Non-native Asian swamp eel, Monopterus albus/javanensis (Zuiew, 1973/Lacepede, 1800), responses to low temperatures.

Asian swamp eel, Monopterus albus/javanensis [Zuiew, 1973/Lacepede 1800], has been established in the southeastern USA since at least 1994, yet little is known about its ability to survive low winter temperatures. We use standard thermal methodologies to quantify low temperature responses and provide a detailed description of swamp eel reactions to cold temperatures. When exposed to chronic temperature decreases of 1.0 °C day-1, swamp eel ceased foraging at 15.0 °C, markedly diminished movements below 11.0 °C, and became incapacitated near 9.6 °C. During critical thermal minima trials, swamp eel exposed to acute temperature drops (0.25 °C min-1) tolerated temperatures as low as 6.2 °C. Swamp eel exhibited a moderate cold acclimation response, gaining 0.23 °C in cold tolerance for every 1 °C drop in acclimation temperature. Progressive time-series critical thermal minimum temperatures (CTmin) estimates for eel acclimated to 20.5 °C followed by an acute temperature decrease to 16.0 °C, revealed that cold acclimation may occur in only 8 days. Fringe populations of swamp eel in their native range periodically experience colder winter temperatures, which may explain the ability of introduced populations to survive winter cold fronts in Florida. Understanding Asian swamp eel acute and chronic thermal limits may be useful in assessing dispersal risk and range expansion in the southeastern USA.

Lionfish (Pterois spp.) invade the upper-bathyal zone in the western Atlantic.

Non-native lionfish have been recorded throughout the western Atlantic on both shallow and mesophotic reefs, where they have been linked to declines in reef health. In this study we report the first lionfish observations from the deep sea (>200 m) in Bermuda and Roatan, Honduras, with lionfish observed to a maximum depth of 304 m off the Bermuda platform, and 250 m off West End, Roatan. Placed in the context of other deeper lionfish observations and records, our results imply that lionfish may be present in the 200-300 m depth range of the upper-bathyal zone across many locations in the western Atlantic, but currently are under-sampled compared to shallow habitats. We highlight the need for considering deep-sea lionfish populations in future invasive lionfish management.

Total mercury concentrations in lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) from the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, USA.

Strategies to control invasive lionfish in the western Atlantic and Caribbean are likely to include harvest and consumption. Until this report, total mercury concentrations had been documented only for lionfish from Jamaica, and changes in concentrations with increasing fish size had not been evaluated. In the Florida Keys, total mercury concentrations in dorsal muscle tissue from 107 lionfish ranged from 0.03 to 0.48 ppm, with all concentrations being less than the regulatory threshold for limited consumption. Mercury concentrations did not vary consistently with standard lengths or wet weights of lionfish. In 2010, lionfish from the upper Keys had mean concentrations that were 0.03-0.04 ppm higher than lionfish from the middle Keys, but mean concentrations did not differ consistently among years and locations. Overall, total mercury concentrations in lionfish were lower than those in several predatory fishes that support commercial and recreational fisheries in Florida.

Survival, growth and reproduction of non-native Nile tilapia II: fundamental niche projections and invasion potential in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Understanding the fundamental niche of invasive species facilitates our ability to predict both dispersal patterns and invasion success and therefore provides the basis for better-informed conservation and management policies. Here we focus on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus Linnaeus, 1758), one of the most widely cultured fish worldwide and a species that has escaped local aquaculture facilities to become established in a coastal-draining river in Mississippi (northern Gulf of Mexico). Using empirical physiological data, logistic regression models were developed to predict the probabilities of Nile tilapia survival, growth, and reproduction at different combinations of temperature (14 and 30°C) and salinity (0-60, by increments of 10). These predictive models were combined with kriged seasonal salinity data derived from multiple long-term data sets to project the species' fundamental niche in Mississippi coastal waters during normal salinity years (averaged across all years) and salinity patterns in extremely wet and dry years (which might emerge more frequently under scenarios of climate change). The derived fundamental niche projections showed that during the summer, Nile tilapia is capable of surviving throughout Mississippi's coastal waters but growth and reproduction were limited to river mouths (or upriver). Overwinter survival was also limited to river mouths. The areas where Nile tilapia could survive, grow, and reproduce increased during extremely wet years (2-368%) and decreased during extremely dry years (86-92%) in the summer with a similar pattern holding for overwinter survival. These results indicate that Nile tilapia is capable of 1) using saline waters to gain access to other watersheds throughout the region and 2) establishing populations in nearshore, low-salinity waters, particularly in the western portion of coastal Mississippi.

Revealing the appetite of the marine aquarium fish trade: the volume and biodiversity of fish imported into the United States.

The aquarium trade and other wildlife consumers are at a crossroads forced by threats from global climate change and other anthropogenic stressors that have weakened coastal ecosystems. While the wildlife trade may put additional stress on coral reefs, it brings income into impoverished parts of the world and may stimulate interest in marine conservation. To better understand the influence of the trade, we must first be able to quantify coral reef fauna moving through it. Herein, we discuss the lack of a data system for monitoring the wildlife aquarium trade and analyze problems that arise when trying to monitor the trade using a system not specifically designed for this purpose. To do this, we examined an entire year of import records of marine tropical fish entering the United States in detail, and discuss the relationship between trade volume, biodiversity and introduction of non-native marine fishes. Our analyses showed that biodiversity levels are higher than previous estimates. Additionally, more than half of government importation forms have numerical or other reporting discrepancies resulting in the overestimation of trade volumes by 27%. While some commonly imported species have been introduced into the coastal waters of the USA (as expected), we also found that some uncommon species in the trade have also been introduced. This is the first study of aquarium trade imports to compare commercial invoices to government forms and provides a means to, routinely and in real time, examine the biodiversity of the trade in coral reef wildlife species.

Epizootic ulcerative syndrome caused by Aphanomyces invadans in captive bullseye snakehead Channa marulius collected from south Florida, USA.

Epizootic ulcerative syndrome (EUS) caused by the oomycete Aphanomyces invadans is an invasive, opportunistic disease of both freshwater and estuarine fishes. Originally documented as the cause of mycotic granulomatosis of ornamental fishes in Japan and as the cause of EUS of fishes in southeast Asia and Australia, this pathogen is also present in estuaries and freshwater bodies of the Atlantic and gulf coasts of the USA. We describe a mass mortality event of 343 captive juvenile bullseye snakehead Channa marulius collected from freshwater canals in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Clinical signs appeared within the first 2 d of captivity and included petechiae, ulceration, erratic swimming, and inappetence. Histological examination revealed hyphae invading from the skin lesions deep into the musculature and internal organs. Species identification was confirmed using a species-specific PCR assay. Despite therapeutic attempts, 100% mortality occurred. This represents the first documented case of EUS in bullseye snakehead fish collected from waters in the USA. Future investigation of the distribution and prevalence of A. invadans within the bullseye snakehead range in south Florida may give insight into this pathogen-host system.

Monthly dosing with risedronate 50 mg on three consecutive days a month compared with daily dosing with risedronate 5 mg: a 6-month pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Risedronate 5 mg daily significantly reduces the incidence of vertebral and non-vertebral osteoporotic fractures in postmenopausal women. We compared the efficacy and tolerability of risedronate 50 mg administered on 3 consecutive days per month, with and without a loading dose, with those of risedronate 5 mg daily in a randomized, double-blind study. METHODS: Subjects were postmenopausal women 65-80 years old with low bone mineral density (BMD) (T-score < or = -2). Subjects received risedronate 5 mg daily for 6 months (n = 48), risedronate 150 mg (50-mg doses on 3 consecutive days) monthly for 6 months (n = 50), or a loading dose of risedronate 15 mg daily for 1 month followed by 150 mg (50-mg doses on 3 consecutive days) monthly for 5 months (n = 52). RESULTS: Within 1 week, statistically significant reductions in urine N-telopeptide, the primary efficacy measure, were observed in all three groups. After 6 months, the least squares (LS) mean differences (95% confidence intervals [CI]) from the change in the 5 mg daily group (-39.88) were -3.54% (-15.71; 8.64) for the 150 mg monthly and -2.02% (-14.13;10.10) for the loading dose + 150 mg monthly groups. Mean percent changes in serum alpha-C-telopeptide, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, and BMD, secondary efficacy measures, after 6 months were also similar for the three groups. The LS mean differences (95% CI) from the mean percent change in BMD in the 5 mg daily group (3.22%) were 0.20 (-1.15; 1.55) for the 150 mg monthly and -0.58 (-1.93; 0.76) for the loading dose + 150 mg monthly groups. The safety profile of the monthly regimens was similar to that of the 5 mg daily regimen and consistent with product labeling. CONCLUSIONS: A monthly regimen of risedronate 50 mg on 3 consecutive days per month was similar to risedronate 5 mg daily with respect to its effect in suppressing bone turnover and increasing BMD and its safety profile in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. This study was not powered to be a confirmatory trial for non-inferiority; therefore, additional study is needed.