Abstract:

This data set includes the biological and environmental data for all of the species collected during the Meg Skansi cruises from Jan - Septemeber 2011. The main gear type used was a 10-m2 Multiple Opening Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System (MOCNESS). The MOCNESS was fitted with 6 nets which were opened according to the following depth scheme when bottom depth allowed: net 0 from the surface to 1500m, net 1 from 1500-1200m, net 2 from 1200-1000m, net 3 from 1000-600m, net 4 from 600-200m, and net 5 from 200m to the surface. Two trawls were conducted at each station sampled to capture diel vertical migration information; one during daylight hours between 9am-2:30pm CDT, and the other at 9pm-2:30am CDT. A table of the taxonomic hierarchy used in the nekton database will be included with references to those scientific names recently updated which are not yet reflected by the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (www.itis.gov).

Suggested Citation:

Sutton, Tracey and April Cook, Jon Moore, Tamara Frank, Heather Judkins, Michael Vecchione, Martha Nizinski, and Marshall Youngbluth. 2017. Inventory of Gulf oceanic fauna data including species, weight, and measurements. Meg Skansi cruises from Jan. 25 - Sept. 30, 2011 in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7VX0DK2

Publications:

D’Elia, M., Warren, J. D., Rodriguez-Pinto, I., Sutton, T. T., Cook, A., & Boswell, K. M. (2016). Diel variation in the vertical distribution of deep-water scattering layers in the Gulf of Mexico. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 115, 91–102. doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2016.05.014

Judkins, H., Vecchione, M., Cook, A., & Sutton, T. (2016). Diversity of midwater cephalopods in the northern Gulf of Mexico: comparison of two collecting methods. Marine Biodiversity. doi:10.1007/s12526-016-0597-8

Mohan, J. A., Sutton, T. T., Cook, A. B., Boswell, K. M., & David Wells, R. J. (2017). Influence of oceanographic conditions on abundance and distribution of post-larval and juvenile carangid fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Fisheries Oceanography. doi:10.1111/fog.12214

Judkins, H., Vecchione, M., & Rosario, K. (2016). Morphological and molecular evidence of <I>Heteroteuthis dagamensis</I> in the Gulf of Mexico. Bulletin of Marine Science, 92(1), 51–57. doi:10.5343/bms.2015.1061

Burdett, E., Fine, C., Sutton, T., Cook, A., & Frank, T. (2017). Geographic and depth distributions, ontogeny, and reproductive seasonality of decapod shrimps (Caridea: Oplophoridae) from the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Bulletin of Marine Science, 93(3), 743–767. doi:10.5343/bms.2016.1083

Sutton, T. T., Clark, M. R., Dunn, D. C., Halpin, P. N., Rogers, A. D., Guinotte, J., … Heino, M. (2017). A global biogeographic classification of the mesopelagic zone. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 126, 85–102. doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2017.05.006

Kupchik, M. J., Benfield, M. C., & Sutton, T. T. (2018). The First In Situ Encounter of Gigantura chuni (Giganturidae: Giganturoidei: Aulopiformes: Cyclosquamata: Teleostei), with a Preliminary Investigation of Pair-Bonding. Copeia, 106(4), 641–645. doi:10.1643/ce-18-034

Sutton, T. T., Frank, T., Judkins, H., & Romero, I. C. (2019). As Gulf Oil Extraction Goes Deeper, Who Is at Risk? Community Structure, Distribution, and Connectivity of the Deep-Pelagic Fauna. Scenarios and Responses to Future Deep Oil Spills, 403–418. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-12963-7_24

Moore, J. A., Fenolio, D. B., Cook, A. B., & Sutton, T. T. (2020). Hiding in Plain Sight: Elopomorph Larvae Are Important Contributors to Fish Biodiversity in a Low-Latitude Oceanic Ecosystem. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7. doi:10.3389/fmars.2020.00169

Frank, T. M., Fine, C. D., Burdett, E. A., Cook, A. B., & Sutton, T. T. (2020). The Vertical and Horizontal Distribution of Deep-Sea Crustaceans in the Order Euphausiacea in the Vicinity of the DeepWater Horizon Oil Spill. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7. doi:10.3389/fmars.2020.00099

MAPSTONE, G., & YOUNGBLUTH, M. (2020). <p><strong>New observations on the rare physonect <em>Melophysa</em> <em>melo</em> (Siphonophora; Agalmatidae) from the northern Gulf of Mexico</strong></p>. Zootaxa, 4732(1), 117–137. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4732.1.5

Milligan, R. J., & Sutton, T. T. (2020). Dispersion Overrides Environmental Variability as a Primary Driver of the Horizontal Assemblage Structure of the Mesopelagic Fish Family Myctophidae in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7. doi:10.3389/fmars.2020.00015

Pruzinsky, N. M., Milligan, R. J., & Sutton, T. T. (2020). Pelagic Habitat Partitioning of Late-Larval and Juvenile Tunas in the Oceanic Gulf of Mexico. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7. doi:10.3389/fmars.2020.00257

Baker, L. J., Freed, L. L., Easson, C. G., Lopez, J. V., Fenolio, D., Sutton, T. T., … Hendry, T. A. (2019). Diverse deep-sea anglerfishes share a genetically reduced luminous symbiont that is acquired from the environment. eLife, 8. doi:10.7554/elife.47606

Davis, A. L., Sutton, T. T., Kier, W. M., & Johnsen, S. (2020). Evidence that eye-facing photophores serve as a reference for counterillumination in an order of deep-sea fishes. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1928), 20192918. doi:10.1098/rspb.2019.2918

Clark, K. A., Vecchione, M., Seibel, B. A., & Judkins, H. L. (2021). Species Abundance, Spatial and Vertical Distributions, and Eye-Size Trends of Large Heteropods (Pterotracheidae and Carinariidae) in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. American Malacological Bulletin, 38(2). doi:10.4003/006.038.0201

Bos, R. P., Sutton, T. T., & Frank, T. M. (2021). State of Satiation Partially Regulates the Dynamics of Vertical Migration. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8. doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.607228

Purpose:

Inventory of biological data for Meg Skansi cruises for use in DEEPEND publications.

Data Parameters and Units:

Worksheet MS_FieldSampleData: DeploymentID (Unique identifier for each trawl deployment); Cruise_Name (Name of the Vessel); Cruise_No (Cruise Number); FilterMethod (Filter Method); StationID (NRDA Station ID); DayNightSample (Day/Night sampling time (D = day (exclusive of twilights) and N = night (exclusive of twilights))); NetNo (Net Number (Bongo: L-left, R-Right; Neuston: 1; 1m2 MOCNESS: 0-7)); SampleID (NRDA Unique Identifier for each Sample); SampDateStart (Sample Date (DDMMMYY) when trawl was deployed); StartLat (Start Latitude in Dec degrees); StartLon (Start Longitude in Dec degrees); EndLat (End Latitude in Dec degrees); EndLon (End Longitude in Dec degrees); TowStartTime (Tow/Transect Start Time in); TowEndTime (Tow/Transect End Time in); UpperDepth (Minimum depth of net sampling); LowerDepth (Maximum depth of net sampling); DepthCode (1: 1500-1200m, 2:1200-1000m, 3:1000-600m, 4:600-200m, 5: 200-0m, 1a:1500-1000m, 1b:1300-1200m, 3a:1000-0m, 3b:800-600m, 3c:900-800m, 3d:1000-800m, 4a: 600-400m, 4b:400-200m, 4c:600-0m, 4d:500-0m, 5a:200-100m, 5b:100-0 m); DepthBin (Represents the depth bin used for analysis when binning samples; 1: 1500-1200m, 2:1200-1000m, 3:1000-600m, 4:600-200m, 5: 200-0m); MaxDeployDepth (Maximum Depth of net during that Deployment); DepthUnits (Depth Units (m)); Volume (Volume Filtered by the net calculated by the MOCNESS software); VolUnits (Volume Filtered Units); Quantifiable (Non-quantitative: Incorrect or missing flow data, the net ripped, or no sample was collected, Non-Standard: Net fished depth ranges other than strict depth bins 1-5, Quantitative: Net fished correct depth strata and has valid flow data); NetMeshSize (Net Mesh Size); NetMeshSizeUnits (Net Mesh Size Units (mm or um)); SampPres (Sample Preservation); SampNotes (Sample Notes); VolumeSource (Describes the source of the volume provided in database); StartTemp (Temperature recorded by the MOCNESS sensor in degrees Celsius when the net opens); EndTemp (Temperature recorded by the MOCNESS sensor in degrees Celsius when the net closes); AvgTemp (Average temperature recorded by the MOCNESS sensor in degrees Celsius during the course of the tow for each net); Worksheet MS_NektonDatabase: EntryNumber (Automatic number to uniquely identify entries); DataEntry_Date (Date the data was entered; can be used to identify entries created or refined after the data had been made public in the NOAA NRDA Data Integration Visualization Exploration and Reporting (DIVER) website (http://dwhdiver.orr.noaa.gov/)); Sample_ID (Unique Identifier for each Sample); Client_ID (Unique Identifier for each Sample Split (Sample_ID + Disposition)); Lowest_Taxonomic_Identification (Taxonomic identification to the level of 100% confidence); Taxon_Comments (Comments related to the identification of the animal); Counts (Count of individuals in the taxonomic group in the sample); WetWeight_kg (Wet weight (kg) recorded at sea by motion-compensating scale with a 1.0 g resolution (blank values did not register a weight)); PostForm_Weight (Weight (g) recorded after being preserved in 10% formalin); PostEth_Weight (Weight (g) recorded after being preserved in 70% ethanol); PostIso_Weight (Weight (g) recorded after being preserved in 50% isopropyl); Calculated_Biomass (Post-etoh value if measured; If not measured directly, the calculated value using a best fit trendline per taxonomic group (fish, gelzoo, cephs, shrimp) plotted from entries with both a post-formalin and post-ethanol weight); LifeHistory_Stage (Life stage of nekton if known (Larvae;Post-larvae;Transforming Juvenile;Juvenile;Adult)); Sex (Gender); TypeSpecimen_YN (True if a representative specimen was kept for identification validation); Photo_YN (True if photographed for record keeping of taxonomic representatives); Disposition (Lab or container tracking the sample; Default value=“Bucket” which means it was placed into the sample jar collected in the field and resides at NSU; “MSXXXX” or “TFXXXX” if placed into a separate jar;); Comments (Sample comments); Tag_No (Voucher tag number(s) if tissue sample was taken); LengthUnits (unit of measure for length); ST_Length_1 through ST_Length_25 (Length of organism; Squid - mantle length; fish - standard length on most fish, total length for eels; Shrimp - Carapace length); Worksheet Taxon_List: Lowest_Taxonomic_ID_Standard (The lowest taxonomic identification made); TaxonomicRank (Taxon level in a taxonomic hierarchy); FunctionalGroup (Groupings according to similar acoustic signatures; SBF –fish with a swim bladder, Crust/NSBF – crustacean or fish with no swim bladder, LgNSBF – Large fish with no swim bladder, Unclassified – acoustic signature not classified, Zooplankton – small zooplankton); Species (Species); Genus (Genus); Tribe (Tribe); Subfamily (Subfamily); Family (Family); Superfamily (Superfamily); Infraorder (Infraorder); Suborder (Suborder); Order (Order); Superorder (Superorder); Infraclass (Infraclass); Subclass (Subclass); Class (Class); Superclass (Superclass); Subphylum (Subphylum); Phylum (Phylum); Kingdom (Kingdom); Reference (Reference source for taxa without hierarchies listed in ITIS); GelZoop (Identifies gelatinous zooplankton taxa; Used for query/analysis purposes); VerticalDistPattern (1. Holoepipelagic NM; 2. Nyctopelagic Synch DM; 3. Meso Asynch VM; 4. Deep meso/bathy Asynch VM; 5. Meso NM; 6. Deep meso/bathy NM; 7. bathy NM); Habitat (deep demersal;coastal demersal;epipelagic;mesopelagic;meso/bathypelagic;bathypelagic); Metadata File: Metadata_Pisces_NDB_111416.docx

Individual Files: