First Record and Habitat Notes for the Genus Lightiella (Crustacea, Cephalocarida, Hutchinsoniellidae) from the British Virgin Islands

The crustacean class Cephalocarida, as currently understood, is comprised of five genera and ten species (Hessler and Elofsson 1996, Hessler and Wakabara 2000). Although in some instances numerous specimens have been collected in a single locale (e.g., the nearly 120 specimens of Lightiella incisa Gooding, 1963 from Puerto Rico studied by Sanders and Hessler (1964), and the numerous specimens of Hutchinsoniella macracantha Sanders, 1955 now known from Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, see Hessler and Sanders 1973:193), most reports are based on very few specimens. For example, the original description of the genus Hutchinsoniella Sanders, 1955 was based on only eight specimens from Long Island Sound, New York (Sanders 1955); the genus Sandersiella was originally described by Shiino (1965) on the basis of only one specimen from Japan; the genus Chiltoniella Knox and Fenwick, 1977 was based on two specimens from New Zealand (Knox and Fenwick 1977), and the genus Lightiella Jones, 1961 was based on seven specimens from San Francisco Bay (Jones 1961). Lightiella moniotae was described for a single individual from New Caledonia (Cals and Delamare-Deboutteville 1970); Sandersiella calmani for two specimens from Peru (Hessler and Sanders 1973); and Sandersiella bathyalis for two specimens from the deep ocean off southwest Africa (Hessler and Sanders 1973). The single eastern Caribbean record (Barbados) of a cephalocarid also was based on two specimens (Gooding 1963), although Gooding also discussed two specimens from Puerto Rico in that account. Cephalocarids are of such interest morphologically and phylogenetically, and are found so infrequently, that their presence anywhere is noteworthy. As part of an ongoing survey of the cryptic marine invertebrates of certain Caribbean islands, we obtained a single specimen of a cephalocarid from Guana Island, British Virgin Islands, that matches most closely the description by Gooding (1963) of L. incisa. The find is of interest not only because it is the first record for the far eastern Caribbean other than Gooding’s (1963) two type specimens from Barbados, but also because of the unusual habitat in which it was found

New Records for Cubanocuma gutzui Băcescu and Muradian, 1977 (Crustacea: Cumacea: Nannastacidae) from the Western Atlantic

Because the original description and many subsequent records for Cubanocuma gutzui have appeared in a Romanian journal, Travaux du Muséum d’Histoire naturelle “Grigore Antipa,” which has limited distribution in the west, many workers studying tropical western Atlantic crustaceans still remain unaware of both the genus and species. Also, the species may have gone unrecognized (recorded as an odd specimen of Campylaspis, for instance) or may have been overlooked because of its small size. As part of an ongoing survey of the marine invertebrates of Guana Island, British Virgin Islands (BVI) (led by T.L. Zimmerman and J.W. Martin), numerous specimens of this nannastacid species were collected extending the known range eastward to the BVI. At the same time, the examination of other regional collections by two of us (RWH, TJH) established the presence of this species in Southeast Florida and the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), and we have found additional material from the southern Bahamian region and the northern Caribbean. In this note, we list the known occurrences of Cubanocuma, comment on the habitat, and mention certain morphological features observed from scanning electron microscopy (SEM)

Performance of the multiband imaging photometer for SIRTF

We describe the test approaches and results for the Multiband Imaging Photometer for SIRTF. To verify the performance within a `faster, better, cheaper' budget required innovations in the test plan, such as heavy reliance on measurements with optical photons to determine instrument alignment, and use of an integrating sphere rather than a telescope to feed the completed instrument at its operating temperature. The tests of the completed instrument were conducted in a cryostat of unique design that allowed us to achieve the ultra-low background levels the instrument will encounter in space. We controlled the instrument through simulators of the mission operations control system and the SIRTF spacecraft electronics, and used cabling virtually identical to that which will be used in SIRTF. This realistic environment led to confidence in the ultimate operability of the instrument. The test philosophy allowed complete verification of the instrument performance and showed it to be similar to pre-integration predictions and to meet the instrument requirements

On-orbit performance of the MIPS instrument

The Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) provides long wavelength capability for the mission, in imaging bands at 24, 70, and 160 microns and measurements of spectral energy distributions between 52 and 100 microns at a spectral resolution of about 7%. By using true detector arrays in each band, it provides both critical sampling of the Spitzer point spread function and relatively large imaging fields of view, allowing for substantial advances in sensitivity, angular resolution, and efficiency of areal coverage compared with previous space far-infrared capabilities. The Si:As BIB 24 micron array has excellent photometric properties, and measurements with rms relative errors of 1% or better can be obtained. The two longer wavelength arrays use Ge:Ga detectors with poor photometric stability. However, the use of 1.) a scan mirror to modulate the signals rapidly on these arrays, 2.) a system of on-board stimulators used for a relative calibration approximately every two minutes, and 3.) specialized reduction software result in good photometry with these arrays also, with rms relative errors of less than 10%

Bi-Hemispheric Distribution and Ecology of the Commensal Amphipod \u3ci\u3eLeucothoe nagatai\u3c/i\u3e Ishimaru, 1985 (Crustacea: Leucothoidae)

Reports on the taxonomy and distribution of the amphipod crustacean Leucothoe nagatai , are discussed including significant range extensions from the type locality in the Sea of Japan. This research was based on existing museum specimens, and in situ collections of new material. Originally described from the branchial chamber of the solitary ascidian Styela plicata (), several new ascidian and sponges host species from California and New Zealand are documented for L. nagatai. Molecular studies confirm that northern and southern hemisphere populations are genetically indistinguishable. Color patterns in live and freshly preserved specimens of L. nagatai are diagnostic across its geographic range aiding in identification by nontaxonomists. Feeding habits of leucothoids within their invertebrate hosts are elucidated and discussed. Figures and plates of known invertebrate hosts, color patterns, and taxonomic structures are included

Effect of ecological group classification schemes on performance of the AMBI benthic index in US coastal waters

The AZTI Marine Biotic Index (AMBI) requires less geographically-specific calibration than other benthic indices, but has not performed as well in US coastal waters as it has in the European waters for which it was originally developed. Here we examine the extent of improvement in index performance when the Ecological Group (EG) classifications on which AMBI is based are derived using local expertise. Twenty-three US benthic experts developed EG scores for each of three regions in the United States, as well as for the US as a whole. Index performance was then compared using: (1) EG scores specific to a region, (2) national EG scores, (3) national EG scores supplemented with standard international EG scores for taxa that the US experts were not able to make assignments, and (4) standard international EG scores. Performance of each scheme was evaluated by diagnosis of condition at pre-defined good/bad sites, concordance with existing local benthic indices, and independence from natural environmental gradients. The AMBI performed best when using the national EG assignments augmented with standard international EG values. The AMBI using this hybrid EG scheme performed well in differentiating apriori good and bad sites (>80% correct classification rate) and AMBI scores were both concordant and correlated (rs = 0.4–0.7) with those of existing local indices. Nearly all of the results suggest that assigning the EG values in the framework of local biogeographic conditions produced a better-performing version of AMBI. The improved index performance, however, was tempered with apparent biases in score distribution. The AMBI, regardless of EG scheme, tended to compress ratings away from the extremes and toward the moderate condition and there was a bias with salinity, where high quality sites received increasingly poorer condition scores with decreasing salinity

Effect of Ecological Group Classification Schemes on Performance of the AMBI Benthic Index in US Coastal Waters

The AZTI Marine Biotic Index (AMBI) requires less geographically-specific calibration than other benthic indices, but has not performed as well in US coastal waters as it has in the European waters for which it was originally developed. Here we examine the extent of improvement in index performance when the Ecological Group (EG) classifications on which AMBI is based are derived using local expertise. Twenty-three US benthic experts developed EG scores for each of three regions in the United States, as well as for the US as a whole. Index performance was then compared using: (1) EG scores specific to a region, (2) national EG scores, (3) national EG scores supplemented with standard international EG scores for taxa that the US experts were not able to make assignments, and (4) standard international EG scores. Performance of each scheme was evaluated by diagnosis of condition at pre-defined good/bad sites, concordance with existing local benthic indices, and independence from natural environmental gradients. The AMBI performed best when using the national EG assignments augmented with standard international EG values. The AMBI using this hybrid EG scheme performed well in differentiating apriori good and bad sites (\u3e80% correct classification rate) and AMBI scores were both concordant and correlated (rs = 0.4–0.7) with those of existing local indices. Nearly all of the results suggest that assigning the EG values in the framework of local biogeographic conditions produced a better-performing version of AMBI. The improved index performance, however, was tempered with apparent biases in score distribution. The AMBI, regardless of EG scheme, tended to compress ratings away from the extremes and toward the moderate condition and there was a bias with salinity, where high quality sites received increasingly poorer condition scores with decreasing salinity