and 12% by numbers). The most abundant species were the eleotrids Eleotris aff. fusca-melanosoma and Ophieleotris aff. aporos, the anguillid Anguilla celebesensis, the zenarchopterids Nomorhamphus sp. and Nomorhamphus ebrardtii and the gobiids Sicyopterus sp. and Glossogobius aff. celebius-kokius. The introduced catfish Clarias batrachus was moderately abundant at a few sites. Cluster analysis, allied with the similarity profiles routine SIMPROF, identified seven discrete groups, which represented samples from sites entirely or predominantly in either Buton (five clusters) or Kabaena (two clusters). Species composition was related to geographical location, distance from river mouth, per cent contribution of sand and silt, altitude and water temperature. The samples from the two islands contained only one species definitively endemic to Sulawesi, i.e. N. ebrardtii and another presumably so, i.e. Nomorhamphus sp., contrasting starkly with the 57 species that are endemic to Sulawesi and, most notably, its large central and deep lake systems on the mainland. This accounts for the ichthyofaunas of these two islands, as well as those of rivers in northern mainland Sulawesi and Flores, being more similar to each other than to those of the central mainland lake systems. This implies that the major adaptive radiation of freshwater fishes in Sulawesi occurred in those lacustrine environments rather than in rivers.

Do the maximum sizes, ages and patterns of growth of three reef-dwelling labrid species at two latitudes differ in a manner conforming to the metabolic theory of ecology?

The size and age data and patterns of growth of three abundant, reef-dwelling and protogynous labrid species (Coris auricularis, Notolabrus parilus and Ophthalmolepis lineolata) in waters off Perth at c. 32° S and in the warmer waters of the Jurien Bay Marine Park (JBMP) at c. 30° S on the lower west coast of Australia are compared. Using data for the top 10% of values and a randomization procedure, the maximum total length (L(T) ) and mass of each species and the maximum age of the first two species were estimated to be significantly greater off Perth than in the JBMP (all P < 0.001) and the maximum ages of O. lineolata in the two localities did not differ significantly (P > 0.05). These latitudinal trends, thus, typically conform to those frequently exhibited by fish species and the predictions of the metabolic theory of ecology (MTE). While, in terms of mass, the instantaneous growth rates of each species were similar at both latitudes during early life, they were greater at the higher latitude throughout the remainder and thus much of life, which is broadly consistent with the MTE. When expressed in terms of L(T), however, instantaneous growth rates did not exhibit consistent latitudinal trends across all three species. The above trends with mass, together with those for reproductive variables, demonstrate that a greater amount of energy is directed into somatic growth and gonadal development by each of these species at the higher latitude. The consistency of the direction of the latitudinal trends for maximum body size and age and pattern of growth across all three species implies that each species is responding in a similar manner to differences between the environmental characteristics, such as temperature, at those two latitudes. The individual maximum L(T), mass and age and pattern of growth of O. lineolata at a higher and thus cooler latitude on the eastern Australian coast are consistent with the latitudinal trends exhibited by those characteristics for this species in the two western Australian localities. The implications of using mass rather than length as the indicator variable when comparing the maximum sizes of the three species and the trends exhibited by the instantaneous growth rates of those species at different latitudes are explored. Although growth curves fitted to both the L(T) and masses at age for the males of each species lay above those for their females, this would not have influenced the conclusions drawn from common curves for both sexes.

The use of benthic macroinvertebrates to establish a benchmark for evaluating the environmental quality of microtidal, temperate southern hemisphere estuaries.

Establishment of a benchmark against which deleterious changes to an estuary can be evaluated requires validating that it has not been subjected to detrimental anthropogenic perturbations and then identifying the biological features which are indicative of a pristine condition and can thus be employed as indicators for detecting and monitoring departures from the natural state. The characteristics of the benthic macroinvertebrate fauna of an essentially pristine, seasonally-open estuary in Western Australia (Broke Inlet) have been determined and compared with those previously recorded for a nearby eutrophic, seasonally-open estuary (Wilson Inlet). Density was far lower in Broke than Wilson. Compositions differed radically at all taxonomic levels, with polychaetes contributing less, and crustaceans more, to the abundance in Broke. Average taxonomic distinctness was greater for Broke than both Wilson and 16 other temperate southern hemisphere estuaries, whereas the reverse was true for variation in taxonomic distinctness, emphasizing that Broke Inlet is pristine.

Biology of the silky shark Carcharhinus falciformis (Carcharhinidae) in the eastern Indian Ocean, including an approach to estimating age when timing of parturition is not well defined.

Biological data were recorded for 1265 silky sharks Carcharhinus falciformis collected from fish landing sites in eastern Indonesia. These represented catches taken in most calendar months by gillnetting and longlining in the eastern Indian Ocean and contained individuals ranging from embryos to fully mature adults. The growth zones in centra, which were shown to form annually, were counted in the vertebrae in a sub-sample of 200 fish for ageing purposes. The embryo lengths in the 5 months for which there were such data, and the presence of neonates in virtually all months, however, indicated that birth occurs throughout the year and thus there was no well-defined birth date for ageing individual fish. The approximate birth date of each individual was thus estimated from a combination of the total length (L(T) ) at capture and backcalculated L(T) at the formation of the birth zone and at the first and last growth zones in the vertebral centra, together with the period that had elapsed between the formation of those last two growth zones. The number of eggs or embryos in uteri ranged from two to 14, with a mean of 7·2. The estimated mean L(T) at birth of females (811 mm, range: 799-823 mm) and males (812 mm, range: 794-830 mm), derived from the backcalculations corresponding to the birth zones in the centra, were not significantly different (P > 0·05). The L(T) ranges in the catches of post-natal females (570-2592 mm) and males (553-2289 mm) taken by gillnetting were wider than those of the females (1177-2623 mm) and males (1184-2409 mm) taken by longlining. The oldest female and male were 19 and 20 years-old, respectively. The von Bertalanffy growth curves for the two sexes did not differ significantly. The growth coefficient, k, and the asymptotic length, L(T∞). were 0·066 year⁻¹ and 2994 mm for the curve fitted to the combined data for females and males. The lengths L(T50) and ages A(50) at which C. falciformis attained maturity were 2156 mm and 15 years for females and 2076 mm and 13 years for males. The very high proportion of C. falciformis with lengths

Implications of the divergent use of a suite of estuaries by two exploited marine fish species.

Biological characteristics of the marine species King George whiting Sillaginodes punctatus and Australian herring Arripis georgianus in three seasonally open estuaries (Broke, Irwin and Wilson Inlets), one permanently open estuary (Oyster Harbour) and one normally closed estuary (Wellstead Estuary) on the south coast of Western Australia have been determined and compared. Sillaginodes punctatus enters the seasonally and permanently open estuaries early in life and reaches total lengths (L(T)) >280 mm at which it can be legally retained and thus contributes to commercial and recreational fisheries in these systems. This sillaginid almost invariably emigrates from these estuaries before reaching its typical size at maturity (L(T50)) and does not return after spawning in marine waters. In contrast, virtually all female A. georgianus (≥ 98%) in the three seasonally open estuaries and the majority in the normally closed (89·5%) and permanently open estuaries (83%) exceeded the L(T50) of this species at maturity, reflecting the fact that the nursery areas of this species are predominantly located much further to the east. Although adult females of A. georgianus in seasonally open and normally closed estuaries had developed mature ovaries by autumn, at which time they were prevented from migrating to the sea by closure of the estuary mouths, this species did not spawn in those estuaries. The oocytes in their ovaries were undergoing extensive atresia, a process that had been incipient prior to oocyte maturation. As the adult females of A. georgianus in the permanently open Oyster Harbour at this time all possessed resting gonads, i.e. their oocytes were all previtellogenic, the adults that were present in that estuary earlier and were destined to spawn in autumn must have emigrated from that permanently open estuary to their marine spawning areas prior to the onset of gonadal recrudescence. The body masses at length of A. georgianus, which were almost invariably higher in summer and autumn than in winter and spring, were greater in the very productive environments of the seasonally open and normally closed estuaries than in the less productive and essentially marine environment of Oyster Harbour and coastal marine waters. In general, the same pattern of differences between water bodies was exhibited by the growth of A. georgianus and by the more restricted data for body mass at L(T) and growth of S. punctatus. Despite an increase in anthropogenic activities in Wilson Inlet over the last two decades, the growth of both species was very similar to that recorded 20 years earlier. The fisheries implications of the results for the two species are discussed.

To what extent are the dietary compositions of three abundant, co-occurring labrid species different and related to latitude, habitat, body size and season?

This study demonstrated that the dietary composition of each of three abundant reef-associated labrid species in temperate Western Australia differed significantly with latitude and changed with increasing body size and almost invariably differed among those species when they co-occurred. These results were derived from comparisons and multivariate analyses of volumetric dietary data, obtained from the foregut contents of Coris auricularis, Notolabrus parilus and Ophthalmolepis lineolatus from the Jurien Bay Marine Park (JBMP) and waters off Perth, 250 km to the south. Latitudinal differences in the dietary compositions of each species in exposed reefs typically reflected greater contributions by large crustaceans, bivalve molluscs, echinoids and annelids to the diets in the waters off Perth than in the JBMP, whereas the reverse was true for gastropods and small crustaceans. The diet of each species exhibited similar, but not identical, quantitative changes with increasing body size, with the contributions of small crustaceans declining and those of large crustaceans and echinoids increasing, while that of gastropods underwent little change. Within the JBMP, the dietary compositions of both C. auricularis and N. parilus were similar in exposed and sheltered reefs and the same was true for N. parilus in the sheltered reefs and interspersed areas of seagrass. The latter similarity demonstrated that, in both of those divergent habitat types, N. parilus feeds on prey associated with either the sand or the macrophytes that cover and lie between the reefs. Although the main dietary components of each species were the same, i.e. gastropods, small crustaceans (mainly amphipods and isopods), large crustaceans (particularly penaeids and brachyuran crabs) and echinoids, their contributions varied among those species, which accounts for the significant interspecific differences in diet. Coris auricularis had the most distinct diet, due mainly to an ingestion of greater volumes of small crustaceans, e.g. amphipods and isopods, and lesser volumes of large crustaceans, e.g. brachyuran crabs, which was associated with a relatively narrower mouth and smaller teeth and the absence of prominent canines at the rear of the jaw. The above intra and interspecific differences in dietary composition would reduce, on the south-west coast of Australia, the potential for competition for food among and within these three abundant labrids, each of which belongs to different genera within the Julidine clade.

Metabolic responses to exhaustive exercise change markedly during the protracted non-trophic spawning migration of the lamprey Geotria australis.

Adults of the Southern hemisphere lamprey Geotria australis were subjected to an exercise/recovery regime at the commencement and end of their 12-15 month non-trophic, upstream spawning migration. In early (immature) migrants and pre-spawning females, muscle glycogen was markedly depleted during exercise, but became rapidly replenished. As muscle lactate rose during exercise and peaked 1-1.5 h into the recovery period, and therefore after muscle glycogen had become replenished, it cannot be the direct source for that replenishment. However, both plasma lactate and glycerol (but not muscle glycerol and glucose) rose sharply during exercise and then declined markedly during the first 0.5 h of recovery and thus exhibited the opposite trend to that of muscle glycogen, implying that these limited pools of glycogenic precursors contribute to glycogen replenishment. Although plasma glucose rose following exercise, and consequently could also be a precursor for muscle glycogen replenishment, it remained elevated even after muscle glycogen had become replenished. While resting pre-spawning females and mature males retained high muscle glycogen concentrations, this energy store became permanently depleted in females during spawning. In mature males, muscle glycogen remained high and lactate low during the exercise/recovery regime, whereas muscle glycerol declined precipitously during exercise and then rose rapidly. In summary, vigorous activity by G. australis is fuelled extensively by anaerobic metabolism of glycogen early in the spawning run and by pre-spawning females, but by aerobic metabolism of its energy reserves in mature males.

Benthic macroinvertebrates as indicators of environmental deterioration in a large microtidal estuary.

This study tested the hypothesis that, during recent years, the benthic macroinvertebrate fauna of the large basin of the Swan-Canning Estuary has changed in ways consistent with deteriorating environmental conditions in that estuary. Between 1986/7 and 2003/4, the compositions of that fauna altered markedly at the species and even family levels. Thus, the densities and number of species of molluscs, and especially of crustaceans, which are particularly susceptible to environmental stress, declined, while those of the more tolerant polychaetes increased. However, taxonomic distinctness declined consistently only at one of the four widely-spaced sampling sites and the dispersion of samples did not differ markedly between periods, indicating that the benthic fauna has not undergone such extreme changes as in the nearby Peel-Harvey Estuary. It is thus proposed that benthic macroinvertebrates can act as important indicators of the severity of environmental degradation in microtidal estuaries in regions where such perturbations are increasing.

Growth and reproductive biology of the foxfish Bodianus frenchii, a very long-lived and monandric protogynous hermaphroditic labrid.

Samples of the foxfish Bodianus frenchii, collected over reefs on the lower west and south coasts of Western Australia, contained individuals ranging up to 78 years old. Although B. frenchii is far smaller than many other species within the Labridae, its maximum age is the greatest yet recorded for this highly speciose family and, together with Achoerodus gouldii, provides an example of a temperate hypsigenyine with exceptional longevity. Length and age compositions of females and males and the histological characteristics of gonads of a wide length range of individuals demonstrated that B. frenchii is a protogynous hermaphrodite. Furthermore, as, on both coasts, the length of the smallest male was greater than that at which all females had become mature, B. frenchii is a monandric protogynous hermaphrodite, i.e. all of its males are derived from functional females. Attainment of maturity by females is related more to length than age, whereas the reverse is true for sex change. On the basis of Schnute growth equations and length-to-body mass regression equations, the predicted length at age and body mass at length of fish on the south coast were greater than those on the west coast throughout life. Although B. frenchii spawns daily during the main spawning season, which extends from October to February on both coasts, its fecundity at any given length is substantially greater on the south than on the west coast. The more rapid growth of juveniles and earlier attainment of maturity by B. frenchii on the south coast than on the warmer west coast, together with maturation at a similar size on both coasts, run counter to the trends observed in many species and certain ecological theories regarding the relationships between life-cycle traits and latitude and temperature. The attainment by B. frenchii of a larger body length at age, of greater body mass at length and of greater fecundity at both length and body mass in fish on the south than on the west coast strongly suggests that conditions on the former, cooler coast are more favourable for this labrid, which belongs to a sub-genus whose other species typically live in cool, deep, temperate waters.

Influence of selected factors on the dietary compositions of three targeted and co-occurring temperate species of reef fishes: implications for food partitioning.

The dietary compositions of three medium to large targeted fish species, which co-occur over reefs in temperate waters of south-western Australia, were determined. These data were then used to ascertain statistically the extent to which body size, season and habitat influence the diets of these species and the degree to which food resources were partitioned among and within those species, and thus reduced the potential of interspecific and intraspecific competition. On the west coast, Bodianus frenchii (Labridae) and Epinephelides armatus (Serranidae) spent their whole life over prominent limestone reefs, as did Glaucosoma hebraicum (Glaucosomatidae) in all but juvenile life, when it lived over low-relief, limestone substrata. The dietary composition of each species changed with increasing body size, which, in G. hebraicum, was particularly pronounced at c. 300 mm total length (L(T)) and therefore at the size when this species shifts habitat. When the three species co-occurred over the same reefs, their dietary compositions were significantly different, with that of B. frenchii being by far the most discrete, reflecting a far greater contribution by sedentary taxa. Thus, the diet of B. frenchii was distinguished from those of the other two species in containing substantial volumes of bivalve and gastropod molluscs and echinoid echinoderms and essentially no teleosts. Although the diets of G. hebraicum and particularly E. armatus were dominated by teleosts, and especially for larger individuals, the former species ingested greater volumes of cephalopods and small crustaceans. The pointed jaws of B. frenchii, with their forwardly directed and interlocking anterior incisors, are ideally adapted for biting and retaining their invertebrate prey, which are attached to or reside within reef crevices. In contrast, the mouths of G. hebraicum and E. armatus are broader and rounder and contain numerous small, slender and inward-pointing teeth. These teeth, in conjunction with prominent backward-curved canines in E. armatus, facilitate the capture and retention of fish prey. Observations in situ indicate that G. hebraicum is a suction feeder, while E. armatus is predominantly a ram feeder. Although reef environments on the west and south coasts differ, the diet of B. frenchii on these coasts differed only slightly. Interspecific differences in diet, combined with size-related changes in dietary compositions and the occupation of different habitats by juvenile and adult G. hebraicum, reduce the potential for competition for food resources among and within B. frenchii, G. hebraicum and E. armatus and thus helps facilitate the coexistence of these species which historically have been abundant over reefs in south-western Australia.

Changes in the benthic macroinvertebrate fauna of a large microtidal estuary following extreme modifications aimed at reducing eutrophication.

An artificial channel was opened in 1994 between the microtidal Peel-Harvey Estuary and the Indian Ocean to increase tidal exchange and thus ameliorate the problems of eutrophication. Although this greatly reduced macroalgal and cyanobacterial growths and the amount of particulate organic matter, our data indicate that, contrary to managerial expectations, the benthic environment has deteriorated. Thus, although macroinvertebrate density has declined as predicted, taxonomic distinctness (Delta( *)) has also declined and species composition has become more variable. Macroinvertebrate composition has also changed markedly at the species, family and even phylum levels. The Crustacea, the most sensitive of the major macrobenthic taxa to environmental stress, has become proportionally less abundant and speciose, whereas the Polychaeta, the least sensitive, was unique in showing the reverse trend. The benthos of the Peel-Harvey Estuary is thus apparently more stressed than previously, probably due to the multiple effects of a great increase in system use.

To what extent are hepatic concentrations of heavy metals in Anguilla anguilla at a site in a contaminated estuary related to body size and age and reflected in the metallothionein concentrations?

We explored how hepatic [metal]s in Anguilla anguilla at a contaminated estuarine site are influenced by body size, age and season, and the extent that [Cu], [Cd] and [Zn]s are reflected in [metallothionein (MT)]s. Although each [metal] and [MT] increased significantly with length, weight and age, those biotic variables explained <10% of the variation in each [metal] and only 11-16% for [MT]. Seasonal changes in [Cu] and [Cd] were paralleled by [MT]. The variation in [MT] explained by Cu (42%) was greater than by Zn (16%) and Cd (13%), and seasonally lay between 43 and 69% for those metals collectively. Thus, hepatic [MT] in eels is closely correlated with hepatic [heavy metal]s. However, the great variability among [MT]s for eels of similar sizes and ages, which reflects marked variability in hepatic [heavy metal]s, means that this variable reflects imprecisely the contamination level at a particular site.

Partitioning of food resources amongst 18 abundant benthic carnivorous fish species in marine waters on the lower west coast of Australia.

The volumetric contributions made by prey and plant material to the diets of 4 elasmobranch and 14 teleost species, collected seasonally by trawling from waters along ca. 200 km of the lower west coast of Australia, have been compared. These benthic carnivores, which were all abundant and collectively contributed 83% to the total number of fish caught, represented nine families (Urolophidae, Scorpaenidae, Triglidae, Platycephalidae, Sillaginidae, Carangidae, Gerreidae, Mullidae and Pempherididae). Some species were numerous in both shallow (5-15 m) and deeper (20-35 m) waters and in both northern and southern regions, whereas others were largely confined to one of these water depths or regions. Comparisons between the diets of the different species, which utilised data collected from individuals throughout the study area, demonstrated that the dietary composition of any given species was almost invariably significantly different from that of every other species. This partly reflected the fact that, while errant polychaetes, gammarid amphipods and tanaids were ingested by all species, their contributions to the diets of the different species varied. Furthermore, echinoderms contributed to the diets of just nine species, and this was substantial only in the case of two sillaginid species, while teleosts were never consumed by six species and only made a marked contribution to the diets of the single species of platycephalid. The diet of each species underwent size-related changes, reflecting a shift from the consumption by smaller fish of prey such as amphipods, mysids and copepods, to the ingestion by larger fish of prey such as polychaetes, carid decapods, isopods and small teleosts. The interspecific and intraspecific differences in dietary compositions would spread the food resources amongst and within species, thereby reducing the potential for competition for those resources within the fish community. Non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) ordination plots emphasised that the dietary compositions of species within each family possessed some obvious similarities, reflecting similarities in body and mouth morphology and feeding behaviour. However, the extent to which the dietary compositions of the different families were similar or different was often not related to the phylogenetic relationships amongst those families. Furthermore, while differences in mouth size and morphology could sometimes be used to account for differences amongst the diets of the full suite of species, this was not always the case. Thus, the ways in which species feed and use their ancillary feeding structures were also employed to help elucidate the basis for variations in diets.