Shark longline fishery of Papua New Guinea: size and species composition and spatial variation of the catches

William T. White; Leontine Baje; Sharon A. Appleyard; Andrew Chin; Jonathan J. Smart; Colin A. Simpfendorfer

doi:10.1071/mf19191

Shark longline fishery of Papua New Guinea: size and species composition and spatial variation of the catches

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf19191 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 71 (6) ◽

pp. 627

Author(s):

William T. White ◽

Leontine Baje ◽

Sharon A. Appleyard ◽

Andrew Chin ◽

Jonathan J. Smart ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Papua New Guinea ◽

Dominant Species ◽

New Guinea ◽

Species Level ◽

Longline Fishery ◽

Specific Identification ◽

Level Information ◽

Sea Area ◽

Number Of Individuals ◽

Species Being

This study provides the first detailed investigation of the catches of the shark longline fishery in Papua New Guinea. Fisheries observers collected data on shark catches from a total of 318 longline sets between May and June 2014, before its closure in July 2014. In all, 14694 sharks were recorded with a total estimated biomass of 439 tonnes (Mg). Eighteen species of sharks were recorded in the observer data, with the most dominant species being Carcharhinus falciformis, which constituted more than 90% of the total catches by both weight and number of individuals. The level of observer misidentification was low (<10%), which reflected the use of region-specific identification guides by well-trained fisheries observers. The most diverse catches were in the Solomon Sea area, whereas catches in most other areas, particularly the Bismarck Sea areas, were less diverse and more strongly dominated by C. falciformis. Size and sex ratios varied by species, highlighting the importance of obtaining species-level information from the fishery being investigated. Any consideration by fisheries managers to reopen this fishery needs to consider the effect this will have on the species targeted and the livelihoods of coastal fishers who also rely on the same resources.

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Gastrointestinal nematodes of Paramelomys platyops (Rodentia: Muridae) from Papua Indonesia and Papua New Guinea with the descriptions of a new genus and five new species of Heligmonellidae (Nematoda: Trichostrongylina) and a key to the species of Hughjonestrongylus

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4679.1.7 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4679 (1) ◽

pp. 107-125

Author(s):

LESLEY SMALES

Keyword(s):

Papua New Guinea ◽

New Guinea ◽

Gastrointestinal Nematodes ◽

Bootstrap Analysis ◽

Spicule Length ◽

Genital Cone ◽

Female Tail ◽

Putative Species ◽

Males And Females ◽

Species Being

Nematodes from six families, comprising 20 species identified to genus level and three to subfamily level as well as juveniles and a heligmonellid that could not be identified further, were recovered from 34 individuals of Paramelomys platyops, one P. cf playops and one Melomys sp. (Muridae: Murinae: Uromys Division) from Papua Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Ascaridid larvae, a capillariid, Capillaria s. l., two putative species of the Nippostrongylinae and a small number of heligmonellid males and females, could not be identified further. The rictulariid Pterygodermatites sp. (females only) had not been reported previously from Sahulan Old Endemic fauna while three species, the oxyurid Syphacia longecauda , the molineid Hepatojarakus pyknofasciatus, and the spirurid Protospirura kaindiensis, had. The remaining species, all heligmonellids, included the brevistriatine Macrostrongylus ingens and 14 nippostrongyline species. Of these, Hughjonestrongylus amplicauda, H. singauwaensis, Melomystrongylus sepikensis, Mawsonema mokwanense, Odilia mackerrasae and Parasabanema szalayi had been reported previously. Species of Hasanuddina, Montistrongylus and Sanduanensis possibly as yet undescribed, could not be identified further. Flannerystrongylus abulus n. gen., n. sp. differed from all 41 genera described to date in having a synlophe of 14–16 evenly sized ridges with a sub frontal orientation. Hasegawanema yuroense n. sp. with 21–23 synlophe ridges was distinguished from its congeners by a combination of characters including length of spicule, cuticularisation of the genital cone, the proportions of the ovejector and the size of the eggs. Hughjonestrongylus pervulgatus n. sp., H. vanimoensis n. sp. and H. wanumaensis n. sp. were distinguished from all other species of Hughjonestrongylus and each other by a combination of characters including the number of synlophe ridges 25–30, 18, 22–23 in the mid body respectively, and spicule length, proportions of the ovejector and shape of the female tail. A key to the species of Hughjonestrongylus is provided. Species richness was greater than that recorded for P. lorentzii and P. rubex with about 86% of possible species found, as indicated by bootstrap analysis. The helminth assemblage was dominated by heligmonellids with eight species being unique to P. platyops. Paramelomys lorentzii is found at altitudes up to 1500 m and may provide a link between the lowland P. platyops and the highland P. rubex, thus facilitating the distribution of helminth species held in common.

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14C Marine Reservoir Variability in Herbivores and Deposit-Feeding Gastropods from an Open Coastline, Papua New Guinea

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/s0033822200047603 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 54 (3-4) ◽

pp. 967-978 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Fiona Petchey ◽

Sean Ulm ◽

Bruno David ◽

Ian J McNiven ◽

Brit Asmussen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Papua New Guinea ◽

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

New Guinea ◽

Archaeological Site ◽

Species Level ◽

Subsistence Economy ◽

Diverse Range ◽

Protocol Selection ◽

Deposit Feeding ◽

Selection Of

Herbivorous and deposit-feeding gastropods are a major component of archaeological shell middens worldwide. They provide a wealth of information about subsistence, economy, environment, and climate, but are generally considered to be less than ideal for radiocarbon dating because they can ingest sediment while they graze, inadvertently consuming terrestrial carbon in the process. However, few studies of 14C activity in herbivores or deposit-feeding gastropods have been conducted into this diverse range of animals that inhabit many environmental niches. Here, we present results investigating 14C variability in shells belonging to the families Strombidae and Potamididae from the Bogi 1 archaeological site, Caution Bay, southern coastal Papua New Guinea (PNG). These shells make up 39.3% of the shell MNI in the excavation units studied and some of these species are the most common taxa of neighboring sites. It would therefore be advantageous to establish if there are any 14C offsets associated with such animals, and identify those that can give reliable calendar ages. Our methodology combines a high-resolution excavation protocol, selection of short-lived samples identified to species level, and a triisotope approach using 14C, δ13C, and δ18O to evaluate the source of variability in shells. Our results indicate that considerable variation exists between different species of Strombidae with some inhabiting muddier environments that act as sinks for limestone-derived sediments with depleted 14C content. The magnitude of variation is, however, overshadowed by that measured in the mudwhelk, Cerithidea largillierti, which has the largest spread in 14C of any shellfish studied so far at Caution Bay. This animal ingests sediment within the estuary that contains 14C derived from both enriched and depleted sources.

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Helminth assemblages of Uromys spp. (Muridae : Hydromyinae) from Australia, Papua New Guinea and Papua Indonesia and comparison with assemblages in Melomys spp.

Australian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1071/zo08011 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 56 (2) ◽

pp. 85 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

L. R. Smales ◽

D. M. Spratt

Keyword(s):

Papua New Guinea ◽

New Guinea ◽

Helminth Species ◽

Host Switching ◽

Species Assemblage ◽

Dominant Group ◽

High Species Richness ◽

Small Pool ◽

Prevalent Species ◽

Species Being

This study documents the helminth assemblages of Uromys caudimaculatus (Krefft, 1867) from Papua New Guinea and Australia as well as listing helminths found in U. anak Thomas, 1907 from Papua Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, and U. hadrourus (Winter, 1984) from Queensland Australia. In total, 36 species of helminth, comprising one acanthocephalan, three cestodes (excluding unidentifiable fragments) and 32 nematodes (including two not identified to genus) from 65 hosts were found. The Trichostrongylina nematodes were the dominant group of helminths, the most prevalent species being Odilia uromyos (Mawson, 1961), found in each of the species of Uromys across all regions, and O. melomyos (Mawson, 1961), occurring in U. caudimaculatus from Papua New Guinea and Australia. The helminth species assemblage from U. caudimaculatus, 14 species of helminth from 11 hosts from Papua New Guinea and 23 species of helminth from 51 hosts from Australia, had high species richness but was relatively equitable overall (1/SI = 0.92). The differences found between the helminth assemblages of U. caudimaculatus from Papua New Guinea and Australia suggest that U. caudimaculatus may have travelled to Australia from New Guinea with a small pool of helminth species that was subsequently added to by host switching from sympatric rodent hosts. Alternatively, U. caudimaculatus may have lost many of the helminths that travelled with it following arrival in Australia.

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Review of the Camponotus aureopilus species-group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), including a second Camponotus with a metapleural gland

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.903.1.1 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 903 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

STEVE SHATTUCK

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Papua New Guinea ◽

New Guinea ◽

Species Group ◽

Species Level ◽

Junior Synonym ◽

Metapleural Gland ◽

First Time

The Camponotus aureopilus species-group is defined for the first time and revised at species level. The group contains nine known species: aureopilus Viehmeyer (with its new junior synonym, velutinus Stitz), cyrtomyrmodes Donisthorpe, densopilus new species, flavocrines Donisthorpe, mussolinii Donisthorpe, posteropilus new species, subpilus new species, thadeus new species and xanthopilus new species. All species are limited to Papua New Guinea except for thadeus, which is found in Queensland, Australia. The distinctive species C. thadeus is only the second in this large and widespread genus to possess a metapleural gland.

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