Parentage analysis, employing five hypervariable microsatellite markers, was used to follow spawning patterns of red drum Sciaenops ocellatus broodfish in two spawning tanks through most of a calendar year in a marine fish hatchery dedicated to stock enhancement. Five of six dams and all four sires spawned at least once during the year. Variation in dam and sire spawning incidence and in number...

An occurrence of the copepod Lamproglena monodi Capart, 1944, parasitizing freshwater fishes in Brazil is presented, along with new morphological data. This crustacean was originally described parasitizing several cichlids in Africa. In the present study, the crustaceans were collected from the body surface and gills of two fish species native to Brazil [Astronotus ocellatus (Agassiz, 1831) and...

Two species of redfish of commercial interest occur off West Greenland inshore and offshore, golden redfish (Sebastes marinus L.) and deep-sea redfish (Sebastes mentella Travin). SSB and recruitment indices for golden redfish decreased drastically from 1982 and have remained significantly below the average level since 1989. Taking into account the recent very low SSB and the recruitment failure...

Up to date 2 species of Mallophaga have been reported from birds in Iran. Further studies in Tehran area showed that the wild birds harbour more lice. The following species of Mallophage are reported for the first time from birds in Iran. Anaticola crassicornis from Anas clypeata, Laemobothrion maximum from Falco tinnunculus Laemobothrion sp. from Aquila chrysaetos Alcedoecus annulatus from Alc...

DAVID MALAKOFF’S ARTICLE “U.S. ASKED TO act immediately to protect deep-sea corals” (News of the Week, 2 April, p. 31), reporting on a petition to the U.S. government by the advocacy group Oceana, suggests that fish species found among deep-water corals are under threat unless this habitat is protected. Most would agree that the destruction of habitats that are several thousands of years old is...

Morphology-based identification of North Atlantic Sebastes has long been controversial and misidentification may produce misleading data, with cascading consequences that negatively affect fisheries management and seafood labelling. North Atlantic Sebastes comprises of four species, commonly known as 'redfish', but little is known about the number, identity and labelling accuracy of redfish spe...

Body size is an important correlate of life history, ecology and distribution of species. Despite this, very little is known about body size evolution in fishes, particularly freshwater fishes of the Neotropics where species and body size diversity are relatively high. Phylogenetic history and body size data were used to explore body size frequency distributions in Neotropical cichlids, a broad...

The relationships between otolith dimensions and fish size for six demersal and two pelagic species were examined and found to be both curvilinear and species-specific. Otolith morphometric observations included length for all species examined and weight, width, volume, cross-sectional area and location of the focal point for selected species. Regression models relating each otolith morphometri...

We examined growth of recently settled juvenile red drum in salt marsh, seagrass, oyster reef, and on nonvegetated bottom areas in the Galveston Bay system of Texas (USA). We estimated growth using otolith microstructure from free-ranging fish collected in different habitat types and also measured growth of red drum in experimental enclosures where fish movement was restricted. Otolith growth w...