A description of gametogenesis in the panga Pterogymnus laniarius (Pisces: Sparidae) with comments on changes in maturity patterns over the past two decades
- Authors: Booth, Anthony J , Hecht, Thomas
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/123542 , vital:35452 , https://doi.org/10.1080/02541858.1997.11448428
- Description: A description of gametogenesis in the panga Pferogymnus laniarius, a common endemic seabream species inhabiting the Agulhas Bank, South Africa, is presented. After sexual maturity, oogenesis and spermatogenesis continued throughout the year and were found to be similar to these processes in other seabream species and teleosts in general. Analysis of maturity data over the past two decades revealed a significant change in both age and size-at-maturity, a response to fishing pressure.
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- Date Issued: 2015
A histological description of ovarian recrudescence in two Labeo victorianus populations
- Authors: Booth, Anthony J , Hecht, Thomas
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/123564 , vital:35455 , https://doi.org/10.2989/16085910409503813
- Description: The ovaries of Labeo victorianus are paired organs situated in the peritoneal cavity and suspended on either side of the midline by a mesovarium. A capsule, composed of dense, regularly-arranged collagen and elastic fibres mixed with a few smooth muscle cells, enclosed the ovaries and gave off connective tissue septa, forming the ovigerous lamellae, which contained germ and follicle cells. Eight discrete stages of recrudescence were identified: oogonia, chromatin nucleolar oocytes, perinucleolar oocytes, primary yolk vesicle oocytes, secondary yolk vesicle oocytes, tertiary yolk vesicle oocytes, post-ovulatory follicles and atretic oocytes. Ovulation seemed to be synchronised with the onset of rainfall, with some deviations in the Sio River population. Gonadosomatic index variation followed a bimodal pattern, with maxima between January–February and between September–October for both populations. The same pattern was exhibited for both rainfall and water levels at the two study sites. Successful ovulation was followed by the formation of post-ovulatory follicles and Type I atresia, while failed spawning was characterised by Type II atresia. Clearance of post-ovulatory follicles was by phagocytosis and formation of melanomacrophage centres. There were variations in post-ovulatory changes between the two populations. Reproductive patterns in the Kagera River population conformed to the ‘norm’ in African labeines of the synchronisation of spawning with rainfall. Slight deviations from this pattern were, however, observed in the Sio River population where spawning occurred prior to the onset of rainfall.
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- Date Issued: 2010
Does reservoir trophic status influence the feeding and growth of the sharptooth catfish, Clarias gariepinus (Teleostei: Clariidae)?
- Authors: Potts, Warren M , Hecht, Thomas , Andrew, Timothy G
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/124309 , vital:35591 , https://doi.org/10.2989/A JAS.2008.33.2.6.503
- Description: The diet and growth of sharptooth catfish, Clarias gariepinus, in an oligotrophic system (Kat River Reservoir, Eastern Cape, South Africa) were compared to those in a eutrophic system (Laing Reservoir, Eastern Cape) to determine if the trophic status of a waterbody had an effect on the growth rate of the species. In order of importance, the diet of catfish in Kat River Reservoir consisted of fish, insects, zooplankton, plant material and other items, while the diet of catfish in Laing Reservoir consisted of fish, plant material, zooplankton, other vertebrates and insects. The diets of catfish in the two reservoirs had a similarity index of 68.1% and there was no significant difference in their nutritional value. Fish prey was the most important dietary component in both reservoirs. Temperature regime and zooplankton and zoobenthos density were similar in both systems. However, fish prey density was significantly higher in the eutrophic Laing Reservoir and catfish grew significantly faster in that system. The slower growth rate in Kat River Reservoir was attributed to the higher energy costs associated with the capture of fish prey, which was less abundant than in Laing Reservoir. Trophic status therefore had an indirect effect on catfish growth by influencing the availability of fish prey.
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- Date Issued: 2010
Reproductive biology of a riverine cyprinid, Labeo umbratus (Teleostei: Cyprinidae), in small South African reservoirs
- Authors: Potts, Warren M , Booth, Anthony J , Hecht, Thomas , Andrew, Timothy G
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/125854 , vital:35826 , https://doi.10.2989/16085910509503849
- Description: The reproductive and recruitment characteristics of moggel, Labeo umbratus, populations were examined in four small South African reservoirs. Reproduction, characterised by an extended spawning season, high fecundity, short incubation time and rapid larval development, appears to be ideally suited to the highly variable environment of small reservoirs. Evidence suggested that L. umbratus spawns in the reservoirs. In two reservoirs where samples were conducted monthly, GSI (gonado-somatic index) was positively correlated with both water temperature and day length, whilst the CPUE (catch per unit effort) of juveniles was not related to any environmental variable. The success of moggel spawning appeared to increase when there was early spring and consistent summer rainfall.
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- Date Issued: 2010
Retrospective stock assessment of the Emperor red snapper (Lutjanus sebae) on the Seychelles Bank between 1977 and 2006
- Authors: Grandcourt, E M , Hecht, Thomas , Booth, Anthony J , Robinson, J
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/125887 , vital:35829 , https://doi.10.1093/icesjms/fsn064
- Description: The Emperor red snapper, Lutjanus sebae, known as “Bourzwa” in the Seychelles, is distributed throughout the Indo-West Pacific from the southern Red Sea and East Africa to New Caledonia, north to Japan and south to Australia. It occurs near coral or rocky reefs and also over adjacent sand flats and gravel patches between 5 and 180 m deep (Allen, 1985; Anderson, 1986). Juveniles are frequently commensal with sea urchins (Kuiter and Tonozuka, 2001), and are found in nearshore, turbid waters (Williams and Russ, 1992), mangrove areas (Allen, 1985), and around coastal and offshore reefs (Williams and Russ, 1992). Larger L. sebae are generally found deeper, although they are also known to move into shallower water during winter (McPherson et al., 1988; Williams and Russ, 1992). Prey items include fish, crabs, other benthic crustaceans, and cephalopods. Lutjanus sebae is a large, long-lived species, attaining a maximum size of 116 cm fork length (McPherson and Squire, 1992) and maximum age of 34 years (Newman and Dunk, 2002). Despite an absence of data on its population structure, mixing, and identity, the population on the Seychelles Bank has been considered to be a unit stock for assessment purposes because of its remote location (e.g. Lablache and Carrara, 1988; Mees, 1992).
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- Date Issued: 2008
Does the endangered Knysna seahorse, Hippocampus capensis, have a preference for aquatic vegetation type, cover or height?
- Authors: Teske, Peter R , Lockyear, Jaqueline F , Hecht, Thomas , Kaiser, Horst
- Date: 2007
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6775 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008082
- Description: The Knysna seahorse, Hippocampus capensis, is an endangered teleost confined to three South African estuaries. Its abundance within these systems is low and distributions are patchy. Consequently, monitoring population sizes is labour-intensive. The aim of this study was to establish if Knynsa seahorses are associated with specific regions within the estuaries, on which conservation efforts could concentrate. The relationship of Knysna seahorses with aquatic vegetation was analysed in the Knysna Estuary (the largest of the three estuarine systems inhabited by H. capensis) to determine whether this species shows a preference for a particular plant species, vegetation density or vegetation height. Seahorses were associated with five dominant aquatic plants: Zostera capensis, Caulerpa filiformis, Codium extricatum, Halophila ovalis and Ruppia cirrhosa. Together, these comprised 96% of the submerged objects with which seahorses were associated. The relative abundance of plant species changed along the estuary, but seahorses were present throughout the system, except at the estuary mouth, which was characterized by low plant densities and strong currents. No significant difference was found between the proportion of plant species present in a particular region of the estuary and the proportion of plants that seahorses used as holdfasts. However, when Z. capensis and C. filiformis were present at the same sites, adult seahorses preferred C. filiformis as holdfast. Adult seahorse density (individuals/m²) was significantly correlated with percentage vegetation cover and with holdfast length, but juvenile seahorse density was not. Nonetheless, significantly more adult and juvenile seahorses were found at sites characterized by high vegetation cover (>75%) than at sites with lower cover. Our results indicate that although there is some evidence that Knynsa seahorses prefer certain plant species over others, they are likely to be encountered anywhere in the estuary where aquatic plants are present. Conservation efforts in the Knysna Estuary should thus concentrate on such vegetated areas, which comprise approximately 11% of the total submerged surface area.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Predictor variables for moggel (Labeo umbratus) biomass and production in small South African reservoirs
- Authors: Potts, Warren M , Booth, Anthony J , Hecht, Thomas , Andrew, Timothy G
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/125763 , vital:35815 , https://doi.10.2989/16085910609503877
- Description: South Africa has approximately 3 100 registered reservoirs, ranging in size from 1–1 000 hectares, with a surface area totalling 84 439 hectares (SADC Surface Water Body Database, unpublished data). Within southern and eastern Africa, Lindqvist (1994) estimated the number of small reservoirs to be between 50 000 and 100 000. Given Bernacsek’s (1986) estimate of the total fishery potential of small reservoirs in Africa at between 1 and 2.3 million tons, this number of reservoirs clearly could provide fishery opportunities for rural communities.
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- Date Issued: 2006
The distribution and abundance of the endangered Knysna seahorse Hippocampus capensis (Pisces: Syngnathidae) in South African estuaries
- Authors: Lockyear, Jacqueline F , Hecht, Thomas , Kaiser, Horst , Teske, Peter R
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/445714 , vital:74416 , https://doi.org/10.2989/16085910609503897
- Description: The occurrence, distribution and abundance of the endangered Knysna seahorse Hippocampus capensis in 10 estuaries on South Africa's warm temperate south coast, were investigated. Seahorses were found only in the Knysna, Swartvlei and Keurbooms estuaries. Sex ratios were even and, in most cases, more adults were found than juveniles. During the first year of study, seahorse densities were higher in the Swartvlei and Keurbooms estuaries than in the comparatively larger Knysna Estuary but, during the second year, seahorses were absent from the Keurbooms estuary, and the population size in the Swartvlei Estuary had decreased by more than 80%. These results suggest that, although the two smaller estuaries are able to support comparatively high densities of seahorses, population sizes may fluctuate considerably. Population size estimates for the Knysna Estuary were similar to those obtained in a previous study, suggesting that this estuary may represent a more stable environment and may thus be particularly important for the survival and conservation of this species.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Competition for attachment of aquaculture candidate probiotic and pathogenic bacteria on fish intestinal mucus:
- Authors: Vine, Niall G , Leukes, Winston D , Kaiser, Horst , Daya, Santylal , Baxter, Jeremy , Hecht, Thomas
- Date: 2004
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/142819 , vital:38120 , DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2761.2004.00542.x
- Description: Probiotics for aquaculture are generally only selected by their ability to produce antimicrobial metabolites; however, attachment to intestinal mucus is important in order to remain within the gut of its host. Five candidate probiotics (AP1–AP5), isolated from the clownfish, Amphiprion percula (Lacepéde), were examined for their ability to attach to fish intestinal mucus and compete with two pathogens, Aeromonas hydrophila and Vibrio alginolyticus. Two different radioactive isotopes were used to quantify competition between pathogens and probionts. Attachment of the pathogens was enhanced by the presence of the candidate probiotics. However, the addition of the candidate probiotics after the pathogens resulted in reduced pathogen attachment.
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- Date Issued: 2004
Life history traits of Bathyclarias nyasensis (Siluroidei) in Lake Malawi
- Authors: Kaunda, E , Hecht, Thomas
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/446918 , vital:74570 , https://doi.org/10.1080/15627020.2003.11657193
- Description: Life history traits, including age, growth, reproduction and diet of Bathyclarias nyasensis from Lake Malawi were studied between December 1996 and November 1998. Owing to reabsorption of pectoral spines with increasing fish size, and the relatively low number of spines that could be aged reliably, only otoliths were used to age fish. The maximum age for B. nyasensis was estimated at 14 years. There was no difference in growth rate between males and females.
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- Date Issued: 2003
The biology of Tilapia rendalli and Oreochromis mossambicus (Pisces: Cichlidae) in a subtropical lake in Mozambique
- Authors: Weyl, Olaf L F , Hecht, Thomas
- Date: 1998
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/446944 , vital:74572 , https://www.ajol.info/index.php/az/article/view/154744
- Description: This study of age and growth, reproduction and juvenile recruitment of Tilapia rendalli and Oreochromis mossambicus was undertaken in Lake Chicamba, a large, clear subtropical lake in central Mozambique. Sectioned otoliths were used to estimate age. Marginal zone analysis showed that annulus formation occurred during winter, in July and August. Maximum age estimates for T. rendalli and O. mossambicus were 16 and 10 years, respectively. Growth was described by the 3 parameter von Bertalanffy model as Lt= 238.74 (1-e-0,636 (1+ 00905)) mm TL for T. rendalli and Lt= 266.06 (1-e-0 70904 (1+ 0269)) mm TL for O. mossambicus. The length-at-50% maturity (Lm 50) of male T. rendalli was 218 mm total lenglh (TL) and 205 mm TL in females. In O. mossambicus the Lm 50 for males was 251 mm TL and for females 223 mm TL. Both species spawned throughout summer. Lake level was found to have no effect on spawning periodicity although recruitment was flood dependent.
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- Date Issued: 1998
A description of gametogenesis in the panga Pterogymnus laniarius (Pisces: Sparidae) with comments on changes in maturity patterns over the past two decades
- Authors: Booth, Anthony J , Hecht, Thomas
- Date: 1997
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/446930 , vital:74571 , https://www.ajol.info/index.php/az/article/view/154565
- Description: A description of gametogenesis in the panga Pferogymnus laniarius, a common endemic seabream species inhabiting the Agulhas Bank, South Africa, is presented. After sexual maturity, oogenesis and spermatogenesis continued throughout the year and were found to be similar to these processes in other seabream species and teleosts in general. Analysis of maturity data over the past two decades revealed a significant change in both age and size-at-maturity, a response to fishing pressure.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1997
Fishes of the Tristan da Cunha Group and Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean
- Authors: Andrew, T G , Hecht, Thomas , Heemstra, Phillip C , Lutjeharms, J R E
- Date: 1995
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: vital:15025 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019889 , ISSN 0073-4381 , Ichthyological Bulletin J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology; No. 63
- Description: Recent collections of fishes from the South Atlantic islands of the Tristan da Cunha Group (Tristan, Inaccessible and Nightingale) and Gough Island have produced 25 new records. Fifty one species are known to occur in the near-shore waters of the islands (46 of these are documented by specimens and another 5 species are probable). A diagnosis, synonymy and in most cases, an illustration, are provided for each species. For certain species, brief notes on biology, relative abundance and seasonal distribution are included. The neritic ichthyofauna of the Subtropical Convergence (STC) region is characterized, and the importance of this frontal zone as a barrier to dispersal of species in the Southern Ocean is evaluated. Analysis of the zoogeographic affinities of the Tristan/Gough fish fauna resulted in a redefinition of the West Wind Drift Islands Province (WWDI), comprising the Tristan Group and Gough in the South Atlantic and St. Paul and Amsterdam Islands in the southern Indian Ocean. Verna Seamount (west of Cape Town) and Walters Shoal (south of Madagascar) are excluded from the WWDI Province, as the affinities of their poorly-known fish faunas appear to be more with South Africa and the tropical Indian Ocean respectively. , Rhodes University Libraries (Digitisation)
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- Date Issued: 1995
Introduction and extinction of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) in an impoverished subantarctic stream
- Authors: Cooper, J , Crafford, J E , Hecht, Thomas
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Anadromous fishes -- Marion Island
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6767 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008044
- Description: Brown trout were introduced to the Van den Boogaard River on subantarctic Marion Island in 1964, and a small population became established. The last individual was seen in 1984, and the species is now considered to be extinct on the island. Their diet was exclusively allochthonous, with snails and spiders predominating. Ages estimated at six to eleven years showed that spawning must have occurred since the original introduction. Since the Van den Boogaard River enters the sea via a waterfall, it is postulated that trout were not able to practice an anadromous life-style, and that this, as well as other factors connected with the impoverished nature of the stream, led to dwarfing of the resident population. No further introductions of alien fish to Marion Island should be contemplated.
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- Date Issued: 1992
Turbidity-induced changes in feeding strategies of fish in estuaries
- Authors: Hecht, Thomas , Van der Lingen, C D
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/446960 , vital:74573 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/AJA00445096_644
- Description: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of turbidity on the feeding strategies of fish in estuaries. Three species representing different feeding guilds were selected for the investigation. These were Elops machnata (representative piscivore), Pomadasys commefsonnii (a macrobenthivore) and Athefina breviceps (a planktivore). The stomach contents of these fish were examined from a clear and a turbid estuary and some experimental work was carried out on A. brevic8ps to test the hypothesis that turbidity affects feeding behaviour. Turbidity was found to have no effect on size selection of prey, but feeding rate, particularly of visual predators, was reduced at higher turbidity levels. This was caused by a decrease in the reactive distance of the fish. It would appear that in order to optimize the aquisition of food under different turbidity conditions fishes have the ability to change their feeding strategies. Visual predators are more affected by turbidity than are macrobenthic feeders.
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- Date Issued: 1992
Dinopercidae, a new family for the Percoid marine fish genera Dinoperca Boulenger and Centrarchops Fowler (Pisces: Perciformes)
- Authors: Heemstra, Phillip C , Hecht, Thomas
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Perciformes -- Classification
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: vital:15010 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019743 , ISSN 0073-4381 , Ichthyological Bulletin J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology; No. 51
- Description: The Genus Dinoperca was erected by Boulenger (1895) for the Northern Indian Ocean species Hapalogenys petersi Day and assigned to the Family Serranidae. Boulenger (1903) described a second species, D. queketti, from South Africa. Most subsequent authors have accepted the placement of Dinoperca in the Serranidae, but Johnson (1983) removed it from the Serranidae to the taxonomic limbo of “Incertae sedis’’. Centrarchops Fowler (1923), with a single West African species, was originally assigned to the Serranidae and has been treated by subsequent authors in the Serranidae. The osteology, myology and the otolith (sagitta) of D. petersi reveal no characters that would relate Dinoperca to any particular family of percoids. Furthermore, the presence or absence of certain characters preclude Dinoperca and Centrarchops from the Family Serranidae, and the superfamilies Haemuloidea, Lutjanoidea and Sparoidea. Two features appear to be uniquely derived characters (synapomorphies) justifying a separate family for Dinoperca and Centrarchops: (1) Frontal bones bearing a high median crest that articulates posteriorly with the supraoccipital crest and is cleft dorsally by a narrow median sulcus extending ventrally to the roof of the brain cavity. (2) Large swim-bladder with three pairs of large intrinsic muscles. , Rhodes University Libraries (Digitisation)
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- Date Issued: 1986
The winter diet of gentoo penguins at Marion Island
- Authors: LaCock, G D , Hecht, Thomas , Klages, N
- Date: 1984
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/448453 , vital:74731 , https://doi.org/10.1080/00306525.1984.9634486
- Description: The diet of Gentoo Penguins Pygoscelis papua at Marion Island was studied during September 1982. Samples were obtained from 64 birds using a stomach-pump. Fish accounted for 70% of the diet by wet weight, and crustaceans 30%. Fishes occurred in 72% of the samples, crustaceans in 75%, cephalopods in 13%, and molluscs in 8%. Cephalopods and molluscs did not form a significant proportion of any single sample. Harpagifer georgianus was the predominant fish in the diet (92,7% of otoliths recovered), and Nauticaris marionis was the only crustacean.
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- Date Issued: 1984