Scanning electron microscopy and morphological analysis reveal differences in the otolith morphology of three species of the family Lethrinidae (Teleostei: Perciformes) from Yemen.

Otoliths, or ear-stones, are calcareous components in the static-acoustic organs of teleost fishes with a characteristic morphology. As such, they are widely used in fisheries because of the information stored in them concerning, for example, environment, age, and so forth. Otoliths of three lethrinid species Lethrinus borbonicus (Valenciennes, 1830), L. lentjan (Lacepède, 1802), and L. mahsena (Forsskål, 1775) were collected from fish caught along the Red Sea coast of Yemen. Images taken with a scanning electron microscope were used to determine their characteristics. Twenty-two characters were defined to describe the shapes of the otoliths. Eleven measurements of distance between selected features were used for a linear regression and multivariate analysis to characterize the species by their otoliths. The results illustrate ontogenetic changes for different age groups based on the recorded shapes. All three species show a linear relationship between the total length and the morphometric measurements. A linear discriminant analysis shows marked differences between the otoliths of the three species and emphasizes the importance of the measured variables. Otoliths of L. lentjan and L. borbinicus are more similar to each other and differ from those of L. mahsena. A comparison with previously published otoliths of the species studied from other areas confirms an intraspecific uniformity across larger geographic distances, making the characters useful for diagnostic purposes.

Morphology and morphometry of pharyngeal bone and teeth in cyprinid species from the Kurdistan Region, Iraq.

The morphology of pharyngeal bones and teeth was determined on seven cyprinid species caught from the Greater Zab River, a tributary of Tigris River, located in the northern part of Iraq in the Kurdistan Region. Eleven morphological characters of the pharyngeal bone and teeth were identified, measured and compared from photographs of the 152 individual species collected. The relationship between pharyngeal bone total length and four-dimensional measurements of the pharyngeal bone were determined using linear regression and multivariate analysis. Results show bone characteristics of the studied species are distinctly different in terms of shape, tooth number, tooth formulae and dimensions of the pharyngeal bones. Regression analysis shows positive coefficients of TL with all parameters PL, DL, PW and DP while multivariate linear discriminate analysis shows distinct groupings of each species using non-dimensional measurements of the bone characters. The measurements gathered and application of biometric relationships to ease the identification of the cyprinid species contributes to the morphological information on cyprinid species in a data deficient region of the world. This work provides a new set of morphological characters of the pharyngeal bone and teeth of the seven cyprinid species from Northern Mesopotamia that may enable their separation from the members of their cyprinid genera.

Predation and Risk Behaviors of Free-Roaming Owned Cats in Auckland, New Zealand via the Use of Animal-Borne Cameras.

Free-roaming cats are at increased risk of injuring themselves as well as other domestic and fauna species, yet relatively little is known about the frequency at which risk and predation behaviors occur in a typical day. In this study, cat risk, and predation behavioral information was collected using animal-borne video cameras and global positioning system (GPS) units that were attached to break-free cat collars. The observation period was one to three consecutive days for 37 convenience sampled free-roaming owned cats in Auckland, New Zealand. Video footage was manually reviewed and all predation and risk behavior events were recorded. These included stalking, pursuing, and seizing prey as well as altercations with other cats, ingesting harmful substances, and venturing into hazardous locations such as roads and storm drains. During the observation period, 23 of the 37 cats (62.2%) engaged in a total of 121 predation events. Of these, 40 resulted in successful prey capture with 18 of the 40 captures involving New Zealand native fauna species. Invertebrates were the most common taxa preyed upon (n = 55; 46%), followed by skinks (n = 8; 7%). No mammalian, avian or amphibian prey were captured and no cat took prey back to their residence. A total of 326 risk behaviors were observed for 32 out of the 37 cats (86.5%) with the most common being cats venturing onto the road (n = 132; 41%). Younger cats (aged 1-6 six years) engaged in significantly more predation and risk behaviors than older cats (aged 7 years and above). Sex, breed, number of cats in a household, and geographic location were not found to be predictors of cats' participation in predation or risk behaviors. Given the high frequency of predation and risk behaviors in free-roaming owned cats, it may be beneficial to educate owners about strategies to minimize risk such as housing them indoors, containing them to their properties or monitoring their time spent outdoors.

Assessment of a Targeted Trap-Neuter-Return Pilot Study in Auckland, New Zealand.

There is a need for effective and humane management tools to manage urban stray cats and minimise negative impacts associated with stray cats. One such tool is targeted trap-neuter-return (TTNR), but no concerted implementation of this technique or formal assessments have been reported. To address this deficit, a TTNR programme was implemented and assessed in one Auckland suburb from May 2015 to June 2016; the programme sterilised and returned 348 cats (4.2 cats/1000 residents). Assessment was based on the number of incoming felines; stray, unsocialised cats euthanased; unsocialised, unowned cats sterilised and returned (independently of the TTNR programme); and neonatal/underage euthanasias. Incoming stray felines, underage euthanasias, and unsocialised stray cat euthanasias were all reduced for the targeted suburb when compared for the years before and after the programme (the percentage reduction in these parameters was −39, −17, −34, −7, and −47, respectively). These outcome measures had a greater reduction in the targeted suburb compared to the Auckland suburbs not targeted by the TTNR programme (p < 0.01), although causation cannot be inferred, as a variety of reasons could have contributed to the changes. This pilot programme suggests that TTNR could be a valuable, humane cat management tool in urban New Zealand, and further assessment is warranted.