This study examined how the species richness and activity patterns of mammals differed in previously unsurveyed habitat fragments with varying recreation intensities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Los Angeles County, California. I hypothesized that the number of mammal species detected and activity level of mammals was reduced in habitat fragments with recreation present. Eight game cameras were installed in two habitat fragments in the Palos Verdes Peninsula (PVP), one canyon with recreation (hiking, biking, dog walking) and one reference canyon with minimal human use. Cameras were placed at natural constrictions along the two main travel corridors in the canyons, trails and creek beds. The camera installations were monitored for 200 d. Species richness, activity location, and activity time were analyzed for each canyon. The reference canyon had a higher number of mammal species detected (nine versus six) and accounted for 93% of wildlife detections. Canis latrans showed no difference in the number of detections between canyons, while the other eight mammal species detected exhibited higher activity in the reference canyon. Canis latrans exhibited greater variability in time of activity in the reference canyon than conspecifics in the recreation canyon. Mesopredators Procyon lotor and Felis catus accounted for 67% of wildlife detections in the canyon free of recreation and pose a potential risk to songbirds of conservation concern present in the PVP. Although limited by sampling constraints, this study provides a foundation to investigate wildlife dynamics in the network of habitat fragments in the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

The giant sea bass (GSB), Stereolepis gigas Ayres, 1859, is the largest teleost (exceeding 2 m in length and 200 kg in weight) and megacarnivore found in California kelp forest communities. Overfishing of GSB in the late 1920s crashed the population off California and in 1996 it was classified as an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) critically endangered species. Recently, three GSB were collected off San Onofre, California and held at the Southern California Marine Institute in San Pedro. Two of the three GSB were infected with Lepeophtheirus longipes (Siphonostomatoida; Caligidae), a poorly described species of parasitic copepod previously recorded from the GSB and purportedly on other fish hosts. In this study, a detailed redescription of the female and the first description of the male of L. longipes are provided and all records of Lepeophtheirus longipes are reviewed. The latter revealed that L. longipes is host specific to GSB. Lepeophtheirus longipes is distinguished from its congeners by a combination of female characters that includes: (1) genital complex with prominent posterolateral lobes and is about half the length of the cephalothorax and just over two times longer than the cylindrical, indistinctly 2-segmented abdomen; (2) an antennule with a small conical process on the proximal segment; (3) maxillule with an outer conical process at the base of the dentiform process; (4) sternal furca with pointed and slightly splayed tines; (5) first exopodal segment of leg 3 with a terminal spine; and (6) third exopodal segment of leg 4 with three unequal apical spines.

In 2015 the Pacific Ocean experienced a strong El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). With this change in water temperature, marine species were able to expand outside their previous ranges and settle in new habitats. The first sighting of the species Labrisomus xanti, or largemouth blenny, on Santa Catalina Island was October 2015 and since then the species has been seen regularly around the island. In October and November of 2018, we surveyed three sites along the leeward side of Catalina Island. Largemouth blennies were counted, measured, and sex determined along diver transects at multiple depth strata. Substrate type was also recorded. We observed multiple sizes of largemouth blennies among sites, depths and between sexes. Among the three sampled locations, Empire Landing had significantly more individuals than Big Fisherman Cove and Yellowtail Point. These differences were likely due to the greater abundance of small and medium-sized boulders and lack of sand patches within the rocky reef at Empire Landing. Male largemouth blennies were significantly larger than females. The largest largemouth blennies were found at a depth of 4.5 m with the smallest individuals found in the shallow (1.5 m) depths. Individuals were significantly larger at Empire Landing and Yellowtail Point than at Big Fisherman Cove. Finally, length frequency analysis identified at least four putative age classes corresponding to the years 2014–2017 supporting a well-established population. However, further study is necessary before we can determine whether the population at Catalina Island is a self-sustaining population.