Lamkin: The Loop Current and abundance of larval Cubiceps pauciradiatus 
255 
-96 
© 
- 5 larvae 
© 
- 175 larvae 
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Figure 4 
NOAA ship Oregon II cruise 159, leg 1, 22 April-6 May 1986. Symbols as 
in Figure 2. Number of larvae under 10 m 2 ranged from 6 to 100 individu- 
als per station. 
Figure 5 
NOAA ship Oregon II cruise 159, leg 2, 9 May-22 May 1986. Symbols as in 
Figure 2. Number of larvae under 10 m 2 ranged from 6 to 24 individuals 
per station. 
25.1°C to a high of 29°C in the middle 
of the transect. The transect in 1988 
(Fig. 14) bisected a northward intrusion 
of the Loop Current between a cyclonic 
ring to the west and cooler shelf water 
to the east. 
Figures 15 and 16 show the distribu- 
tion of C. pauciradiatus in relation to 
SST fronts. Few were found in areas of 
peak temperatures, and the larvae were 
generally more abundant on the cool 
side, although SST was not as impor- 
tant as spatial orientation to the front. 
Peak abundances occurred at a variety 
of temperatures (21.5°C-28.7°C) but 
were always greatest in regions of great- 
est horizontal temperature gradients. 
This pattern can best be seen at transect 
III in 1987 and at the single transect 
completed in 1988. In transect III, C. 
pauciradiatus were found on both sides 
of the temperature front but were con- 
centrated around the steepest slope. In 
1988, the transect was much longer, and 
stations were 5 nautical miles apart 
(Fig. 16). Cubiceps pauciradiatus were 
absent until sea-surface temperatures 
began to increase significantly and 
peaked prior to maximum SST tempera- 
tures. Few C. pauciradiatus were found 
in the warm Loop Current waters or in 
the cooler continental shelf waters. 
Plankton volumes, total larvae (un- 
der 10 m 2 ), and larvae in the neuston 
net showed similar patterns (Fig. 17). 
Perhaps the most important of these is 
plankton volume because this may show 
an abundance of the potential prey of 
larval C. pauciradiatus . There was no 
significant correlation between abun- 
dance of larval C. pauciradiatus and 
plankton volume across all transects. 
However, few larvae were found in the 
second series of transects (V, VI, VII). 
When each transect was examined 
separately, II and III showed high cor- 
relations between C. pauciradiatus and 
plankton volume (0.829, P=0.0410, and 
0.896, P=0.0002, respectively). In both 
these transects, larval C. pauciradiatus 
were present in consecutive stations, 
and the frontal features were well de- 
fined. Total larvae (number under 10 m 2 ) were cor- 
related with plankton volume when examined across 
all transects (0.236, P=0.0349) but not when com- 
pared transect by transect. Within each transect, 
correlations were highest in III and VII (0.822, 
P=0.0019, 0.697, P=0.017). The results of the test be- 
