The Meroplankton of Amurskii Bay (Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan)

Russian Journal of Marine Biology - The composition and seasonal dynamics of meroplankton in Amurskii Bay (Sea of Japan) were studied for the first time. The total survey period exceeded two years....     

Ichthyofauna composition in the mesobenthal of Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan)

Based on our data, 76 species of fish from 57 genera and 19 families are found in the mesobenthal of Peter the Great Bay. At depths greater than 200 m in the open part of the bay, no less than five species occur that are lacking closer to the coast; twenty species are capable of descending to a larger depth than was previously assumed. The species composition of fish in the mesobenthal is impoverished during the period of the hydrological summer and is considerably enriched in the cold time of the year, which is related to the wintering migrations of many species from shelf waters to the continental slope. Mass, common, and rare, as well as permanently occurring fish are determined for each hydrological season. The lowest fish biomass is observed in the warm time of the year, and the highest in winter and spring. Specific features of the spatial and temporal variation in the composition of mass fish in the mesobenthal are shown.     

The Larvae of Unarmed Nemerteans in Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan)

Nemertean pilidia belonging to the groups magnum, pyramidale, gyrans, recurvatum, and auriculatumwere found in Peter the Great Bay. Pilidium auriculatumis probably a little-known ribbon worm of the family Hubrechtiidae, which has never before been found in the Sea of Japan. Larvae of two species of the order Archinemertea were also found.     

Fauna of Sponges (Porifera) of Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan

A complete list of sponges of Peter the Great Bay (northwestern Sea of Japan) is presented comprising 40 species belonging to 27 genera, 19 families, 9 orders, and 2 classes. Information is presented about the biogeographical composition of sponge fauna of the bay, the depths of their habitats, and their substrates.Original Russian Text Copyright ¢ 2005 by Biologiya Morya, Khodakovskaya.     

A Description of Chirolophis japonicus and Ch. saitone (Stichaeidae) Pelagic Larvae from Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan

Journal of Ichthyology - The larval development of Chirolophis japonicus and Ch. saitone from the yolk-sac stage to the settlement on the bottom is described from waters of Peter the Great Bay, Sea...     

Hepatic Tumors in Flatfish from Sivuch'ya Bight (Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan)

The livers of six flatfish species from Sivuch'ya Bight were examined histologically for the presence of neoplastic lesions. Out of 120 fish studied, hepatic tumors were found in two individuals: the black plaice Pleuronectes obscurusand the longsnout flounderPleuronectes punctatissimus.Based on presence of tissue and cellular atypism, tumor pearls surrounded by squamous cells, and absence of mucous secretion, the neoplasm in P. punctatissimuswas classified as squamous cell carcinoma. Abnormal growth of fibrous stroma suggests a scirrhous variant of carcinoma. Tumor in P. obscuruswas classified as a hepatocellular adenoma. This is the first information on liver tumors in flatfishes of Sivuch'ya Bight.     

Colonial Nesting Birds of Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan (Pelecaniformes,Ciconiiformes)

Russian Journal of Marine Biology - This study reports recent data on the distribution and breeding abundance of seven species of colonial birds on the coast of Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan....     

Reproduction of Snowy Sculpin Myoxocephalus brandti(Cottidae) in Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan

Spawning of snowy sculpin in Peter the Great Bay begins in November and takes place at a depth of about 4–7 m. Males of this sculpin species guard their laid eggs. Larvae hatch in April. Final fecundity is attained at ovary maturity stages IV–V.     

Arenicolous mycelial fungi from the littoral of the Vostok Bay (Peter the Great Bay,the Sea of Japan)

The taxonomic composition of marine mycelial fungi was determined in the interstitial habitats of the Vostok Bay littoral (Peter the Great Bay, the Sea of Japan). A total of 39 species of ascomycetes and anamorphic fungi were detected and identified. The predominant species of the intertidal zone were Corollospora maritima, C. lacera, Carbosphaerella leptosphaerioides, Arenariomyces trifurcatus (Ascomycota), Alternaria alternata, Scolecobasidium arenarium, and Zalerion maritimum (anamorphic fungi). The complete list of species of obligately marine ascomycetes and anamorphic fungi from the interstitial habitats of the Vostok Bay littoral is presented for the first time     

The Meiobenthos in the Area of Japanese Scallop Cultivation in Minonosok Bay (Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan)

In Minonosok Bay, in a region of long-term industrial mariculture of mollusks, a steady biohydrochemical complex with increased organic matter content has been formed, in which the meiobenthos community was represented by a rather complete set of taxonomic groups of low population density. There were 16 groups (order, class) of the meiobenthos revealed, and the greatest population density was recorded in the central part of the bay under installations with suspended mollusks, (333000 ind./m²). Nematodes dominated in the eumeiobenthos; however, crustaceans prevailed in the bottom water layer and sediments at stations with increased oxygen content. Bivalves and gastropods dominated in the pseudomeiobenthos. Correlation analysis has revealed the dependence of the population density of the total meiobenthos and eumeiobenthos on the type of ground. There were 42 nematode species revealed; Axonolaimus seticaudatus, Enoplolaimus medius, Daptonema sp., Paracomesoma sp., and Oncholaimium paraolium dominated. Three nematode taxocens were discriminated by dominating species in the population density and results of cluster analysis of the data. Detritivorous nematodes prevailed in all types of ground. A correlation was found between the index of species diversity of nematodes and the content of organic carbon in the ground.     

The Vibrioflora of Hydrobionts and Waters of the Sea of Japan (Peter the Great Bay) and the South China Sea (Nha Trang Bay)

Russian Journal of Marine Biology - Strains of Vibrio spp. isolated from samples of water and aquatic organisms of the temperate (173 strains) and tropical (124 strains) climatic zones...     

Biochemical markers of commercial fish adaptation in estuaries of Peter the Great Bay (the Sea of Japan)

The results of the comparative study of molecular biomarkers of oxidative stress and biotransformation of some representatives of the families Cyprinidae and Mugilidae from estuaries of rivers which enter Peter the Great Bay are presented. The haarder mullet Liza haematocheila is used as an indicator species for monitoring the degree of environmental pollution. The basic values of biochemical parameters in different organs of haarder mullet and their seasonal variations have been determined. A significant increase in the concentration of glutathione and activity of glutathione-S-transferase in fish from the Razdolnaya River has been found on the basis of the comparison of the functional state of haarder mullet in estuaries of the Razdolnaya and Amba rivers, which differ in the degree of anthropogenic load.     

Two new species of myxosporidians from Japanese flounder from Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan)

Two new species of Myxosporidia, Ceratomyxa costata sp. n., and Leptotheca amatea sp. n. from the gall bladder of the Japanese flounder Limanda yokohamae from the Peter the Great Bay are described.     

New Data on Rotifers of Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan

The first records of 11 species of rotifers from Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan) are reported. Of these, Synchaeta grimpei, Aspelta clydona, Encentrum algente, and E. graingeri are the first records for the Pacific Ocean. Synchaeta pacifica and S. posjetica described from Peter the Great Bay by Chaga (1984) are considered as nomen dubium.Original Russian Text Copyright ¢ 2005 by Biologiya Morya, Chernyshev.     

Fouling of hydrotechnical structures in western Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan

We studied the fouling of piers and quays in Amurskii and Pos’et bays, the Sea of Japan. The main fouling communities and groupings were identified. They were usually dominated by bivalves, the musselMytilus trossulus and the oysterCrassostrea gigas. The exotic speciesBalanus improvisus was found to naturalize in the fouling on the hydrotechnical structures of the Amurskii Bay. The qualitative composition of the fouling of the structures examined was compared using cluster analysis.     

Seasonal and long-term dynamics of sand-dwelling dinoflagellates (Dinoflagellata) in Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan

The seasonal and long-term dynamics of the species composition and abundance of dinoflagellates that live in subtidal sands in Russian waters of the Sea of Japan was studied for the first time. The overall species composition of sand-dwelling dinoflagellates in Peter the Great Bay was represented by 67 taxa that belong to 25 genera. Among them, 17 species were recorded for the first time from the seas of Russia, and 8 species were found from the Pacific coast of Russia for the first time. The greatest number of species belonged to the genera Amphidinium, Amphidiniopsis, and Thecadinium. A list of the species composition, including the distribution of taxa throughout the localities and seasons, is presented. Most species of the microalgae are illustrated by light and scanning electron micrographs. The species richness varied from 18 to 44 during the year. In the winter, at a water temperature less than 0°C, the species richness of sand-dwelling dinoflagellates (24–26 taxa) roughly coincided with that found in summer (20–44 taxa). The average density of dinoflagellates ranged from 16 to 1121 cells/cm³ across localities and throughout the year. During the annual cycle, the highest cell density (595 and 2576 cells/cm³) were recorded in the winter–spring period and a slight increase in abundance was observed in fall. This was due to the high cell densities of the dominant species Amphidiniopsis uroensis Toriumi, Yoshimatsu et Dodge, and Thecadinium kofoidii (E.C. Herdman) Larsen. Sand-dwelling dinoflagellates contributed 58 to 80% to the total annual density of the subtidal microphytobenthos in different localities of Peter the Great Bay.     

Effects of water from Nakhodka Bay (Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan) on the early development of the Sea UrchinStrongylocentrotus intermedius

Our studies show that seawater from different sites in Nakhodka Bay has a deleterious effect on the development of the sea urchinStrongylocentrotus intermedius. As development proceeded to the pluteus I stage, the percentage of abnormal larvae maintained in water from Nakhodka, Novitskogo, and Vrangelya Bights increased markedly (66.7±2.2, 67.1±2.6, and 54.6±1.8%, respectively). These larvae developed more slowly, were smaller, and differed from those in the control in the intensity of color of their echinochrome granules. In water from Nakhodka and Novitskogo bights, larval survival rates were lower than in the control. This suggests that the water of Nakhodka Bay is heavily polluted, especially in its harbor areas.     

The Japanese Sandfish Arctoscopus japonicus (Steindachner 1881) (Trichodontidae) in Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan): Bathymetric Distribution and Some Comments on its Biology

Russian Journal of Marine Biology - Studies conducted in April?October showed that the Japanese sandfish Arctoscopus japonicus occurred in Peter the Great Bay in the near-bottom water layers...