New records of the mysids Boreomysis nobilis G. O. Sars and Mysis litoralis (Banner) in the Saguenay fjord (St. Lawrence estuary)

The arctic–subarctic mysids Boreomysis nobilis and Mysis litoralis were abundant in midwater trawl collections from the Saguenay fjord but were almost absent in collections from the confluent St. Lawrence estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. Collections from the estuary and Gulf contained boreal mysids...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Journal of Zoology
Main Authors: Judkins, David C., Wright, Robert
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1974
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z74-144
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z74-144
Description
Summary:The arctic–subarctic mysids Boreomysis nobilis and Mysis litoralis were abundant in midwater trawl collections from the Saguenay fjord but were almost absent in collections from the confluent St. Lawrence estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. Collections from the estuary and Gulf contained boreal mysids more typical of the latitude. The presence of apparently isolated populations of B. nobilis and M. litoralis in the fjord is further evidence that it is an arctic enclave within a boreal region. The hypothesis that populations of arctic and subarctic species in the Saguenay fjord are relicts from a previous glacial period is questioned in view of the possibility of more recent faunal exchange between the Arctic and the fjord via intermediate arctic enclaves on the eastern Canadian coast.