George Sound Research Articles

Two additional species ofDermomurex(Gastropoda: Muricidae) from southern Australia

Two new species of the muricid genus Dermomurex are described from southern Australia. The first of these, Dermomurex (Dermomurex) agnesae, from King George Sound, Western Australia, is the fifth known Australian member of this subgenus, which is found primarily in the New World, but also occurs in the Mediterranean. The second, Dermomurex (Viator) howletti, from St. Francis Isles, Nuyts Archipelago, South Australia, and Esperance, Western Australia, is the fifth taxon to be described in this exclusively Australian subgenus and the first living species from the southern part of the continent.

Distribution and timing of spawning by the Australian pilchard (Sardinops sagax neopilchardus) off Albany, Western Australia

The pattern of abundance of eggs and larvae of the Australian pilchard, Sardinops sagax neopilchardus, collected by plankton tows in the region off Albany, Western Australia, was investigated. In 1989, surface tows were undertaken at five localities extending from the marine embayment of Princess Royal Harbour to the continental shelf just outside King George Sound. In 1990, oblique tows were undertaken at six localities extending from just inside King George Sound to beyond the edge of the continental shelf. Eggs and larvae of pilchards were found in many months, but peaks in egg numbers were found in July and December of both 1989 and 1990. There was, however, only one peak in larva abundance, during December. Most eggs and larvae were found in the region 2-8 km offshore from the entrance to King George Sound. Few were found either well inside King George Sound and Princess Royal Harbour or in outer-shelf localities. Spawning in the Albany region therefore occurred inshore of the main influence of the eastward-flowing tropical waters of the Leeuwin Current. The implications of this spawning activity in relation to the fishery for this species and the potential for stock separation along this coast are discussed.

On the vertical distribution of a benthic harpacticoid copepod: field, laboratory, and flume results

To identify a target species for the investigation of factors influencing the vertical distribution of subtidal meiofauna, we conducted a year-long survey of the 2-mm-scale vertical distribution of harpacticoid copepods at a site at 5 m depth in St George Sound, Florida (29°51′N, 84°31′W). We found that Leptastacus cf. rostratus Nicholls seldom occurs in surface sediments and that its population maximum is in the 2nd cm of sediment. The results of a preference experiment suggest that factors intrinsic to the sediment column do not cause L. cf. rostratus to be rare in the 0–1-cm layer. A flume experiment demonstrated that this species burrows deeper into the sediment in response to increased flow, suggesting that Leptastacus cf. rostratus finds the surface sediments unattractive under high-flow conditions. Our results suggest that near-bottom flow influences the vertical distribution of Leptastacus at this subtidal site.

Mid‐Paleozoic age of granitoids in enclaves within Early Cretaceous granulites, Fiordland, southwest New Zealand

Abstract Orthogneisses of granite, quartz monzonite, monzonite, and tonalite, collectively termed granitoid, occur locally as isolated enclaves within the Early Cretaceous granulite terrain (Western Fiordland Orthogneiss—WFO) in Fiordland, southwest New Zealand. Discordant U‐Pb zircon isotopic data (7 fractions) from four granitoid samples from enclaves at George Sound, define an upper intercept age of 341 ± 34 Ma that is interpreted as approximating the time of formation of the granitoid suite. The lower intercept age of 93 ± 37 Ma is interpreted as approximating the time of zircon isotopic disturbance by major episodic Pb loss. Isotopic disturbance probably accompanied high‐temperature conditions at the time of incorporation of the granitoid rocks into the WFO protolith, and during subsequent granulite meta‐morphism; both occurred in the interval c. 120–110 Ma. Five whole‐rock samples from enclaves at George Sound yield an apparent Rb‐Sr isochron age of 391 ± 48 Ma, in agreement with the zircon data, an...

Geology of crystalline rocks of northern Fiordland: Details of the granulite facies Western Fiordland Orthogneiss and associated rock units

Abstract A c. 700 km2 area of northern Fiordland (South Island, New Zealand) is described in which Early Cretaceous high-pressure metamorphic rocks and virtually unmetamorphosed plutonic rocks occur. The dominant rocks are orthogneisses developed from synmetamorphic basic-intermediate intrusive complexes, the youngest and most widespread of which is the Early Cretaceous Western Fiordland Orthogneiss (WFO). The latter has undergone granulite facies metamorphism and occurs throughout much of western Fiordland. In the study area, the WFO protolith intruded a country rock of amphibolite facies metasediments and orthogneisses. Fragments of the country rock are rafted within WFO and are represented by George Sound Paragneiss and Rafted Granitoid Gneisses. External country rock is represented by Arthur River Complex and Jagged Gneiss (possibly related to the Anita Ultramafites); it may also include Indecision Creek Complex and Mount Anau Complex. The George Sound Paragneiss is correlated with the Central Fiordland Metasediments of Oliver & Coggon. WFO was emplaced synkinematically in a subductionrelated magmatic arc. A collisional event during or immediately following magma emplacement resulted in crustal thickening equivalent to onloading of a 20 km thick section over rocks already buried at mid-crustal depths. This event was responsible for peak load pressures of c. 12–13 kbar recorded throughout WFO and in at least part of the country rock. Intrusive relations and a shared metamorphic and structural history indicate that WFO granulites are not tectonically exotic relative to associated amphibolite facies rocks in western Fiordland. The steeply dipping Surprise Creek Fault juxtaposes high-pressure metamorphic rocks of western and central Fiordland against virtually unmetamorphosed gabbroic rocks of the Early Cretaceous Darran Complex. This structure is a major tectonic break and separates fundamentally different crustal levels of a disrupted Early Cretaceous magmatic arc. Arc magmatism, collision, and subsequent great uplift are key events controlling Mesozoic Fiordland evolution.

A quantitative comparison of microbial community structure of estuarine sediments from microcosms and the field

Estuarine soft-bottom sediments in microcosms and the field were compared with regard to microbial community structure. Community structure was determined by analyzing the fatty acids derived from the microbial lipids in the sediments. Fatty acid profiles were compared using a multivariate statistical approach. Experiments were performed using sediments from St. George Sound and Apalachicola Bay, Florida. The community structure of St. George Sound sediments was apparently controlled by epibenthic predators. In Apalachicola Bay, the dominant influences were physical factors related to the flow of the Apalachicola River. In the St. George Sound experiment, microbial communities in the microcosms differed from those in the field after only 2 weeks, and the degree of this difference increased substantially as time progressed. In the Apalachicola Bay experiment, although microbial communities in the microcosms were detectably different from those in the field, the degree of this difference was not large nor did it increase with time. This differential behavior of sediment communities from different sites may be related to the different ecological factors regulating community composition at these sites.

Delphineis livingstonii n. sp. (Diatomaceae, Bacillariophyceae) from St. George Sound, Northeastern Gulf of Mexico

Article Delphineis livingstonii n. sp. (Diatomaceae, Bacillariophyceae) from St. George Sound, Northeastern Gulf of Mexico was published on January 1, 1986 in the journal Botanica Marina (volume 29, issue 6).

The effect of sediment characteristics on the distribution of two subtidal harpacticoid copepod species

Abundances of two harpacticoid copepod species, Enhydrosoma littorale Wells and Zausodes c.f. arenicolus Wilson, were significantly higher in one of two adjacent subtidal, soft-bottom habitats in St. George Sound, Florida (29°54′N : 84°37′48′′W). For Enhydrosoma littorale, a laboratory-preference experiment indicated that sediment-related factors caused the observed distribution. In a series of preference experiments, differences between the sediments of the two habitats in granulometry and organic matter were shown not to account for the preference. Rather, the preference results from differences in the microbes attached to the sediment particles in the two areas. In contrast, Zausodes c.f. arenicolus did nol prefer sediments from its area of high field abundance in laboratory preference experiments, indicating that factors external to the sediment i.e. hydrographic conditions or biological interactions, were responsible for this species' distribution.

The sponge fauna the St. George's Sound, Apalachee Bay, and Panama City regions of the Florida Gulf coast

The sponge fauna the St. George's Sound, Apalachee Bay, and Panama City regions of the Florida Gulf coast

Postlarvae and Young of the Menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) in Brackish and Fresh Waters of Virginia

ALTHOUGH menhaden are among the most abundant fishes of the Atlantic Coast, little seems to be known of the distribution of larvae and juveniles. Radcliffe collected larval menhaden in Woods Hole Harbor, Massachusetts, and one was taken in St. George Sound, Florida (Kuntz and Radcliffe, 1917). Perlmutter (1939) obtained 141 larvae from the waters of Long Island Sound and Merriman and Warfel (1944) reported them in New Haven Harbor, Connecticut. In Chesapeake Bay, Kuntz and Radcliffe (1917) collected menhaden larvae from the mouth of the Po-

Surveys and surveyors: Albany, 1832–38

Abstract Surely there is not a surveyor who does not experience a warm glow of kinship with his predecessors when he comes across some of the really old work in his State. Recently I stumbled by chance on some of the earliest official correspondence, going back to 1832, of the Resident of Albany, King George's Sound, W.A.

The First Description of a Kangaroo

I HAVE just read in NATURE of February 26 (p, 715) a letter by Mr. W. B. Alexander concerning the discovery of Australia and the first description of a kangaroo. It is stated there that the, first discovery of this animal was made, not by Sir Joseph Banks on Captain Cook's first voyage in 1770, but by Pelsart in 1629. Mav I be allowed to point out that a description of a kangaroo is to be found at a much earlier date, viz., in the “Decades” of Peter Martyr, published shortly after 1500. Unfortunately this book is not accessible to me at present, so I must only point to numerous publications of Mr. Edward A. Petherick, of the Federal. Government Library, Melbourne, concerning the discovery of Australia, who claims this honour for Amerigo Vespucci. According to Mr. Petherick, Peter Martyr states that in 1499 a southern coast was discovered: (probably by Vespucci) in which trees grew of such magnitude that sixteen men standing around one could scarcely encompass it (this would correspond to south-west, Australia, between King George's Sound and Cape Leeu-win). Amongst these big trees was found a monstrous beast, with the head of a fox, the, hands of a man, the tail of a monkey, and that wonderful provision of nature, a bag in which to carry its young. The beast so described was caught alive with its young, but during the long voyage both died. The carcase of the dam was taken to the Court of Ferdinand and Isabella in the year 1500. This description is not as detailed as that by Pelsart; nevertheless it cannot easily be doubted that it refers to a kangaroo, which seems to have been known for the first time so far back as the end of the fifteenth century.

Die Fauna Südwest-Australiens Ergebnisse der Hamburger südwest-australischen Forschungsreise, 1905

THE zoological collections of the German South Polar Expedition to South Georgia in 1882–83 are preserved in the Natural History Museum at Hamburg, the staff of which therefrom acquired a special interest in the subantarctic fauna. On the renewal of Antarctic research, the Hamburg zoologists decided they could contribute most usefully to that work by continuing the investigation of the adjacent regions. The marine subantarctic fauna is most accessible on the western coasts of the three great southern continents, where its range is extended northward by cold ocean currents. The Hamburg Museum accordingly arranged zoological expeditions to each of these three areas. The first went to South America, and worked in the Straits of Magellan and along the western coasts of Chilian Patagonia; its collections have been described in a series of monographs issued from 1896 to 1907. The second expedition was led by Dr. Schultze to the coasts of south-western Africa, and the series was completed by the visit of Prof. Michaelsen and Dr. Hartmeyer to Westralia from June to October, 1905. They there made marine collections in Shark's Bay, Champion Bay, Geographe Bay, and King George's Sound; they collected on land, especially around Perth, Geraldton, and Albany, and travelled inland as far eastward as Kalgoorlie. They describe the south-western part of Australia as zoologically “a forgotten corner,” for as Westralia is younger and larger and has a smaller population than the Eastern States, it has not been able to organise such extensive studies of its fauna and flora.

Anniversary Address - Western Australia and its goldfields

In presenting to your notice the following brief description of the Goldfields of Western Australia, I desire to convey to this Society my thanks for the honour you have done me in inviting me to be present before you this evening, and thus enabling me to deal with a subject in which I take such a deep interest, viz.:—the Goldfields of Western Australia. Little has been printed about this vast colony which I have not read; and I have likewise endeavoured in a humble way, within the last few years, to see for myself some evidences of her future greatness. Three times I have explored the North-Western district. On the first occasion I started from London early in April 1890, and made an expedition lasting three months. Again, in April 1891, I was engaged to make further investigations over the same line of country; and lastly, I visited the North-West in the present year. Then, from time to time, I have made a point of sailing to every port from Cambridge Gulf to King George's Sound, sometimes in regular coasting-vessels, and sometimes in small vessels which I hired for the purpose. From each of these ports I made journeys inland of varied duration, and with various objects in view. Western Australia has at present three great obstacles to her progress. The first is physical—her lack of water, which can only be combated by science. The second, her scantiness of population, is being slowly removed. The third can readily be surmounted,

Notes on some specimens of plants collected at King George's Sound by Mr. H. Willis

Notes on some specimens of plants collected at King George's Sound by Mr. H. Willis

The Turtle-headed Rock Cod.

A RARE specimen of the turtle-headed rock cod (Glyptauchen panduratus) has just come into the hands of Mr. J. Douglas Ogilby, of the Ichthyological Department of the Australian Museum at Sydney. This extraordinary fish belongs to the family of the red rock cods. Not many years ago these fishes (the red rock cod and its allies) formed a part of a most miscellaneous collection of species, which, under the general title of Triglidæ, included the true gurnards (Trigla and Lepidotrigla), the flying gurnards (Dactylopterus), and the flat-heads (Platycephalus). In 1860, however, Dr. Günther wisely separated these fishes from the Triglidæ, which family he broke up into four distinct groups. The first of these, named by him Scorpænidæ, is that to which the specimen just captured at Sydney belongs. All the Scorpænidæ are carnivorous marine fishes, most of which live at the bottom of the sea, and are generally provided with a powerful armature of the head and fin spines; while many possess skinny appendages on the head and body variously developed, which, owing to their resemblance to the fronds of seaweeds, serve the double purpose of enabling them the more easily to obtain their food, and the more effectually to conceal themselves from their enemies. As they are mostly of a small size, this latter point is evidently of no slight value, because, being slow, lazy fishes, they would, without some such means of protection, be unable to cope with their swifter antagonists. Nature has additionally protected this family by enabling it to vary its coloration according to any change of locality which it may be necessary to make, so as, chameleon-like, to fit itself for adaptation to the various phases of life under which it may be called on to exist. The genus Glyptauchen, of which the species just received by Mr. Ogilby is the sole representative, was separated in 1860 by Dr. A. Günther from the Cuvierian genus Apistus, for the reception of a fish from King George's Sound, Western Australia, described many years ago by Sir John Richardson under the name of A. panduratus. It has since been recorded from Port Jackson (Sydney), and the present specimen comes from Manly Beach, a few miles to the north of Port Jackson.

Specimens of plants collected at King George's Sound by the Rev. R. Collie, F.L.S

Specimens of plants collected at King George's Sound by the Rev. R. Collie, F.L.S

Red Sunsets and New Zealand Eruptions

NEW ZEALAND eruptions have not the projectile force to cause red sunsets. Singularly, the very same current of ideas expressed by Prof. Newcomb in NATURE, vol. xxxiv. p. 340, occurred to the writer, when in Australian waters the June previous, on the deck of the P. and O. steamer Ballaarat, off the Great Bight, on noticing a peculiarly red northerly sunset. The newspapers at King George's Sound were full of accounts of the magnitude of the eruption of Tarawera, and it must be the fine dust from New Zealand that has passed overhead.

Description of the Natives of King George's Sound (Swan River Colony) and Adjoining Country

Description of the Natives of King George's Sound (Swan River Colony) and Adjoining Country