Pacific Science Volume 59, Number 1, 2005
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Pacific Science is a quarterly publication devoted to the biological and physical sciences of the Pacific Region.
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ItemAssociation Affairs(University of Hawaii Press, 2005-01)
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ItemAbstracts of Papers from the Twenty-ninth Annual Albert L. Tester Memorial Symposium, 11-12 March 2004(University of Hawaii Press, 2005-01)The Albert L. Tester Memorial Symposium is held in honor of Professor Albert Tester, who, at the time of his death in 1974, was Senior Professor of Zoology at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. The faculty and students of the Department of Zoology proposed an annual symposium of student research papers as a means of honoring, in a continuing and active way, Dr. Tester’s lively encouragement of student research in a broad range of fields within marine biology. Papers reporting original research on any aspect of science are solicited from students at the university and these papers are presented at the symposium, which takes place during the spring semester. Income from contributions to the Albert L. Tester Memorial Fund of the University of Hawai‘i Foundation is used to provide prizes for the three best papers, judged on quality, originality, and importance of research reported, as well as the quality of the public presentation. Judges include Department of Zoology faculty members and the previous year’s student award winners. In addition, a distinguished scholar from another university or research institution is invited to participate in the symposium as a judge and to present the major symposium address. In 2004 the distinguished visitor and judge was Dr. Philip J. Motta, professor of biology at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida.
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ItemTetraplasandra lydgatei (Araliaceae): Taxonomic Recognition of a Rare, Endemic Species from O'ahu, Hawaiian Islands(University of Hawaii Press, 2005-01)Tetraplasandra is a genus of seven species endemic to the Hawaiian Archipelago. Recent field studies in the Ko'olau Mountains on the island of O'ahu have led to a taxonomic reevaluation of a rare species, Tetraplasandra lydgatei. The species, originally described in the late 1800s, was placed into the widespread, polymorphic species T. oahuensis in a subsequent treatment of the genus. Several morphological characters and varying ecological habitats distinguish the two species. Based on these differences T. lydgatei deserves formal taxonomic recognition. Furthermore, T. lydgatei was an uncommon species even when it was originally described. This may be due to the early human alteration of the dry and mesic Hawaiian forests for housing and agriculture and also that the species was always only an occasional component of the mesic ecosystem. Regardless of the reasons, the rarity of this species has been accelerated. Currently, only six individuals of T. lydgatei are known to exist, and conservation efforts to protect it are needed.
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ItemNew Records of Butterflies (Lepidoptera) from the Eastern Caroline Islands, Micronesia(University of Hawaii Press, 2005-01)Twenty-three new locality records are presented for nine species of butterflies (Lepidoptera) from 11 islands and island groups in the eastern Caroline Islands, Micronesia. None is endemic; most occur widely in the Indo-Australian region and the islands of the western Pacific. The Lycaenidae were the most well-represented family with at least eight species. The nymphalid Hypolimnas bolina was the most frequently encountered species, occurring on all 11 island groups. Pakin Atoll, which was visited on two different occasions for a total of 5 days, was the only island group visited during this study where butterflies were not seen.
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ItemStructure of diatom assemblages living on prop roots of the red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) from the west coast of Baja California Sur, México(University of Hawaii Press, 2005-01)Samples of epiphytic diatom assemblages found on prop roots of red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) from four sites were collected at two tidal levels of exposure on two different dates from the cool season (autumn, spring). The overall floristic analysis yielded 171 diatom taxa, including 16 new records for the Baja California peninsula. Diversity estimates were among the highest ever measured for benthic diatoms using Shannon's (mean H' = 4:89) and Simpson's (0.945) indices. Many species scored high on the Biological Value Index (BVI), thus reflecting their numerical importance within the assemblages. According to diversity values and overall species composition, all sampling sites represented a similar habitat consisting of three types of substrates: prop roots, epiphytic macroalgae, and sediments. These values are considered to represent stability in the diatom assemblages living on red mangrove prop roots. Thus, the conditions determined by periodic tidal exposure are not to be considered extreme. However, principal component analysis and similarity measurements indicated that the November and April assemblages could be discriminated on the basis of taxa distribution.
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ItemReview of clupeotoxism, an often fatal illness from the consumption of clupeoid fishes(University of Hawaii Press, 2005-01)Poisoning from eating clupeoid fishes such as sardines and herrings (Clupeidae) or anchovies (Engaulidae), termed clupeotoxism, is widespread in tropical and subtropical areas of the world but rare. A fatal case occurred in Kaua'i in 1978 from the consumption of the Marquesan Sardine (Sardinella marquesensis). This species has been replaced in abundance in the Hawaiian Islands by another import, the Goldspot Sardine (Herklotsichthys quadrimaculatus). Onuma et al. (1999) obtained the head of a specimen of this sardine that caused a fatality in Madagascar and found that it contained palytoxin. Because bottom sediment was detected on the gills and in the esophagus, they concluded that the fish is a bottom-feeder, and the benthic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis siamensis, known to produce palytoxin, the toxic organism. The sediment on the gills was more likely the result of the fish being dragged over the substratum by a seine. The Goldspot Sardine feeds on zooplankton, not benthic organisms. Therefore, a pelagic dinoflagellate is the probable producer of palytoxin.
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ItemAn observation of inking behavior protecting adult octopus bocki from predation by green turtle (Chelonia mydas) hatchlings(University of Hawaii Press, 2005-01)There have been few studies that demonstrate a protective function of inking behavior of cephalopods. In this paper I report the use of ink pseudomorphs by adult Octopus bocki against predatory attacks from green turtle (Chelonia mydas) hatchlings. Turtles that attacked ink pseudomorphs ceased predation attempts whereas naive turtles attacked and ingested octopuses.
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ItemOdontocete stranding patterns in the main Hawaiian islands (1937-2002): How do they compare with live animal surveys?(University of Hawaii Press, 2005-01)In this study we (1) synthesized 65 yr of adontocete stranding data around the main Hawaiian Islands (1938-2002); (2) analyzed stranding patterns and trends over time; and (3) compared occurence patterns based on sightings of live animals with stranding data and evaluated the compatibility of these data sets. From 1937 to 2002, 202 odontocete strandings were recorded by the National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Regional Office. Strandings increased through time due to increased reporting effort and occurred throughout the year. The four most common of 16 species reported were Kogia spp. (18%), spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) (15%), striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) (11%), and sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) (10%). The highest proportion of strandings was recorded on O'ahu (48%), followed by Maui/Lāna'i (24%), Kaua'i (12%), Hawai'i (11%), and Moloka'i (5%). Comparison with four previously published live animal survey studies suggests that stranding records are a good indicator of species composition and yield reasonable data on the frequency of occurrence of species in the region they cover.
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ItemA colorful new species of albericus (Anura: Microhylidae) from Southeastern Papua New Guinea(University of Hawaii Press, 2005-01)We describe a new species of Albericus from the northern slope of Mt. Simpson, in the Owen Stanley Range of south eastern Papua New Guinea. The new species differs from all other known species of the genus in having pale blue or pale green dorsal coloration with red punctations (light metallic green and burnt orange in preservative). It is further distinguished from its congeners in its combination of oblique lores, granular skin with a few tubercles, broadhead, large distance separating the external nares from the eyes, and in features of its call. We also provide comparative morphological measurements for most other species of Albericus to supplement the paucity of such data in original descriptions and to assist with future diagnoses of other new species.
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ItemCephalopods in the Diet of Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) Caught off the West Coast of Baja California, Mexico(University of Hawaii Press, 2005-01)The lower beaks of 1,318 cephalopods from the stomach contents of 175 swordfish, Xiphias gladius, caught off the west coast of Baja California, Mexico, between 1988 and 1996 were analyzed. In total, 20 species of teuthoids, 4 octopods, and one vampyromorph were identified. Weights and lengths of cephalopods were estimated from the lower rostral lengths. Ommastrephid squids, primarily jumbo squid Dosidicus gigas of different maturing sizes, composed 60% by number and 82% by estimated weight. Three species of gonatids were identified and represented 22% by number. An unidentified species of Argonauta was the most abundant octopod, with 5.8% of the beak total. Ancistrocheirus lesueurii is recorded for the first time in the California Current. Distribution of cephalopods in the California Current and their size in the diet of other marine predators are discussed. The diet of swordfish was dominated by medium to large muscular squid species that probably are eaten in surface waters at night.