|Harpacticoida (crustacea, copepoda) of the great meteor seamount, with first conclusions as to the origin of the plateau fauna|George, K.H.; Schminke, H.K. (2002). Harpacticoida (crustacea, copepoda) of the great meteor seamount, with first conclusions as to the origin of the plateau fauna. Mar. Biol. (Berl.) 141(5): 887-895. hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s00227-002-0878-6
In: Marine Biology. Springer: Heidelberg; Berlin. ISSN 0025-3162, more
|Authors|| || Top |
- George, K.H.
- Schminke, H.K.
Qualitative samples were taken at 26 stations on the Great Meteor Seamount and in the surrounding deep sea in order to record the meiofauna and to allow first qualitative faunistic investigations. Among the 26 taxa of meiofauna found, nematodes and copepods were the most abundant. Study of the Copepoda Harpacticoida yielded 28 supraspecific taxa, of which 11 have been selected for further investigation at the species level. Of the 56 species determined, 54 are new to science. Two separate faunas can be distinguished: one on the plateau (29 species) and one in the surrounding deep sea (23 species). The number of overlapping species (i.e. recorded in both areas) is rather low (four species). The high number of new species can be taken as a sign of pronounced endemism.