Pacific Science, Volume 61, Number 4, 2007

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    Index to Volume 61 : Subject Index
    (Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 2007-10)
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    Index to Volume 61 : Author Index
    (Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 2007-10)
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    Association Affairs
    (Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 2007-10)
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    Checklist of Pacific Operculina (Convolvulaceae), Including a New Species.
    (Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 2007-10) Staples, G.W.
    A new species of Operculina (Convolvulaceae), O. polynesica Staples, is described from the Pacific. This brings to five the number of species known from Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia. A key for identification is provided, nomenclature and distributions are summarized, and a list of specimens examined is included to aid herbarium curators in naming Pacific material.
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    Vegetative and Reproductive Variability of Dictyota crenulata (Phaeophyta: Dictyotales) along the Central and Southwestern Gulf of California, Mexico.
    (Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 2007-10) Altamirano-Cerecedo, Maria del Carmen ; Riosmena-Rodriguez, Rafael
    Dictyota crenulata J. Agardh is widely distributed throughout the Gulf of California. Comparative analyses of morphology, anatomy, and reproductive features of this species were conducted along the central western and southwestern regions of the Gulf of California. Thalli showed geographical variations in length and apical width. No differences were observed in anatomy of vegetative thalli or relative abundance of reproductive structures. Dictyota crenulata had unilayered or multilayered medullas in the basal region and in proliferations. Most thalli presented unilayered medullas in the middle section. Our observations indicate that number of medullary layers is indeed a phenotypically plastic character, in agreement with previously published results. Variations in thallus morphology such as proliferations and length are likely the result of environmental differences, also reflected in the reproduction of D. crenulata. The southwestern region had the highest percentage of all life cycle stages (female gametophytes and sporophytes, both 22%, and vegetative thalli, 14%). Our results demonstrate morphological variability in Dictyota crenulata across its distribution in the Gulf of California.
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    Shallow-Water Sea Anemones (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Actiniaria) and Tube Anemones (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Ceriantharia) of the Gala´pagos Islands.
    (Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 2007-10) Fautin, Daphne Gail ; Hickman, Cleveland P. Jr. ; Daly, Marymegan ; Molodtsova, Tina.
    We provide the first inventory of members of orders Actiniaria (sea anemones sensu stricto) and Ceriantharia (tube anemones) from the Gala´pagos Islands. Based on observations and collections at 48 localities throughout the archipelago that span nearly a decade, we report on eight species of actiniarians (representing families Actiniidae, Actinostolidae, Aiptasiidae, Hormathiidae, and Isophelliidae) and two of cerianthids (in families Arachnactidae and Botrucnidiferidae). We include live photographs and diagnostic features of the animals, as well as a key and map of their occurrence in the Gala´pagos. Two actiniarians and one cerianthid are resolved only to genus level; of those identified to species, three of the actiniarians and one of the cerianthids have an eastern Pacific distribution, one actiniarian appears to be endemic to the Gala´pagos Islands, and two actiniarians are broadly distributed in the Indo-West Pacific.
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    Vertical Distribution of Fish Larvae and Its Relation to Water Column Structure in the Southwestern Gulf of California.
    (Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 2007-10) Sa´nchez-Velasco, L. ; Jime´nez-Rosenberg, S.P.A. ; Lavı´n, M.F.
    The seasonal evolution of vertical distribution of fish larvae and its relationship with seasonal stratification, as measured by a quantitative stability parameter, were analyzed for a region off Bahı´a de La Paz in the southwestern Gulf of California. Samples were obtained with an opening closing net (505 mm) in 50-m depth strata from surface to 200-m depth in May, July, and October 2001 and February 2002. Significant differences in total larval abundance and in dominant species (mesopelagic and epipelagic) were found among strata from May to October. More larvae were found in maximum-stability strata (from 16G5 to 48G17 m depth) than below the pycnocline (from 100- to 150-m depth). In February, the 100-m-deep surface mixed layer had a weak pycnocline at its base, and no significant difference was found. Results show that vertical distribution of fish larvae in this area depends mainly on the seasonal evolution of the water column structure, with most fish larvae in the pycnocline, at the most stable stratum of the water column.
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    Life History and Courtship Behavior of Black Perch, Embiotoca jacksoni (Teleostomi: Embiotocidae), from Southern California.
    (Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 2007-10) Froeschke, Bridgette ; Allen, Larry G. ; Pondella II, Daniel J.
    The black perch, Embiotoca jacksoni Agassiz, 1853, is a common reef fish associated with nearshore marine habitats of California, with the majority of the population occurring within the Southern California Bight. Black perch were collected throughout southern California from Santa Barbara to Carlsbad, including Santa Catalina Island, to determine their physical characteristics, growth, sex ratio, periodicity of reproduction, and length of gestation. Courtship observations were conducted using scuba along the King Harbor Breakwater in Redondo Beach, California, from January 2004 to December 2005 to verify periodicity of courting and associated reproductive behaviors. Specimens captured ranged from 75 to 220 mm standard length and from 18 to 487 g in total body weight. Seven age-classes were determined by otolith aging, with the growth rate tapering off after age-class one. Seventy percent of the individuals captured were from age-classes one to three. Growth rates did not differ between sexes. Mean monthly gonosomatic indexes for males peaked from July to November, with the highest mean occurring in October. Gestating females were found from December to May, with youngest gestating females being in age-class one. Courtship behaviors were observed within aggregations and in pairs from July to November, with males being the primary aggressors. Courtship postures occurred along the base of the reef, with pairs departing into caves for copulation. This study suggests that the black perch population within the Southern California Bight has different life history characteristics and reproductive timing than those in northern California.
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    Scale and Benthic Composition Effects on Biomass and Trophic Group Distribution of Reef Fishes in American Samoa.
    (Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 2007-10) Sabater, Marlowe G. ; Tofaeono, Saolotoga P.
    We determined spatial patterns in distribution and biomass of 163 fish species in nearshore waters around Tutuila Island, American Samoa. Visual surveys of reef fishes along 30 by 5 m belt transects were conducted using a hierarchical nested design at five spatial scales from individual transects to tens of kilometers, allowing assessment of broad geographic patterns. Benthic cover data were derived from video transect surveys to test the relationship between habitat and distributions of reef fishes. We found that fish biomass, density, and numerical abundance in American Samoa are dominated by herbivores from relatively few species in the families Acanthuridae and Scaridae. Subsets of carnivore species covaried positively with live coral, algae, and coralline algae cover. Herbivores, in contrast, covaried positively with filamentous algae and coralline algae (i.e., their foods). Biomass of fishes at different trophic categories was associated with higher abundance of food material and habitat availability. Significantly higher biomass occurred along the south shore of Tutuila and at reefs with greater exposure to wave energy, such as topographic points, despite the occurrence of lower live coral cover. Significant variations in fish biomass occurred at large spatial scales, specifically at habitat and exposure levels. Variations at these scales were apparently driven by association of the most dominant trophic group with its food source and the extent but not the quality of habitat.
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    Arthropod Surveys on Palmyra Atoll, Line Islands, and Insights into the Decline of the Native Tree Pisonia grandis (Nyctaginaceae).
    (Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 2007-10) Handler, Alex T. ; Gruner, Daniel S. ; Haines, William P. ; Lange, Matthew W. ; Kaneshiro, Kenneth Y.
    Palmyra Atoll, in the Line Islands of the equatorial Pacific, supports one of the largest remaining native stands of Pisonia grandis forest in the tropical Pacific Ocean. In 2003, we surveyed terrestrial arthropods to document extant native and introduced species richness, compare these lists with historical records, and assess potential threats to native species and ecosystem integrity. In total, 115 arthropod taxa were collected, bringing the total number of taxa recorded since 1913 to 162. Few native species were collected; most taxa were accidental introductions also recorded from the Hawaiian Islands, the presumed main source of introductions to Palmyra. The overlap with previous historical surveys in 1913 and 1948 was low (<40%), and new species continue to establish, with one species of whitefly reaching pest status between 2003 and 2005. We observed numerous dead or dying large Pisonia grandis, and the green scale Pulvinaria urbicola (Coccidae) was particularly abundant on trees of poor health. Abundant introduced ants, particularly Pheidole megacephala, tended this and other hemipterans feeding on both native and introduced plants. We hypothesize that the Pheidole-Pulvinaria facultative mutualism is causing the decline of Pisonia grandis. Because of the unique properties of Pisonia grandis forest on oceanic atolls, its importance for nesting seabirds, and its alarming global decline, immediate conservation efforts should be directed at controlling introducedHemiptera and disrupting their mutualisms with nonnative ants on Palmyra Atoll.