Larval Fish East of the Shetland Islands, May 1978 and May 1979

Author(s):  
A. N. Economou

A list of larval fish species sampled during an ecological study of the gadoid larvae in the east of the Shetland Islands area in 1978 (6–21 May) and 1979 (9–30 May) is given in Table 1· 14157 fish larvae were caught in 1978 (in 154 oblique hauls with the High Speed Loch Ewe Net, an unencased sampler with a net of 0·250 mm mesh) and 13 769 larvae in 1979 (in 93 hauls), from which 13632 and 12440 larvae were identified and measured in these 2 years respectively. Most unidentified specimens were damaged. Larval fish taxonomy is given according to Russell (1976). The description of the sampling instrument and the working procedure at sea can be found elsewhere (Economou, 1983).The Gadidae family dominated all others accounting for more than 85% of the total, the three most abundant species being Norway pout(Trisopterus esmarkii (Nilsson)), haddock(Melanogrammus aeglefinus (L.)) and whiting (Merlangius merlangus (L.)).Whiting appeared under three pigmentation patterns, the normal one, another with very weak pigment and a third having the dorsal side of the body very strongly pigmented, sometimes with a gap free of pigment along the dorsal contour. The characters of the last two forms correspond somewhat with the descriptions of the whiting larvae from the southern North Sea and the Loch Etive (Russell, 1976). Norway pout displayed the typical form of melanophores but few specimens presented a pattern of fine but intense spots. There was some evidence that a few of the larvae identified as Norway pout at the end of May 1979 were actually Trisopterus minutus larvae.

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (116) ◽  
pp. 20160068 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gen Li ◽  
Ulrike K. Müller ◽  
Johan L. van Leeuwen ◽  
Hao Liu

Larvae of bony fish swim in the intermediate Reynolds number ( Re ) regime, using body- and caudal-fin undulation to propel themselves. They share a median fin fold that transforms into separate median fins as they grow into juveniles. The fin fold was suggested to be an adaption for locomotion in the intermediate Reynolds regime, but its fluid-dynamic role is still enigmatic. Using three-dimensional fluid-dynamic computations, we quantified the swimming trajectory from body-shape changes during cyclic swimming of larval fish. We predicted unsteady vortices around the upper and lower edges of the fin fold, and identified similar vortices around real larvae with particle image velocimetry. We show that thrust contributions on the body peak adjacent to the upper and lower edges of the fin fold where large left–right pressure differences occur in concert with the periodical generation and shedding of edge vortices. The fin fold enhances effective flow separation and drag-based thrust. Along the body, net thrust is generated in multiple zones posterior to the centre of mass. Counterfactual simulations exploring the effect of having a fin fold across a range of Reynolds numbers show that the fin fold helps larvae achieve high swimming speeds, yet requires high power. We conclude that propulsion in larval fish partly relies on unsteady high-intensity vortices along the upper and lower edges of the fin fold, providing a functional explanation for the omnipresence of the fin fold in bony-fish larvae.


2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1852) ◽  
pp. 20170359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arjun Nair ◽  
Christy Nguyen ◽  
Matthew J. McHenry

An escape response is a rapid manoeuvre used by prey to evade predators. Performing this manoeuvre at greater speed, in a favourable direction, or from a longer distance have been hypothesized to enhance the survival of prey, but these ideas are difficult to test experimentally. We examined how prey survival depends on escape kinematics through a novel combination of experimentation and mathematical modelling. This approach focused on zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) larvae under predation by adults and juveniles of the same species. High-speed three-dimensional kinematics were used to track the body position of prey and predator and to determine the probability of behavioural actions by both fish. These measurements provided the basis for an agent-based probabilistic model that simulated the trajectories of the animals. Predictions of survivorship by this model were found by Monte Carlo simulations to agree with our observations and we examined how these predictions varied by changing individual model parameters. Contrary to expectation, we found that survival may not be improved by increasing the speed or altering the direction of the escape. Rather, zebrafish larvae operate with sufficiently high locomotor performance due to the relatively slow approach and limited range of suction feeding by fish predators. We did find that survival was enhanced when prey responded from a greater distance. This is an ability that depends on the capacity of the visual and lateral line systems to detect a looming threat. Therefore, performance in sensing, and not locomotion, is decisive for improving the survival of larval fish prey. These results offer a framework for understanding the evolution of predator–prey strategy that may inform prey survival in a broad diversity of animals.


Author(s):  
Cristian A. Vargas ◽  
Sandro E. Araneda ◽  
Guillermo Valenzuela

The influence of circulation on abundance patterns of larval fish was compared at different phases of the tide in the vicinity of an estuarine front in Corral Bay, Chile during austral spring. Greatest differences in water salinity were found across the frontal region on ebb tides. Because rainfall was low, density differences were primarily due to tidal intrusion of salt water. Larval density was relatively low during both sampling periods with Strangomera bentincki, Oodntesthes regia laticlavia, Gobiesox marmoratus and Hypsoblennius sordidus as the most abundant species. Total ichthyoplankton was always higher near the tidal front (Stations 2 and 3). Spatial distribution in relation to tidal phase showed different patterns for the most abundant fish larval species. Circulation and larval distribution revealed that the bay was a source of young fish larvae but older individuals could also be recruited in and retained there. Results show that the front could act as a physical boundary for larvae transported from offshore through specific mechanism of circulation related with the tidal regime.


Author(s):  
R.S. Batty

Predation is now considered the main cause of mortality in larval and juvenile fish (Hunter, 1984) and is therefore the most important factor controlling recruitment to the adult population. Marine fish larvae are prey for many different types of predator including medusae, crustaceans and larger fish. When predatory attacks are sensed both adult and larval fish may respond by making a 'C-start', a very fast, simultaneous contraction of the trunk musculature that deforms the body into a C-shape within 20 ms (Eaton & Hackett, 1984). This startle response is mediated by the Mauthner cells, a pair of prominent neurones in the hind brain or by other reticulo-spinal cells located in the same region. As a result of reciprocal inhibition and decussation of the cell axon, stimulation on one side of the body results in contraction of all the muscle on the contralateral side.


2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
R González-Quirós ◽  
J Cabal ◽  
F Álvarez-Marqués ◽  
A Isla

Abstract The overall objective of this study was to search for spatial differences in primary production and its transference towards larval fish related with the distribution of water masses at shelf break of the Avilés Canyon. High primary production and ichthyoplankton abundance were associated with a shelf break front at the Avilés Canyon. Egg distributions of Scomber scombrus, Sardina pilchardus and Trachurus trachurus, coupled with topography, the associated physical structure and phytoplankton productivity, suggested adaptive spawning strategies. The distribution of copepod stages, which are considered the trophic link between primary producers and fish larvae, was not related with the position of the front. Moreover, the egg production of two abundant species (Calanus helgolandicus and Acartia clausi) was not significantly related with phytoplankton abundance and productivity.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishnamoorthy Krishnan ◽  
Asif Shahriar Nafi ◽  
Roi Gurka ◽  
Roi Holzman

AbstractFish larvae are the smallest self-sustaining vertebrates. As such, they face multiple challenge that stem from their minute size, and from the hydrodynamic regime in which they dwell. This regime of intermediate Reynolds numbers (Re) was shown to affect the swimming of larval fish and impede their ability to capture prey. Numerical simulations indicate that the flow fields external to the mouth in younger larvae result in shallower spatial gradients, limiting the force exerted on the prey. However, observations on feeding larvae suggest that failures in prey capture can also occur during prey transport, although the mechanism causing these failures is unclear. We combine high-speed videography and numerical simulations to investigate the hydrodynamic mechanisms that impede prey transport in larval fishes. Detailed kinematics of the expanding mouth during prey capture by larval Sparus aurata were used to parameterize age-specific numerical models of the flows inside the mouth. These models reveal that, for small larvae that slowly expand their mouth, not all the fluid that enters the mouth cavity is expelled through the gills, resulting in flow reversal at the mouth orifice. This efflux at the mouth orifice was highest in the younger ages, but was also high (>8%) in slow strikes produced by larger fish. Our modeling explains the observations of “in-and-out” events in larval fish, where prey enters the mouth but is not swallowed. It further highlights the importance of prey transport as an integral part in determining suction feeding success.


1994 ◽  
Vol 45 (7) ◽  
pp. 1193 ◽  
Author(s):  
FJ Neira ◽  
IC Potter

Fish larvae were sampled in the entrance channel and in the two basins of the permanently open Nornalup-Walpole Estuary, on the southern coast of Western Australia, in each month between October 1989 and September 1990. Sampling yielded a total of 39 068 larvae belonging to 36 species and 23 families, with the engraulidid Engraulis australis (56.7%) and the gobies Pseudogobius olorum (24.4%) and Favonigobius lateralis (15.0%) being the most abundant species. Most of the larvae were caught between November and March, with the concentrations of the most abundant species reaching peaks between January and March, when water temperatures had reached 21-24�C. In terms of number of larvae, the larval fish assemblage in the basins was dominated by species that spawn within the estuary, with the larvae of these species contributing ≥98.7% to the totals at the basin sites. Although the larvae of 26 marine species were caught in the entrance channel, these were either rare or absent in the basins, except for those of the terapontid Pelates sexlineatus, which were moderately abundant in the outer basin. The fact that the larvae of most of these marine species were at the preflexion stage, and that all but three of those species had never been previously recorded as either juveniles or adults within the system, indicates that they were passively transported from outside the estuary. The absence of larvae of most of the marine teleosts that are abundant in the basins of the Nornalup-Walpole Estuary parallels the situation in the nearby and seasonally closed Wilson Inlet.


2016 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuantong Jutagate ◽  
Achara Rattanachai ◽  
Suriya Udduang ◽  
Sithan Lek-Ang ◽  
Sovan Lek

The spatio-temporal dynamics of fish larvae in Sirindhron Reservoir, north-east Thailand, were investigated from February 2008 to January 2009. The five most abundant species accounted for 53.6% of the total catch and comprised Clupeicthys aesarnensis, Rasbora borapetensis, Barbonymus gonionotus, Esomus metallicus and Oreochromis niloticus. Total larval abundance and species richness varied among sampling months but did not vary with zones in the reservoir. The abundance and species richness of fish larvae showed correlation with flooding, vegetation cover, water level, water temperature and turbidity. A self-organising map (SOM) was used to represent the larval fish assemblage patterns and three assemblage patterns were clearly distinguished primarily according to seasons. In conclusion, the fish larval abundance was greatest during the wet season and the most diverse assemblages were found in the zones adjacent to the connected river upstream during the wet season.


1959 ◽  
Vol 63 (585) ◽  
pp. 508-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. W. Mangler

When a body moves through air at very high speed at such a height that the air can be considered as a continuum, the distinction between sharp and blunt noses with their attached or detached bow shocks loses its significance, since, in practical cases, the bow wave is always detached and fairly strong. In practice, all bodies behave as blunt shapes with a smaller or larger subsonic region near the nose where the entropy and the corresponding loss of total head change from streamline to streamline due to the curvature of the bow shock. These entropy gradients determine the behaviour of the hypersonic flow fields to a large extent. Even in regions where viscosity effects are small they give rise to gradients of the velocity and shear layers with a lower velocity and a higher entropy near the surface than would occur in their absence. Thus one can expect to gain some relief in the heating problems arising on the surface of the body. On the other hand, one would lose farther downstream on long slender shapes as more and more air of lower entropy is entrained into the boundary layer so that the heat transfer to the surface goes up again. Both these flow regions will be discussed here for the simple case of a body of axial symmetry at zero incidence. Finally, some remarks on the flow field past a lifting body will be made. Recently, a great deal of information on these subjects has appeared in a number of reviewing papers so that little can be added. The numerical results on the subsonic flow regions in Section 2 have not been published before.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 593
Author(s):  
Ryota Yanagisawa ◽  
Shunsuke Shigaki ◽  
Kotaro Yasui ◽  
Dai Owaki ◽  
Yasuhiro Sugimoto ◽  
...  

In this study, we fabricated a novel wearable vibration sensor for insects and measured their wing flapping. An analysis of insect wing deformation in relation to changes in the environment plays an important role in understanding the underlying mechanism enabling insects to dynamically interact with their surrounding environment. It is common to use a high-speed camera to measure the wing flapping; however, it is difficult to analyze the feedback mechanism caused by the environmental changes caused by the flapping because this method applies an indirect measurement. Therefore, we propose the fabrication of a novel film sensor that is capable of measuring the changes in the wingbeat frequency of an insect. This novel sensor is composed of flat silver particles admixed with a silicone polymer, which changes the value of the resistor when a bending deformation occurs. As a result of attaching this sensor to the wings of a moth and a dragonfly and measuring the flapping of the wings, we were able to measure the frequency of the flapping with high accuracy. In addition, as a result of simultaneously measuring the relationship between the behavior of a moth during its search for an odor source and its wing flapping, it became clear that the frequency of the flapping changed depending on the frequency of the odor reception. From this result, a wearable film sensor for an insect that can measure the displacement of the body during a particular behavior was fabricated.


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