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The elpidiid holothurian Peniagone leander Pawson and Foell, 1986 is recorded for the first time from the Mariana Trench area at a depth of 5 571 m. The type description of this species was based on only in-situ photographs. P. leander is re-described and illustrated based on a preserved material and in-situ photographs taken on the seabed. The 16S rRNA was also obtained from the specimen and submitted to GenBank. This is the fourth discovery of this species, extending its bathymetric range in the western Pacific Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feeding aspects of the oilfish, Ruvettus pretiosus, were studied based on 360 stomachs of both male and female specimens caught off the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago. The total length of the specimens ranged from 52.4 cm to 189.0 cm. Of the 360 stomachs examined, 135 presented some food and 225 were empty. Thirty-four taxa were identified, represented by 16 fish, 17 cephalopods and 1 crustacean. The stabilization of the food items richness was attained at 35 food items and 104 stomachs, approximately. A remarkable predation upon the flying fish Cheilopogon cyanopterus was observed around SPSPA, directly related to the main reproductive period of this species in the area. The oilfish's food spectrum shows that the species feeds on a wide vertical range in the water column, catching prey items at the surface or in shallow waters, as well as epi-mesopelagic fish, in addition to mesopelagic cephalopods.Aspectos alimentares do peixe-prego, Ruvettus pretiosus, foram estudados com base nos estômagos de 360 espécimes, de ambos os sexos, capturados nos arredores do Arquipélago de São Pedro e São Paulo. Todos os exemplares foram capturados com linha de mão. O comprimento total dos exemplares variou de 52,4 cm a 189,0 cm. Dos 360 estômagos examinados, 135 apresentaram algum alimento e 225 estavam vazios. Trinta e quatro táxons foram identificados, representados por 16 peixes, 17 cefalópodes e um crustáceo. A estabilização da riqueza dos itens alimentares foi obtida com 35 itens e 104 estômagos. Uma predação notável sobre o peixe-voador Cheilopogon cyanopterus foi observada nas adjacências do ASPSP, diretamente relacionada com o principal período reprodutivo dessa espécie na área. O espectro alimentar do peixe-prego mostra que a espécie se alimenta em uma ampla faixa vertical na coluna d'agua, capturando desde presas de superfície ou águas rasas, a peixes epi-mesopelágicos, além de cefalópodes mesopelágicos.

The Bering Sea is an area of high biological productivity, with large populations of sea-birds, demersal and pelagic fishes, so it seemed desirable to assess the bioaccumulation of trace metals in the marine organisms from this area. However, few data on trace metal concentrations are available for the benthopelagic organisms from the Bering Sea till now. Ten specimens of benthos (including 120 biological samples) were collected in the western Bering Sea in August 2008 during the 3rd Chinese National Arctic Research Expeditions, and the concentration of Cd, Cu, Cr and Zn determined using atomic absorption spectrometry. Zn, Cr and Cd concentrations in muscle tissues of the crab species were much higher than those from fish and cephalopod species, and the highest concentration of Cu was observed in the muscle tissues of Cylichna nucleoli. The results showed a similar hierarchy for Zn, Cr, Cd and Cu concentrations among different tissues as follows: hepatopancreas>muscle tissue>gonad. Bioconcentration factors indicated that benthic organisms had high accumulation abilities for Zn and Cu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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