Kouichi Kawaguchi

Distribution of salps near the South Shetland Islands during austral summer, 1990–1991 with special reference to krill distribution

Distribution and biomass of salps and Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) were investigated near the South Shetland Islands during austral summer 1990–1991. Salp biomass ranged between 0 and 556 mgC·m−3 and was greatest at a station in the Bransfield Strait in late December 1990. Salp biomass was lower than that of E. superba. Two species of salps; Salpa thompsoni and Ihlea racovitzai were found, and the former was dominant numerically. Spatial distribution and generation composition of these two species was different. Spatial distributions of salps and E. superba did not overlap particularly so the January–February period. While E. superba was found mainly in the coastal area which showed high-chlorophyll a values, salps exhibited high biomass in the oceanic area with low chlorophyll a concentrations. Predation by salps on small krill and the competitive removal of food by them, are discussed as potential reasons for the relatively low abundance of E. superba at the stations where salps were present in great numbers.

Spawning season and migration of the myctophid fish Diaphus theta in the western North Pacific

Abstract The spawning season, spawning grounds, and migration of the myctophid fish Diaphus theta were studied in the western North Pacific, based on seasonal sampling and estimation of hatching dates. The peak abundance of larvae was observed in July in the transition waters between the Oyashio and Kuroshio fronts. The spawning season ranged from late March to early September, with a peak from May to July. Larvae and juveniles <40 mm in standard length were distributed in the transition waters, whereas larger individuals were collected in the Oyashio and the Western Subarctic waters. These results indicate that this species undergoes a horizontal spawning migration from the Oyashio and Western Subarctic waters into the transition waters crossing the Oyashio front.

A light trap to collect krill and other micronektonic and planktonic animals under the Antarctic coastal fast ice

SummaryUnder the Antarctic coastal fast ice a light trap proved to be promising device for collecting not only planktonic animals, but also micronektonic animals like krill which have been rarely collected with tow nets. Sampling was conducted at night from May through November, 1984 in Kitano-ura Cove off the East Ongul Island in Lützow-Holm Bay. Design of the gear and the sampling procedure are described. A total of 37 samplings were made that resulted in the collection of seven species of copepods, eight species of amphipods, three forms of notothenid fish larvae, two species each of euphausiids and polychaetes, and one species each of mysid, cumacean, isopod and tanaid crustaceans. All were collected in satisfactory condition for laboratory experiments. During the winter Euphasia superba was found to be benthopelagic and it probably feeds on detritus on the sea floor at about 40 m depth under the ice.

Growth of larval and juvenile Diaphus theta (Pisces: Myctophidae) in the transitional waters of the western North Pacific

Diaphus theta is one of the most common myctophid fish species in the subarctic and transitional waters of the North Pacific. The growth of larval and juvenile D. theta was investigated using sagittal otolith increment analysis of specimens caught in transitional waters of the western North Pacific. Samples taken over a 24-h period demonstrated that otoliths exhibited daily growth cycles, allowing accurate determination of age. Calcification of the incremental zone of otoliths took place only at night, suggesting that the formation cycle of the increment of juvenile D. theta was different from that of shallow-water fishes and would be related to their diel vertical migration. The relationships between standard length (SL) and daily growth increment (D) were expressed as linear equations: SL = 2.65 + 0.141D (r2 = 0.942) for larvae of 5.1–9.6 mm SL and SL = 3.54 + 0.129D (r2 = 0.933) for juveniles of 13.7–27.6 mm SL. The growth rates were 0.14 mm d−1 in larvae and 0.13 mm d−1 in juveniles; this is slow compared with tropical or subtropical mycto-phid species, in which growth occurs at about twice these rates. The larval period, including the metamorphic stage, was long compared with species at lower latitudes and was estimated to be 71 days. The slow growth rate and long period of larval stage of D. theta would be the life history pattern of high-latitudinal species adapted to a low-temperature habitat.

Biology of Myctophid Fishes (Family Myctophidae) in the Rockall Trough, Northeastern Atlantic Ocean

AbstractAspects of the biology of myctophid fishes, Myctophidae, in the Rockall Trough off northwestern Ireland were studied in a series of consecutive seasonal samples taken from July 1973 to March 1974 and from March 1975 to February 1976. Of the nine species that occurred, the three dominant species, Benthosema glaciale, Lampanyctus macdonaldi, and Protomyctophum arcticum, were concluded to have regular life cycles. Seasonal abundance of larvae at each developmental stage, duration of larval development, vertical distribution pattern of larvae, life span, growth pattern, spawning season, age at maturity, and diet were studied in these three species and their life history strategies, segregation of habitat, spawning season, and diet discussed.Of the remaining six species, two species, Myctophum punctatum and Notoscopelus elongatus, are at the northern geographical limit of their breeding population in the Rockall Trough because of the rare occurrence of their larvae. The other four species, Notolychnus ...

Biomass, Abundance, and Vertical Distribution of Micronekton and Large Gelatinous Zooplankton in the Subarctic Pacific and the Bering Sea during the Summer of 1997

The biomass, abundance, and vertical distribution of micronekton, including enidarians, mysids, euphausiids, decapods, thaliaceans, and fishes, were studied on the basis of samples collected with an 8-m2 opening-closing rectangular midwater trawl (RMT-8, mesh size: 4.5 mm) at three stations in the subarctic Pacific (the western subarctic gyre, the central Subarctic, and the Gulf of Alaska) and one station in the oceanic Bering Sea. The total biomass in the 0–1000 m water column ranged from 2.9 to 5.1 gDW m−2. Except for primary consumers that showed highly variable biomass (thaliaceans and euphausiids), biomass was highest in the oceanic Bering Sea followed by the central (boundary between eastern and western gyres), western gyre, and eastern Gulf of Alaska. The biomass compositions by higher taxa were basically similar between regions: fishes were most dominant, followed by enidarians at all stations, except for the marked predominance of thaliaceans in the Gulf of Alaska. High biomasses of gelatinous animals (31% of overall dry weight), occasionally comparable to those of fishes and crustaceans, suggest their potential importance in the subarctic Pacific. Characteristics in vertical patterns of micronekton biomass common in all stations were: (1) a mesopelagic peak around 500–600 m both day and night, (2) a layer of low biomass in the cold intermediate water and/or in the upper mesopelagic zone, (3) a nighttime shift of biomass to upper layers, and (4) an highly variable biomass of epipelagic/interzonal migrants (euphausiids and thaliaceans).

Feeding chronology of the vertically migrating gonostomatid fish, Vinciguerria nimbaria (Jordan and Williams), off southern Japan

The feeding habits of the gonostomatid fish,Vinciguerria nimbaria (Jordan andWilliams), from off southern Japan were studied in relation to its food organisms, process of digestion, and diel vertical migration. Food organisms were composed mainly of small- to moderate-sized copepods which live almost entirely in the 0–200 m epipelagic zone.V. nimbaria appears to feed twice a day; after having migrated to the epipelagic zone in the evening, all individuals fed intensively from 6 to 8 p.m. They then spent the remainder of the night in digestion. Many, but not all, of the individuals foraged again in the morning.

Myctophid fishes of the genusMyctophum (myctophidae) in the pacific and Indian oceans

The key to the nine species:M. nitidulum Garman,M. aurolaternatum Garman,M. spinosum (Steindachner),M. asperum Richardson,M. obtusirostrum Tåning,M. orientale (Gilbert),M. phengodes (Lütken),M. selenoides Wisner andM. brachygnathum (Bleeker), was prepared for the genusMyctophum, typical surface migrating myctophid fishes, from the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The three species ofM. cuvieri (Castelnau),M. indicus (Day),M. novaeseelandidae (Steindachner) were excluded from the present key, since they have not been reported since they were originally described.M. lychnobium Bolin formsM. spinosumlychnobium complex and was also excluded. The systematic accounts were given for seven species.

Early development of Diaphus garmani (Myctophidae) in the transition region of the western North Pacific

Abstract We present the descriptions of the larval and transforming stages of one of the most abundant Diaphus species in the transition region of the western North Pacific, Diaphus garmani. Species identification was achieved by tracing characters backward from identifiable juveniles through transforming and larval stages. Description of the larval development includes the morphometric characteristics, pigmentation, and photophore development, which help identify the early life stages of this species.

Spawning ecology of Japanese surf smelt, Hypomesus pretiosus japonicus (Osmeridae), in Otsuchi Bay, northeastern Japan

The spawning habits of Japanese surf smelt, Hypomesus pretiosus japonicus (Japanese name ‘chika’), were studied from 1992 to 1995 at Akaiso Beach in Otsuchi Bay off the Pacific coast of northern Honshu. Investigations were conducted in relation to time, tidal rhythm, sand grain size on the spawning ground, and sex and age of spawners. Spawning occurred from late March to early May with its peak at the spring tide period during full moon in April. Before dark, fish gathered to school from 1–3 m depth, and 10–20 m off the shoreline of the spawning beach. Just before dark, they repeatedly approached the shoreline and stayed near the shoreline to spawn just after dark. In the spawning process, three intervals, i.e. aggregation, approach, and spawning, were recognized and these intervals are thought to be functionally connected. Mating occurred in a unit or group formed by one female and several males. During 1992–1995, except for 1994, spawning took place in a restricted region of the beach where backwash was stronger than other areas, and most sand grains were more than 1 mm in diameter and coarser than those of other areas. Although spawning was observed near the shoreline (34 to 120 cm tide level), most of the eggs were dispersed by backwash and each became attached to a few sand grains close to a step formed at 1–2 m depth off the spawning site. Spawners were composed mainly of age 0+ fish and some 1+ fish. Males usually outnumbered females on the spawning ground. Their spawning styles are discussed in relation to their ecology and habitat.