The occurrence of pycnogonids associated with the volcanic structures of Bransfield Strait central basin (Antarctica)

Fifty-four specimens of pycnogonids belonging to twenty-two species, eight genera and six families were collected with a rocky dredge during the cruise Gebrap-96 in the central basin of Bransfield Strait, from depths between 647 and 1592 m. The richest station in terms of abundance and biomass was D...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientia Marina
Main Authors: Tomás Munilla, Anna Soler-Membrives
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas 2007
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.2007.71n4699
https://doaj.org/article/a92e925fb93b455bb07e53a470957e28
Description
Summary:Fifty-four specimens of pycnogonids belonging to twenty-two species, eight genera and six families were collected with a rocky dredge during the cruise Gebrap-96 in the central basin of Bransfield Strait, from depths between 647 and 1592 m. The richest station in terms of abundance and biomass was DR6 (south of Livingston Island), which was also the shallowest one; at this relatively shallow depth food is more available than in deeper waters. The families Nymphonidae and Colossendeidae had the same number of specimens (21 specimens; 39% abundance each). The most abundant species were Nymphon villosum and N. proximum. Pallenopsis buphthalmus was collected for only the third time. The collections increased the geographical distribution of three species and the depth range of six species. The volcanic structures sampled were inactive during 1996, since none of the specimens showed signs of hydrothermal phenomena. This collection was typically representative of the west Antarctic benthic zone.