Sparidae

Food and feeding habits of the Santer Seabream Cheimerius nufar were studied from the Arabian Sea coast of Oman for two years during April 2005-March 2007. The stomach contents consisted of substantial quantities of semi-digested matter and identifiable items like sardines, crab, squid, cuttlefish and other crustacean remains indicating the fish is an active carnivore. There was not much variation in the food items encountered during various months. Active, moderate and poor feeding observed at various months, maturity stages and size groups of fish suggested no specific trend in feeding intensity. The information gathered would be useful for trophic modelling of marine fishes of Oman.

The paper discusses fish teeth from Middle Miocene (Badenian) marlstones and lithothamnion limestones from the Plesko quarry near Trbovlje, a raw-material base for the Lafarge cement plant. In Slovenia, finds of Miocene-age teeth of cartilaginous and bony fishes are relatively common, but this is not the case in the Plesko quarry. Fish remains from the quarry include numerous scales of bony fishes and teeth belonging to three different genera including the species Cosmopolitodus hastalis, Diplodus jomnitanus and Pagrus cinctus.

Acoustic telemetry and standard tag-recapture were used to determine the home range and residency of juveniles and sub-adults of Diplodus sargus and Diplodus vulgaris in the Ria Formosa (Portugal) coastal lagoon. Maximum time between recaptures for the standard tag-recapture method was 128 days for D. sargus and 30 days for D. vulgaris. The majority of the fish were recaptured in the vicinity of the tagging location. Fish tagged with acoustic transmitters had a maximum period of time between first and last detections of 62 days for D. sargus and 260 days for D. vulgaris. Minimum convex polygons areas ranged between 148 024 m 2 and 525 930 m 2 for D. sargus and between 23 786 m 2 and 42 134 m 2 for D. vulgaris. Both species presented a high residency index between first and last detections. Two D. sargus tagged with acoustic tags were recaptured by fishermen outside the coastal lagoon at distances of 12 km and 90 km from the tagging position, providing evidence that this species leaves the Ria Formosa during the winter time for the adjacent coastal waters. The results of this study reinforce the importance of Ria Formosa as a nursery for D. sargus and D. vulgaris in the south coast of Portugal.

The reproductive biology of the soldierbream, Argyrops filamentosus (Valenciennes, 1830), was studied from the Arabian Sea coast of Oman between April 2005 and March 2007. The females matured (L m ) at an average length of 22.2 cm TL, males matured at a higher length of 27.5 cm TL and both the sexes attained maturity during second year. The occurrence of spent gonads indicated that the spawning in A. filamentosus was between August and March; however, peak spawning was during September-January as evidenced by the incidence of higher percentages of mature females during these months.

As in other vertebrates, fish experience stressful situations after exposure to both abiotic and biotic noxious stimuli. The current procedures used in aquacultured fish may also induce stress responses that involve neuroendocrine activation and a number of physiological, metabolic, molecular, and genetic changes. The causes for these changes are due to stress messengers and physiological responses designed to overcome the altered situation. Thus, in this chapter, the physiology of the stress response, including stress perception, the nature of the response, the molecular and neuroendocrine activation, the metabolic and energetic arrangements and the regulation of the response are presented with particular reference to sparid fishes. Furthermore, aspects related to the concept of fish welfare will be also discussed in the present chapter.

A new aporocotylid, Skoulekia erythrini n. sp., is described from the heart, cephalic kidney and gill blood vessels of the common pandora Pagellus erythrinus (L.) collected from several localities of the western Mediterranean off Spain. The new species differs from the type- and only species of the genus, S. meningialis Alama-Bermejo, Montero, Raga & Holzer, 2011 in possessing a symmetrical body (vs laterally curved), short tegumental spines (3-4 vs 7-10 µm) without hooked ends, diffuse (vs conspicuous) oesophageal gland-cells, a relatively longer oesophagus, a testis that is shorter in relation to body length and a much smaller seminal vesicle (17-34 × 10-26 vs 33-101 × 27-97 μm). Elongated ellipsoidal eggs of S. erythrini n. sp. were found trapped in gill vessels in histological sections. Phylogenetic analyses based on partial 28S rDNA and ITS2 sequences supported the placement of the new species within Skoulekia and the close relationships of this genus with Psettarium Goto & Oza...

Studies that combine both the ecological responses of marine species and protection measures with movement patterns and habitat use are of major importance in order to better understand the performance of marine protected areas (MPA) and how species respond to their implementation. However, few studies have assessed MPA performance by relating local individual movement patterns and the observed reserve effects. In this study, we combined acoustic telemetry with abundance estimates to study the early effects of a recently established small coastal MPA on the local populations of white seabream. The results show that even small, recently established coastal MPAs can increase the abundance and biomass of commercial fish species, provided that target species have small home ranges and exhibit high site fidelity.

Chronic ulcerative dermatopathy (CUD) also known as chronic erosive dermatopathy, hole-inthe-head, head and lateral line erosion syndrome (HLLE) and lateral line depigmentation (LLD) is a chronic disease of unknown aetiology that affects the lateral line canals of the head and the trunk of various fish species. It has been described only in freshwater species although there are reports that it also affects marine fish. Here, we describe the disease in cultured sharpsnout sea bream using histology and scanning electron microscopy and identify several marine species as CUD sensitive. The results of this study correlate the development of the disease with the use of borehole water, indicating that the aetiology is probably associated with water quality rather than nutritional imbalance or infectious agents.

ABSTRACT Information on the movement of fish is vital to determine the effectiveness of marine protected areas (MPAs) for fish conservation and fisheries management. This study investigates area utilisation and activity patterns of 13 adult roman Chrysoblephus laticeps (Sparidae) using telemetry and underwater observations. Acoustic transmitters implanted into C. laticeps in tanks had no apparent effects on growth and mobility. Natural behaviour of the treated fish in the field was verified by SCUBA divers. Manual boat- and diver-based tracking was carried out inside the Castle Rock MPA, False Bay, South Africa, over a 17-month period. A radio acoustic positioning system (VRAP, VEMCO Ltd) was used to record automatically fish positions over two 1-month periods during and after the spawning season of roman. Manually recorded fish positions and VRAP positions inside the triangle of buoys within the system were accurate within 10m; deviations increased with increased distance of the fish from the centre of the system and during unfavourable sea conditions. Analysis of movement data using a 95% fixed kernel algorithm suggests that roman occupy small home ranges of between 1 000m2 and 3 000m2, which shows that this species is well suited for protection in small MPAs. Interestingly, the home range size did not seem to be related to fish size or habitat quality. Swimming activity decreased at night. During periods of cold-water upwelling, fish retreated into caves. During the spawning season, females extended their home ranges, which result in a 'spill over' effect of adult fish into fishing areas.

Studies that combine both the ecological responses of marine species and protection measures with movement patterns and habitat use are of major importance in order to better understand the performance of marine protected areas (MPA) and how species respond to their implementation. However, few studies have assessed MPA performance by relating local individual movement patterns and the observed reserve effects. In this study, we combined acoustic telemetry with abundance estimates to study the early effects of a recently established small coastal MPA on the local populations of white seabream. The results show that even small, recently established coastal MPAs can increase the abundance and biomass of commercial fish species, provided that target species have small home ranges and exhibit high site fidelity.

In this study the striped seabream Lithognathus mormyrus (Linnaeus, 1758) was reported for the first time and
considered as new geographic record from the northern part of Turkish coasts. The observation points and sampling localities
were given with some ecological remarks. The morphological features of this species were examined. The relationship
between variations in habitat structure along the Turkish coasts of Black Sea and the observation frequencies of the new
geographical record of striped seabream L. mormyrus was discussed.

Three hatchery produced and reared (HPR) and five wild white sea bream (Diplodus sargus) were double tagged with Vemco V8SC-2L acoustic transmitters and Floy Tag T-bar anchor tags, and released on artificial reefs located near a natural reef off the southern coast of Portugal. Passive telemetry was used to monitor movements of the white sea bream over a nine week period from April to June 2007. Differences in behavior at release, habitat association (artificial vs. natural reef), and in daily movements were registered. Wild fish moved from one habitat to the other with increased preference for the artificial habitat during the day, whereas HPR fish showed no site fidelity or consistent daily movement pattern and left the release site soon after release. Comparison of Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) showed a higher area usage by wild fish. This experiment shows that these artificial reefs are used on a daily basis by wild white sea bream but apparently are not optimal release locations for hatchery produced white sea bream.

Wardula sarguicola n. sp. is reported from the rectum of Diplodus sargus off the western coast of Corsica (the Scandola Nature Reserve). It is the only mesometrid species which has been recorded from a fish other than Sarpa salpa. Among the numerous features which dis tinguish W. sarguicola n. sp. from W. capitellata (Rud.), the type and only other species of the genus, we draw special attention to its smaller size, the absence of buccal ridges within the oral sucker, the presence of uterine coils between the gonads and even posterior to the ovary, a well-developed prostatic sac and a genital pore remote from the oral sucker.

Transmission and scanning electron microscopy were used to investigate the ultrastructure of spermatozoa in two Sparinae species Pagrus major and Rhabdosargus sarba. Ultrastructurally, the spermatozoa of P. major and R. sarba both consist of a spherical, homogeneously electron-dense nucleus with a deep axial nuclear fossa, and an unusual notch, in the nuclear region. The midpiece contains two spherical mitochondria in R. sarba and one in P. major. The comparison of spermatozoal ultrastructure of these two species of Sparidae shows that they closely resemble one another and suggests that they are closely related. Variation in the geometry and dimensions of the mitochondrion and nucleus is substantial in these two Sparidae species. It is concluded that the spermatozoa of both species are of primitive type, and they are distinguished by several unique features which may provide useful systematic characteristics.

This paper presents the results of an application of ultrasonic telemetry on white seabream, Diplodus sargus inhabiting an artificial reef (AR) in NW Sicily (western Mediterranean Sea). The objective of the study was to investigate the movement pattern of seabreams, verify their homing behaviour and site fidelity, determine their home range and describe their use of the habitat. Four seabreams were tagged and released, and their movements were recorded with automated and manual acoustic receivers. The spatial and temporal distribution of positional data suggest that the tagged seabreams hide inside the AR during the day, staying out of their shelter at night. The nocturnal movements of the tagged fishes are suggested to be a search for food in the seagrass patches surrounding the ARs. The monitored seabreams showed clear homing behaviour and strong site fidelity. Their home range extended from 0.01 to 0.17 km and included the AR and the surrounding sandy area with seagrass patches. Home range areas increased proportionally to the distance between the refuge on AR and the foraging areas on seagrass patches. The higher activity of seabreams during the night was interpreted as a result of a trade-off between predation risk and foraging needs.

To cite this article: Abdulsamad, S. M. S., Comparison of some morphological characteristics of three sparid fishes (Perciformes: Sparidae) otoliths (Sagitta) from Shatt Al-Arab River, Basrah (southern Iraq). Abstract: The otoliths (ear stones) of sparid species (Acanthopagrus berda (Forsskal,1775), A. latus (Houttuyn, 1782) and Sparidentex hasta (Valenciennes,1830)) sagittae were studied. Fifty specimens of each species with different sizes were collected from local markets since December 2014 to March 2015. The largest otolith pair of each specimen (sagitta) was extracted and used to differentiate among the three species. The results revealed that the sagittae of these three species differ from each other, especially from posterior, that it is almost straight in A. latus, whereas there is a notch in A. berda, in S. hasta the posterior of sagitta regularly pointed. A linear relationship between total length-otolith length and body weight-otolith weight are found for the three-studied species. The otolith weight correlated with fish body weight was stronger than the correlation of otolith length with fish total length. The form factor of A. latus is higher than the other two species so as to roundness, but S. hasta has the highest aspect ratio. The results suggest that otolith (sagitta) morphology of the three sparid species differs from each other, thus, sagitta can be adopted to discriminate among these species, because it is species specific.

Three hatchery produced and reared (HPR) and five wild white sea bream (Diplodus sargus) were double tagged with Vemco V8SC-2L acoustic transmitters and Floy Tag T-bar anchor tags, and released on artificial reefs located near a natural reef off the southern coast of Portugal. Passive telemetry was used to monitor movements of the white sea bream over a nine week period from April to June 2007. Differences in behavior at release, habitat association (artificial vs. natural reef), and in daily movements were registered. Wild fish moved from one habitat to the other with increased preference for the artificial habitat during the day, whereas HPR fish showed no site fidelity or consistent daily movement pattern and left the release site soon after release. Comparison of Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) showed a higher area usage by wild fish. This experiment shows that these artificial reefs are used on a daily basis by wild white sea bream but apparently are not optimal release locations for hatchery produced white sea bream.

... that includes the eastern Atlantic coast from the Bay of Biscay to South Africa, as well as the Azores, Madeira, Canary and Cape ... The Ria Formosa, in the southern part of Portugal, is a shallow coastal lagoon with large meadows of seagrasses (Zostera noltii, Zostera marina and ...

Short-time site fidelity and movements of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) in a coastal lagoon were determined using passive acoustic telemetry. Nine fish, ranging from 20.1 to 32.5 cm total length, were surgically implanted with acoustic transmitters and monitored for up to 179 days. Minimum convex polygon areas ranged from 18,698.6 m 2 to 352,711.9 m 2 . Home range sizes were small, with individuals using core areas on a daily basis. However, these core areas shifted within the study site over time towards the opening to the sea. Two different diel behaviors were recorded, with some individuals more active at night and others during day time. Some individuals also demonstrated homing abilities, returning to the capture site after being released more than 4 km away.