Distribution Patterns of Argestidae Por, 1986 (Copepoda Harpacticoida) in the South Atlantic Ocean – first results from DIVA 2

• Main Authors: Menzel, L., George, K. H.
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: South Atlantic Ocean; Copepods
• Online Access: https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/31033/; https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.39917

Argestidae Por, 1986 are one of the most abundant taxa in the muddy sediments of the deep oceans. This family with up to date 20 genera and 83 described species shows well visible diagnostic characters allowing quick identification at least to family level. In most of the cases, the Argestidae found in deep-sea samples, can be identified down to genus level. Identification to species level is rarely possible, since most of the detected species are new to science. Altogether, the occurrence in each deep-sea sample allover the world combined with the high recognition value, they are supposed to be representative for the biogeographical and chorological distribution of harpacticoid copepods in the deep oceans. The results from the expedition DIVA 1 (M48/1) showed differences between the two sampled stations within the Angola Basin. Preliminary results from DIVA 2 (M63/2), leading to the Cape, Angola and Guinea Basin show that, also comparing these three deep-sea basins, which are separated by ridges, geographic obstacles do not seem to be barriers for benthonic living meiofauna in the South Atlantic. Thus, for harpacticoid copepods, the results from DIVA 2 confirm the conclusion of DIVA 1, that other factors than geographic structures seem to rule the distribution or occurrence of species in the deep of the worlds oceans.