Breeding biology of a carangid fish Selaroides leptolepis Cuv. (Perciformes) along Tuticorin, southeast coast of India

207-210Studies on ova diameter frequency, seasonal occurrence of maturity stages, gonado-somatic indices and relative condition factor (Kn) revealed that S. leptolepis was a prolonged breeder and the individuals spawned once in a year. The spawning period for S. leptolepis was from August to March with two peaks, one in January to February and the other in September to October. Length at first maturity in S. leptolepis was 113.8mm (TL) for both the sexes. Fecundity studies showed a direct and significant correlation with total length and body weight. Sex ratio conformed to the expected 1:1 ratio in all the months of the year

Breeding biology of flat fish <i>Pseudorhombus triocellatus</i> (Bloch and Schn.) from Tuticorin waters, east coast of India

151-152P. triocellatus breeds once a year for 2 to 3 months in Tuticorin waters. Eggs are released in a single batch. Spawning period extends from August to October. The size at first maturity is 71-80 mm total length. Females are more than males. Fecundity is related to total length and body weight

Food habits and feeding intensity of finlet scad <i>Atule mate </i>(Teleostei) <span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-IN; mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:HI" lang="EN-IN">off Gulf of Mannar, southeast coast of India</span>

307-311<span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" color:black;mso-ansi-language:en-in;mso-fareast-language:en-in;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-IN">Atule mate <span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" color:black;mso-ansi-language:en-in;mso-fareast-language:en-in;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-IN">exhibits two types of feeding patterns, the juveniles feeding mainly on crustaceans and the adults exclusively on fishes. Low intensity of feeding was observed in juveniles, males and females. Juveniles had high diet breadth (2.86) when compared to the males (1.86) and females (2.10). The overlap studies showed clustering of high overlaps in the younger and older length groups. The dendrogram of the diet at various length groups showed two principal clusters, one at 91-150 mm (TL) length group and another at 151-280 mm (TL) length group. As per the cluster analysis two types of food patterns are evident in this species.</span

Past and present distribution, densities and movements of blue whales Balaenoptera musculus in the Southern Hemisphere and northern Indian Ocean

1. Blue whale locations in the Southern Hemisphere and northern Indian Ocean were obtained from catches (303 239), sightings (4383 records of 8058 whales), strandings (103), Discovery marks (2191) and recoveries (95), and acoustic recordings. 2. Sighting surveys included 7 480 450 km of effort plus 14 676 days with unmeasured effort. Groups usually consisted of solitary whales (65.2%) or pairs (24.6%); larger feeding aggregations of unassociated individuals were only rarely observed. Sighting rates (groups per 1000 km from many platform types) varied by four orders of magnitude and were lowest in the waters of Brazil, South Africa, the eastern tropical Pacific, Antarctica and South Georgia; higher in the Subantarctic and Peru; and highest around Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Chile, southern Australia and south of Madagascar. 3. Blue whales avoid the oligotrophic central gyres of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, but are more common where phytoplankton densities are high, and where there are dynamic oceanographic processes like upwelling and frontal meandering. 4. Compared with historical catches, the Antarctic ("true") subspecies is exceedingly rare and usually concentrated closer to the summer pack ice. In summer they are found throughout the Antarctic; in winter they migrate to southern Africa (although recent sightings there are rare) and to other northerly locations (based on acoustics), although some overwinter in the Antarctic. 5. Pygmy blue whales are found around the Indian Ocean and from southern Australia to New Zealand. At least four groupings are evident: northern Indian Ocean, from Madagascar to the Subantarctic, Indonesia to western and southern Australia, and from New Zealand northwards to the equator. Sighting rates are typically much higher than for Antarctic bluewhales