Variability in the diet of New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri) at the Auckland Islands, New Zealand

We examined the stomach contents of 121 New Zealand (NZ) sea lions ( Phocarctos hookeri ) caught by the squid fishery during the summer/autumn 1997–2006 around the Auckland Islands (51°S, 166°E). Dietary variation was assessed among juveniles, lactating females, nonlactating females and males, and between areas on the Auckland Islands shelf. The digested fraction of the contents consisted mostly of opalfish ( Hemerocoetes spp.) (50.1% by number [ N ], 4.7% by mass [ M ]), rattail ( Coelorinchus spp.) (12.0% N , 2.4% M ), arrow squid ( Nototodarus sloani ) (14.1% N , 17.9% M ), octopus ( Enteroctopus zealandicus ) (2.1% N , 27.8% M ), and red cod ( Pseudophycis bachus ) (3.8% N , 4.3% M ). Opalfish was found in greater proportions in the stomachs of females (lactating: 58.1% N , nonlactating: 62.4% N ) and juveniles (56.9% N ) than males (14.5% N ). Juveniles caught smaller opalfish and rattail than adults did. Over all classes, sea lions ate larger prey in the east than in the north of the Auckland Islands shelf. The common prey—arrow squid and rattail—constitute an abundant resource at the edges of the Auckland Islands shelf, where lactating NZ sea lions forage. Although these key areas are far from the rookeries and impacted by the squid fishery, they may provide the only reliable resource able to support the cost of benthic foraging behavior in the deepest diver of all otariids.     

Preservation of structure and cytochemical reactivity at the ultrastructural level, using microwave irradiation

The application of microwave irradiation at various steps in 'normal' EM procedures has been investigated. 1. The temperatures in various aqueous volumes were measured during microwave irradiation. Increases were small and the final temperature could be controlled by cooling the glass base plate. 2. The influence of microwave irradiation on the various fixation schedules for the electron microscopy of single cell populations was studied and the results favoured the idea that by the application of microwave irradiation a more life-like ultrastructural preservation could be obtained. 3. Peroxidase-like activity in erythrocytes, acid phosphatase activity in resident macrophages and peroxidase activity in monocyte granules was apparently not influenced by microwave irradiation during aldehyde fixation and incubation. 4. The anticipated microwave-induced penetration enhancement of cerium ions in a cytochemical reaction procedure to detect acid phosphatase activity in resident macrophages was not observed.     

Silver fir (Abies alba) trunk extract protects guinea pig arteries from impaired functional responses and morphology due to an atherogenic diet

BackgroundDiet, rich in plant polyphenols prevents atherogenesis that manifests as reduced vascular relaxation and formation of plaques.HypothesisAtherosclerosis could be reduced by the intake of silver fir (Abies alba) extract (SFTE), rich in polyphenols.Study designChronic, in vivo treatment animal study.MethodsGuinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) were fed for 8 weeks with one of the following three diets: atherogenic, basic or atherogenic + SFTE. After isolation, we measured the relaxation and contractile responses of the thoracic aorta. Additionally, we measured the area of fatty plaques on the aortic walls.ResultsCompared to the basic diet, the atherogenic diet decreased the ability of the aorta to relax by 63% (p < 0.001). The addition of SFTE to the atherogenic diet improved the aorta relaxation response compared to that of the atherogenic diet without SFTE (the decrease relative to the basic diet was 26%, p < 0.001). The aorta contractility did not differ between the groups. The SFTE group generated significantly fewer atherosclerotic plaques than did the atherogenic group. The areas of atherosclerotic plaques were 7.4, 0.3 and 1.6% in the aortas of guinea pigs receiving atherogenic, basic or atherogenic + SFTE diets, respectively.ConclusionsIn a guinea pig model, prolonged treatment with antioxidative polyphenol-rich SFTE prevents aortic functional and morphological changes caused by an atherogenic diet.     

Preliminary observations on the structure of the medio-intimal area of the rabbit coronary arteries. (A. Observations on 4-month-old rabbits)

The presence of the diffuse intimal thickening (DIT) is commonly considered the structural basis for the early atherosclerotic involvement of the coronary arteries. In the ambit of a systematic morphometric comparison of experimental atherosclerotic plaques of aorta and coronaries, we have studied the coronary medio-intimal junctions of 4 months old rabbits. Both at sub-epicardic and intra-myocardic coronary arteries level we have found fiber structures similar to DIT. These findings may help explaining why coronary atherosclerosis in rabbits does not represent, in the usual experimental models, a lesion particularly severe nor of precocious appearance.     

The diet of weasels (Mustela nivalis vulgaris) from Purerua Peninsula,Bay of Islands,New Zealand

We studied the diet of weasels (Mustela nivalis vulgaris) caught on Purerua Peninsula, Bay of Islands, by examining gut contents of 16 individuals caught between 2011 and 2012. Mammals were the prey group most consumed by weasels, when measured both as frequency of occurrence and dry weight. In addition, weasels consumed introduced birds, native invertebrates and reptiles, including the endemic copper skink (Oligosoma aeneum), supporting previous studies and suggesting that weasels have greater effects on biodiversity losses than previously acknowledged.     

Notes on the diet of seven grenadier fishes (Macrouridae) from the lower continental slope of Chatham Rise, New Zealand

Diets of 8 rarely sampled species of grenadiers were examined from the lower continental slope (1178 to 1837 m) on Chatham Rise, New Zealand and includes the first known records of the diet of Bathygadus cottoides, Coryphaenoides mcmillani, C. murrayi, and Idiolophorhynchus andriashevi. Most species fed benthopelagically on small crustaceans, e.g., calanoid copepods, amphipods and mysids and others.     

The influence of diet and carnitine supplementation on plasma carnitine, cholesterol and triglyceride in WHHL (Watanabe-heritable hyperlipidemic), Netherland dwarf and New Zealand rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

1. Plasma carnitine levels in the spontaneously (endogenously) hyperlipidemic Watanabe (WHHL) rabbit are approximately 2-fold higher (P less than 0.001) than in normal rabbits of the New Zealand (NZ) or Netherland Dwarf (NDw) breeds. 2. Plasma carnitine levels in WHHL (44 +/- 3 nmol/ml) can be approximated in NZ and NDw which are rendered exogenously hyperlipidemic by supplementation of the stock chow diet with cholesterol and peanut oil. 3. The induction of endogenous hyperlipidemia in NZ by feeding a sucrose casein rich diet results in a biphasic response of plasma carnitine (elevation followed by normalization). 4. Plasma carnitine in WHHL is readily elevated by supplemental L-carnitine and the elevation is associated with a reduction in plasma triglyceride which shows differences in individual response time; plasma cholesterol is unaffected by supplemental L-carnitine.     

The combined effects of temperature and salinity on the survival of Euterpina acutifrons (Dana) (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from the New Zealand and Brazilian coasts

The combined effects of temperature and salinity on the survivalof non ovigerous female Euterpina acutifrons from the south-easternNew Zealand and southern Brazilian coasts were studied. Sixsalinities (6, 20, 34, 48, 62 and 76 ) and five temperatures(5, 10, 15, 20 and 25°C) were used for New Zealand specimenswhile six temperatures (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30°C) andthe same salinities were employed for the Brazilian specimens.The mortality data were analysed statistically using multipleregression techniques. Animals from New Zealand showed greatertolerance to cold, less to high temperatures and more resistanceto both high and low salinities than those from Brazil, Animalsfrom both areas were slightly more tolerant of low temperaturein high salinities and of high temperature in low salinities.These striking differences observed between New Zealand andBrazilian populations of E. acutifrons imply the existence ofdifferent physiological races in this species.     

Hematology and serum chemistry values of adult, pregnant and newborn New Zealand rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Hematological and serum chemistry values were determined in adult female and pregnant New Zealand rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and their newborn at delivery. No significant difference was found between adult and pregnant hematological profiles. In the newborn, RBC were significantly lower and WBC, MCV and MCH higher than in their mother and adults. A characteristic protein profile was observed for the serum of each animal group, as well as for amniotic fluid. Lipoprotein pattern of the newborn was close to that of the dam, which differed from the adult female rabbit profile. The serum biochemical patterns are close to those of humans, suggesting that the New Zealand rabbit could be a reliable animal model for studies in the perinatal field involving monitoring of selected variables.     

Effects of lycopene on the initial state of atherosclerosis in New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits

Background

Lycopene is the main carotenoid in tomatoes, where it is found in high concentrations. Strong epidemiological evidence suggests that lycopene may provide protection against cardiovascular diseases. We therefore studied the effects of lycopene on diet-induced increase in serum lipid levels and the initiation of atherosclerosis in New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits.

Methodology/Principal Findings

The animals, divided into four groups of 9 animals each, were fed either a standard diet, a high-cholesterol diet containing 0.5% cholesterol, a high-cholesterol diet containing placebo beadlets, or a high-cholesterol diet plus 5 mg/kg body weight/day of lycopene (in the form of lycopene beadlets), for a period of 4 weeks. We found significantly elevated lycopene plasma levels in the animal group treated with lycopene beadlets. Compared to the high-cholesterol and the placebo group, this was associated with a significant reduction of 50% in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol serum levels in the lycopene group. The amount of cholesteryl ester in the aorta was significantly decreased by lycopene. However, we did not observe a significant decrease in the extent of aortic surface lipid accumulation in the lycopene group. In addition, no differences in the intima-media thickness among groups were observed. Endothelial-dependent and endothelial-independent vasodilation in isolated rabbit aortic and carotid rings did not differ among any of the animal groups.

Conclusions

Lycopene supplementation for 4 weeks increased lycopene plasma levels in the animals. Although we found strongly reduced total and LDL cholesterol serum levels as well as significantly lower amounts of cholesteryl ester in the aortae in the lycopene-treated group, no significant differences in initial lesions in the aortae were detected.     

Interstitial Dorvilleidae (Annelida, Polychaeta) from Europe, Australia and New Zealand

Four dorvilleid species new to science are described from intertidal and subtidal sandy sediments. For three of them new genera are erected: Coralliotrocha natans gen. et sp.n., Microdorvillea otagensis gen. et sp.n. and Pusillotrocha Åkessoni gen. et sp.n. One species represents the first record of the genus Pettiboneia from Australia, P. australiensis sp.n. Ophryotrocha minuta Levi, 1954 redescribed from Helgoland is transferred to a different genus, Arenotrocha gen.n. The present taxa belong to a morphological series of species with an increasing degree of neoteny in the family Dorvilleidae.     

New Species of Lagenophrys (Ciliophora,Peritrichia) from New Zealand and Australia1

Lagenophrys novazealandae n. sp. occurs on the gills of Paranephrops zealandicus, a parastacid crayfish from New Zealand. The new species has the hemispheroidal lorica most common among members of its genus and is distinguished by its possession of large tubercles on the thickened edge of the anterior lip of the lorica aperture, a deep cleft in the left side of the lip's edge, and a ovoid to reniform macronucleus located in the right-hand part of the body. It is probable that an as yet unnamed species of Lagenophrys known to occur on another species of Paranephrops in New Zealand is distinct from L. novazealandae but phylogenetically related to it. Lagenophrys petila n. sp. occurs on setae of Parastacoides tasmanicus, a parastacid from Tasmania. The new species has an ovoid lorica tapering to a slender pseudostalk at the posterior end, a type of lorica possessed by only two other members of its genus that also attach to their host's setae. It is distinguished from the other ovoid species by the proportions of the lorica, the extreme shortness of the lips of the lorica aperture, and an ovoid macronucleus located in the right, anterior part of the body. Clefts in the lips of L. novazealandae and other members of Lagenophrys may function as points of flexure to allow the lips to bend in ways that accommodate interspecific differences in the size of the epistomial disk and its operation during suspension feeding.     

New species of the genus Cyamops Melander from New Zealand (Diptera, Periscelididae, Stenomicrinae)

Two new species of the genus Cyamops (Diptera: Periscelididae), the first from New Zealand, are described. The two newly described species are: Cyamops alessandrae and Cyamops crosbyi. A key to the genera of the subfamily Stenomicrinae and to the species of Cyamops from the Australasian/Oceanian Region and detailed illustrations of structures of the male terminalia are provided.     

The diet and trophic niche of orange perch, Lepidoperca aurantia (Serranidae: Anthiinae) on Chatham Rise, New Zealand

The diet of the New Zealand orange perch, Lepidoperca aurantia, was determined from examination of stomach contents of 248 specimens, primarily adults, sampled by bottom trawl on Chatham Rise, east of South Island, New Zealand, over three years. The diet was dominated by euphausiids (87% of total prey weight), with the remainder comprising mostly hyperiid amphipods (4%) and semi-pelagic teleost fish (7%). Orange perch are selective feeders specialising on small semi-pelagic crustaceans. They have an estimated trophic level of 3.4, classifying them as low-level carnivores. A multivariate analysis examined the influence on diet of a set of biological and environmental predictors; year and time of day were found to be the most influential variables, explaining 24% of the deviance in diet.     

Notes on the New Zealand antlion,Weeleus acutus (Neuroptera)

Abstract

The New Zealand antlion, Weeleus acutus (Walker), is redescribed and its relationships are discussed. Notes on the larva are given.