ALBERT

Description: in a recent publication von Brandt (1) gives a survey of all determinations of the calcium content of Baltic water hitherto published. He records in all 39 analyses made during the last century, which give us an idea of the order of magnitude of the calcium concentration; they cannot, however, serve for comparative purposes as in many cases chlorine determinations on the same water samples are lacking. Neither have we any clue for judging the accuracy of these analyses, the latest of which date from 1884. Fifty years later, in 1935, Za rin s and O z o 1 ins (8) published an extensive investi­gation of the water in the Bay of Riga and in the Baltic off the Latvian coast, their most westerly station nearly coinciding with the Finnish station F81 (Lat. 57° 22'N., Long. 19°57'E.) above the central depression of the Baltic. Their material comprised about 70 calcium analyses on water from all depths. Finally v o n B r a n d t in the above-mentioned paper publishes nearly 300 analyses of surface water collected in 1935 and 1936 during several voyages from Pillau to Helsingfors and back, and along the German coast as far as Kiel and back. The present material comprises analyses of only 48 samples of surface and bottom water collected during the summer cruise, in July 1935, of the s.s. "Nautilus" from the Gulf of Finland, the Gulf of Bothnia, and the northern half of the Baltic proper. In spite of the smaller number of samples this material is more comprehensive than the two preceding investigations in so far as it covers a greater area of the sea. I t was originally meant as a survey of the calcium content in these parts of the Baltic, but the surprisingly simple relationships between calcium content and chlorinity which it revealed, give the results far more scope than was expected.

Description: A bioenergetic model for two narwhal (Monodon monoceros) sub-populations was developed to quantify daily gross energy requirements and estimate the biomass of Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) needed to sustain the sub-populations for their 5-month stay on wintering grounds in Baffin Bay. Whales in two separate wintering grounds were estimated to require 700 tonnes (s.e. 300) and 90 tonnes (s.e. 40) of Greenland halibut per day, assuming a diet of 50% Greenland halibut. Mean densities and length distributions of Greenland halibut inside and outside of the narwhal wintering grounds were correlated with predicted whale predation levels based on diving behavior. The difference in Greenland halibut biomass between an area with high predation and a comparable area without whales, approximately 19 000 tonnes, corresponded well with the predicted biomass removed by the narwhal sub-population on a diet of 50–75% Greenland halibut.

Description: King Penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) from breeding islands in the Indian Ocean (Crozet and Kerguelen Islands) and the Atlantic Ocean (South Georgia and Falkland Islands) were equipped with global location sensors to compare their foraging patterns during different times of the year. In summer, all birds investigated traveled toward the Antarctic Polar Front (APF), irrespective of whether they bred to the north (Crozet Islands, Falkland Islands), within (Kerguelen Islands) or to the south (South Georgia) of this hydrographic feature. Whereas most birds remained north of the APF and foraged in waters of the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone, some penguins also traveled, or remained (South Georgia), south of the APF and foraged in Antarctic waters. It appeared that food resources in the vicinity of the APF were sufficiently predictable to warrant travel of several hundred km by King Penguins for foraging. Data collected on the winter distribution of King Penguins indicated at least two different foraging strategies. Birds from the oceanic Crozet Islands foraged beyond the APF in the Antarctic waters, whereas birds from the Falkland Islands relied also on the resources provided by the highly diverse and productive slope of the Patagonian Shelf. However, despite these differences, in both cases minimum distances of sometimes more than 10 000 km were covered. Further research on the foraging habitats of King Penguins over the entire breeding season and the temporal and spatial changes of oceanographic features is necessary to obtain a comprehensive picture on the variability in the foraging ranges of King Penguins.

Description: The systematics and distribution of the cirrate octopod genus Grimpoteuthis in the north-east Atlantic are reviewed. Three new species are described and Grimpoteuthis wuelkeri (Grimpe, 1920) is redescribed. A new generic diagnosis is proposed. Five species of Grimpoteuthis are recognized in the north-east Atlantic. The type species, G. umbellata (Fisher, 1883) is known only from the type specimen, which is in such poor condition that comparison with recently captured material was not possible. G. wuelkeri is a large, slope species, caught between 1600 m and 2200 m in the north-east and north-west Atlantic. Of the three new species, both G. boylei and G. challengeri are large abyssal species. G. boylei is found in the north-east Atlantic at the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP) and the Madeira Abyssal Plain and may be found at abyssal depths throughout the north-east Atlantic. G. challengeri is known from the PAP, with a single specimen from the north-west Atlantic. G. discoveryi is a small, lower slope and abyssal species found in the north-east Atlantic. The Grimpoteuthis species can be separated based on shell form, presence of a radula and posterior salivary glands, arrangement of suckers and cirri and gill morphology. Two species, G. megaptera Verrill and G. plena Verrill, have been described from the north-west Atlantic, but the types are either lost (G. megaptera) or in poor condition (G. plena), hindering comparisons. Material examined from the north-west Atlantic included G. wuelkeri, G. challengeri and at least two other species.

Description: Eight planktonic egg masses of the diamond-shaped Thysanoteuthis rhombus observed from 1995 to 2000 are described. Four were found in the western Mediterranean and the others were found off the Canary Islands. The egg masses from the Canary Islands are the first records for the eastern Atlantic. All were found near the surface at the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. The planktonic egg masses were dense, resilient oblong cylinders with rounded tips ranging from 80 to 130 cm in length and between 15 and 20 cm in diameter. Egg capsule dimensions ranged from 2.8 to 3.4 mm and total length of the newly hatched paralarvae was between 2.5 and 2.8 mm. Each egg mass contained an estimated 24 100–43 800 eggs. Some new characters that should help identification of the paralarvae, such as arm formulae, presence of an incipient keel-shaped membrane on some arms, and the type and chromatophore pattern are given. Ecological factors influencing the presence and distribution of these egg masses are discussed.

Description: Although morphology of firm-bodied shallow-water octopuses resists preservation-linked deformation, preservation and handling of deep-sea specimens of Graneledone are hypothesized to deform specimens by accelerating fluid loss from mantle and arm tissues. Principal components analysis finds that seven of 39 North Pacific specimens of the genus are exceptionally narrow; the remaining specimens show considerable morphological variation, independent of time in preservation. Five exceptionally narrow specimens, including some paratypes of G. pacifica, were collected and preserved by the same trawling study; a single unrecorded factor in their common preservation history may have caused their deformation. The high morphological variation among the remaining specimens, seemingly unique among octopodids, may reflect factors as subtle as how the specimen was stored in the jar. Two types of change with time in preservation are documented. The mantle wall of formalin-fixed specimens thins unpredictably after storage for 30 months in 70% ethanol, consistent with deformation in preservation. Skin tubercles on the dorsal mantle, important taxonomic characters, become more prominent during the first decade in preservation. To maximize the information specimens with fluid-rich tissues convey and to identify the sources of deformation, the full preservation history and measurements made prior to dissection should be permanently recorded.

Description: Scaphitids are heteromorph ammonites exhibiting morphological trends counter to of those of the other main heteromorph ammonite groups. These trends include the shortening of the body chamber, lateral compression of the whorl, closure of the coil, and more regular, spiral coiling. Scaphitid-like morphologies may have appeared in other heteromorphs, but the Scaphitaceae are monophyletic. The most primitive scaphitids are known from the Albian, but an important radiation occurred in the Western Interior Seaway of North America from the Santonian to Maastrichtian, some of which spread to the Old World. The scaphitid morphology is consistent with improved swimming abilities, but scaphitids remained associated with the seafloor and are best considered to have been nektobenthos similar to modern nautiluses.

Description: The food habits of the beaked skate were studied utilising 274 individuals obtained from the incidental catches of the Argentine hake (Merluccius hubbsi) fishery. The most important prey were the Argentine hake, the southern cod (Patagonotothen ramsayi), the Argentine shortfin squid (Illex argentinus), the isopod (Serolis schythei), the “raneya” (Raneya brasiliensis , Pisces: Ophidiidae), and the Argentine anchovy (Engraulis anchoita). A total of 45 prey species was identified. No differences in the diet between sexes, but significant differences among size classes and between immature and mature individuals were found. Two size-related dietary shifts previously reported in this species, at around 35 cm and 85 cm total length were confirmed and related to changes in habitat utilisation. The first shift entails a major change from benthic prey (mostly crustaceans) to demersal-benthic prey (mostly fishes) and the second change from demersal-benthic to demersal-pelagic prey (increased consumption of Argentine hake and decreased consumption of southern cod). The second shift coincides with sexual maturation and may reflect a behavioural response to maturation.