ALBERT

Description: Spirula spirula has stimulated considerable interest since it was first discovered. It is a member of one of the two genera of sepioids to frequent oceanic water (the other being Heteroteuthis); it has a unique spiral shell which acts as a buoyancy mechanism and can withstand considerable pressure (Denton, Gilpin-Brown & Howarth, 1967); and, until the capture by the Danish Oceanographical expeditions it was considered very rare, only 12 specimens having been captured. The Dana expeditions caught 193 individuals from 1909 to 1931 and these were described by Kerr (1931) and Bruun (1943,1955). Most of these were caught in the waters around the Canary Islands of the North Atlantic. Bruun (1943) arranged the specimens according to month and size and claimed that two size groups could be distinguished. The specimens were taken over a wide geographical area, in several years and during the months of February (1 specimen), March (40), April (3), May (8), June (1), August (1) and October (23). His conclusion concerning growth depends entirely upon his decision to split the March sample into two year-groups; those above 1.9 cm in ventral mantle length he put in a separate year-class to those below 1.9 cm in ventral mantle length. This division was arbitrary and, one suspects, based on a belief that a one-year life-span was likely. Clearly the growth of Spirula requires further study based on a larger collection and the present paper is an attempt to fulfil this need.

Description: The examination of forty two samples of Sediment coming from the “Golfe de Gascogne” Continental margin (from 150 to 4.200 metres) has established the proof of a fauna rieh in benthic and planktonic foraminifera. This research enables to set up the value of certain foraminiferal associations and to propose a zoned essay based on three major groups touching successively the infralittoral, epibathyal, mesobathyal and abyssal parts.

Description: Young tests studied in very thin sections with the light-microscope with a magnification x 1000 showed, that the results obtained hy Reiss, Be Hemleben and others cannot be true. A primary membrane with sieve-plates where pores are projected by the animal is the first formed membrane; then a hyaline layer is formed beneath the membrane with a general thickness of 2-5 (1 in the Globigerine species. Hie thickness of this primary lamella is also that of the lamella covering the proloculus and the first initial chambers and their septa which always have simple walls. In this primary lamella the pores are spared out and they are at first closed by the sieveplates which, however, may be dissolved soon but for a rim in the wall of the pores. Then a second layer Starts, now at the outside of the primary membrane, beginning with fine knobs between the pores but soon forming a whole layer of clear calcäreous matter. It is in this stage that also the first spines are formed, strengthened at their bases by a mount of calcareous matter; so these spines end at their bases at the primary membrane. The thickening of the outer lamella may continue; this lamella is formed soon after the building of the primary lamella, Not only by means of the study of the last formed chamber of several species of Globigerines this result was obtained, but also by means of the colouring of the layers in Globigerina rubra. It is shown, moreover, that Sphaeroidinella dehiscens cannot be an advanced stage of Globigerina triloba. In Globorotaliid species the primary lamella, as found by Reiss c.s., mostly is slightly thicker than in Globigerines. In this group young specimens were observed with last formed chambers having only the primary lamella covered by the primary membrane also, whereas specimens were found which have septa only built by this lamella. The second, outer lamella is formed soon after the primary lamella, so that many specimens occur which show two lamellae in the wall of the last formed chamber. The result is thus quite similar to that obtained in the Globigerines: the species around Globorotalia are monolamellar too.

Description: The distinguishing features of the common squid of British waters, Loligo forbesi, are summarized, and contrasted with those of L. vulgaris. The life-cycle and growth of L. forbesi are described, based on samples from trawl catches off Plymouth. This species seems to be an annual - young squid first appear in the trawl in late May, when their length is about 10 or 11 cm. Subsequent growth is rapid, and the males reach 30 cm and the females 25 cm by November. Spawning takes place mainly in December-January, but may continue into the spring. Neither sex survives beyond a single spawning season. Hatching of the spawn probably takes 30–40 days, and if the young squid taken in the trawl in late May hatched in the early part of the same year, a growth rate of about 25 mm/month would be required. Known growth rates for other species of Loligo are about 20 mm/month, so that indicated for L. forbesi does not seem to be impossibly high. The life-cycle is summarized in Fig. 8. There is also a summer spawning population, which grows to a rather smaller size at maturity, and which also seems to be annual. During the summer L. forbesi ranges throughout the English Channel and southern North Sea, particularly in inshore areas. In October the squid migrate farther offshore and tend to occupy the western part of the Channel. Values for total weight of squid/2 h trawl are given, on a monthly basis, for 1966–9. The largest quantities are usually taken in October and November, the highest single figure being 30.54 kg/2 h trawl, in November 1967.

Description: Twenty-four out of 240 fishes caught by bottom lines at 366–3333 m had something in their stomachs. Stomach contents included parts of cephalopods, fish, cetaceans and bottom-living invertebrates, thin rubber sheet and terrestrial mammal bones. The material provides evidence that four species of cephalopod are at least partially demersal and suggests a means by which the tapeworm Phyllobothrium could pass from its secondary to its primary host. During the five biological cruises of R.R.S. ‘Discovery’ between 1967 and 1971 a total of 31 bottom lines with 1483 hooks were fished in depths of water between 366 and 3333 m. The stomachs of the 240 fish caught were examined and 216 (90%) proved to be empty. The high incidence of empty stomachs is thought to be due to frequent loss of food during the ascent from great depths and accounts for our poor knowledge of the feeding habits of demersal fish living at depths exceeding 400 m. The present collection of food from 25 stomachs (24 from ‘Discovery’ collections and one from a fish caught by Mr G. R. Forster from R. V. ‘Sarsia’) of fish belonging to 11 species (Table 1) probably gives little indication of the usual diet of the fish concerned, but its nature prompts some useful speculation and the rarity of such observations justifies placing them on record (Bigelow & Schroeder, 1948; Marshall, 1954). All the fish were caught on lines which lay on the bottom for several hours and it is our firm belief that they were hooked while on or very near the bottom.

Description: Bolli assumed. that at the beginning of an evolutionary trend of planktonic Foraminifera the coiling direction should be at random. Two sequences of such trends were studied, the one of the Globigerina-cretacea-gens (Praeglobotruncana infracretacea- P. gautierensis) in the Albian of Holland, the other of the Globigerina (Globoconusa)- daubjergensis-gens in the Danian of Denmark, to verify this assumption. Both sequences show that in the beginning of an evolutionary trend the percentages of right coiling are distinctly less than 50 % and that later in the evolution the random coiling direction is transgressed towards dominant right coiling. The eventual causes of sudden regressions towards left coiling are discussed.

Description: In their wall-structure specimens from the Miocene (Sphaeroidinellopis seminulina (Schwager) = S. subdehiscens Blow) do not differ from later forms of this gens. The walls consist of an inner calcareous lamella, covered by the primary pseudochitinous lamella, succeeded by a second calcareous lamella in which eventually spines can be detected, and then a third thicker calcareous lamella is added, as in Globigerina rubra (Hofker, 1971, Pl. VI). The difference with Sphaeroidinella is that dorsal secondary apertures are lacking. But young specimens of S. dehiscens from Basal Pleistocene in a JOIDES sample lack these openings also, whereas the chambers following the embryonic ones all show the third thickening lamella. In these pleistocene individuals remmants of the spines are found in the form of fine open canals which do not pierce the chitinous lamella nor the primary calcitic one. Last formed embryonic chambers may show traces of these spines at their outsides. Young specimens of the Recent form, S. excavata Blow, are built as the Miocene ancestor. This recent form shows bullae in many specimens. During this evolution from Miocene to Recent the gens gradually increases its size in the adult specimens, as is found in many other planktonic gentes. Ontogenetically as well as phylogenetically this gens shows no proof of the theory proposed by Be, Hemleben and Bandy, that Sphaeroidinella is the deep water form of Globigerina sacculifera Brady. The forming of secondary apertures in the later larger forms of this gens is also found in many other planktonic genes increasing their size during time, as is the forming of bullae. There is no reason to split off the genus Sphaeroidinellopsis from Sphaeroidinella as the young specimens of the latter genus should in that case be put in Sphaerodinellopsis. In the Recent form the hollows left by the spines are filled up with calcite when the third thickening lamella is formed.

Description: Marine Upper Jurassic sediments have recently been reported from South Africa (Knysna Outlier, Cape Province) for the first time1. They occur as shallow water, sandy clays (Brenton Beds) in association with terrestrial/fluviatile conglomerates and sandstones, which were deposited in an approximately east-west elongate intermontane basin between the Cape Fold mountains (formed of Lower Palaeozoic sediments). Post-Cretaceous erosion has reduced the original deposits to a series of small, isolated outliers, only two of which have been reported to contain marine sediments (Knysna, lower Upper Jurassic; Algoa, Valanginian2) (Fig. 1). Extensive Neocomian-Maas-trichtian outcrops are known from the continental shelf off to the south of South Africa3, and a complete mid-Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous marine succession is suspected on the Agulhas Bank infilling and overlying east-west striking, fault bounded folds of Lower Palaeozoic Cape Supergroup rocks as shown in Fig. 1 (R. V. D., in preparation and refs. 1 and 4).

Description: The asymmetry of the continental margin around southern Africa can be related to Mesozoic sediment thicknesses, which were in turn controlled by the local structural setting. On the west coast, the Orange Basin sediments were built out as a thick wedge over the margin of the continent by discharge from the Orange River, whereas on the Agulhas Bank, sedimentation was confined to continental areas. Off the east coast the extremely narrow margin of the continent did not form an effective trap for sediments, which were readily carried beyond it. Cainozoic sediments are thin, and modify the Mesozoic sediment pile only locally on the outer shelf and slope.

Description: STEP-LIKE structures in temperature and salinity beneath the Mediterranean water have been observed in the Eastern Atlantic1–6. In Fig. 1 we show the stations where steps have been found in the area to the west of Gibraltar. Salt fingering as a result of double diffusive processes has been suggested as a possible cause for the generation of such step-like structures7. During cruise No. 23 of RV Meteor in 1971 we intended to study the small scale features of such structures8. Some previous observations6 in August/September 1970 had revealed an extensive zone where a “thermohaline staircase” existed (Fig. 1). We therefore selected stations in this area and close to it for the proposed study. A high resolution in situ conductivity-temperature-depth meter of the “Kieler Multi-Meeressonde” type was used for the vertical profiling of temperature and salinity.

Description: Eighty-seven specimens of Bathothauma lyromma from the ‘Discovery’ collections have provided new information on this unusual species. The size range represented is sufficient to trace the development from small larvae to near adult. Information on sexual development is also given. Twenty-nine specimens from opening-closing nets show that Bathothauma occupies the depth range 100–1250 m, with smaller specimens living at shallower depths than the larger ones.

Description: A total of 618 cephalopods comprising 29 identified species and 98 young unidentified larvae were collected at 30° N 23° W in opening–closing rectangular midwater trawls (RMT combination net), an Isaacs Kidd midwater trawl equipped with an openingclosing bucket and a British Columbia midwater trawl. Discrete horizons were fished between the surface and 2000 m and day and night vertical distribution for the more common species is described. Material is sufficiently abundant to draw tentative conclusions on the vertical distributions of 16 species. These show a wide variety of migratory and non-migratory behaviour including diel migration, ontogenetic migration and static distribution at various depths and over various depth ranges.

Description: In the southern hemisphere, female and young male sperm whales (up to about 39 feet long) are not normally found in higher latitudes than 40° S while large males occur in Antarctic waters1–3; clearly many large bulls must migrate from the breeding areas into colder regions. Evidence of the return of large bulls to lower latitudes rests upon marking them in the Antarctic4 or external infestation by Antarctic Cocconeis or Cyamus 5. Only a single mark5 has been recovered which provides direct evidence for the return north from Antarctic waters. This mark (USSR No. 650203) was fired on December 25, 1967, at 62° 22′ S 26° 25′ E and the whale was killed on May 13, 1968, off Durban. The small size of the male concerned (35 feet at death) makes this record rather surprising although Jonsgård6 did mention that the smallest whales from Antarctic waters were about 35 feet. Marking can provide information on only a small part of the whale population at considerable cost, freshness of the whale restricts the value of infestation as an indicator but the study of food remnants in sperm whale stomachs provides another method without these disadvantages.

Description: Two new species of cranchiid cephalopod are described. These were both collected by opening-closing midwater trawls (RMTs) when vertical series were fished in the North Atlantic from R.R.S. ‘Discovery’.