Some breach of the Walles' rule and other peculiarities of the fauna in the Weddell Sea

According to the rule of de Candolle-Walles a species diversity decreases from low latitudes regions to high latitudes regions. However in the Weddell Sea the biodiversity of the fauna of some groups are approximately the same (Actiniaria, Mysidacea, Cumacea, Gastropoda, Bryozoa, Echinoidea) or more than this in the Magellan region (Spongia, Pycnogonida, Holothuroidea, Asteroidea, Ohpiuroidea, Ascidiacea). In spite of the rather high species diversity of bivalves in the Weddell Sea, communities where bivalves dominated (like in Arctic seas) practically are absent and average size of gastropods and bivalves is much less than in the Arctic Ocean. Moreover Reptantia from Decapoda crustacean is absent in the Weddell Sea. We will try to explain the reasons of the breach of the Walles rule of the fauna and will try to explain some other peculiarities of the Weddell Sea. For this purpose we will compare the fauna of some groups in the Magellan region and in the Weddell Sea (Table. Number of species of different genera the Magellan Region and in the Weddell Sea).Согласно правилу меридионального изменения разнообразия Декандоля–Уоллеса, разнообразие видов уменьшается от низких широт к высоким. Сравнение фауны моря Уэдделла с фауной соседнего с ним Магелланова района обнаруживает нарушение этого правила для некоторых групп морских донных животных. У актиний, мизид, кумовых раков, брюхоногих моллюсков, мшанок и морских ежей (Actiniaria, Mysidacea, Cumacea, Gastropoda, Bryozoa, Echinoidea) видовое разнообразие в море Уэдделла почти не уступает таковому в Магеллановом р-не, а у губок, морских пауков, голотурий, морских звезд, офиур и асцидий (Spongia, Pycnogonida, Holothuroidea, Asteroidea, Ohpiuroidea, Ascidiacea) оно даже выше, вопреки правилу Уоллеса. Несмотря на довольно высокое разнообразие видов двустворчатых моллюсков в море Уэдделла, сообщества, где двустворки доминируют (как в арктических морях), фактически отсутствуют, а средний размер гастропод и двустворчатых моллюсков – намного меньше, чем в Северном Ледовитом океане. Кроме того, ракообразные из группы Reptantia (Decapoda) в море Уэдделла отсутствуют. Мы попытаемся объяснить причины нарушения правила Декандоля–Уоллеса и некоторые другие особенности фауны моря Уэдделла. С этой целью мы сравним фауну некоторых групп беспозвоночных Магелланова района и моря Уэдделла.Відповідно до правила меридіональної зміни різноманіття Декандоля–Уоллеса, різноманіття видів зменшується від низьких широт до високих. Порівняння фауни моря Уедделла з фауною сусіднього з ним Магелланового району виявляє порушення цього правила для деяких груп морських донних тварин. У актиній, мізид, кумових раків, черевоногих молюсків, мшанок та морських їжаків (Actiniaria, Mysidacea, Cumacea, Gastropoda, Bryozoa, Echinoidea) видове різноманіття в морі Уедделла майже не поступається такому в Магеллановому районі, а у губок, морських павуків, голотурій, морських зірок, офіур і асцидій (Spongia, Pycnogonida, Holothuroidea, Asteroidea, Ohpiuroidea, Ascidiacea) воно навіть вище, всупереч правилу Уоллеса. Попри досить велике різноманіття видів двостворчастих молюсків у морі Уедделла, угруповання, де двостворки домінують (як в арктичних морях), фактично відсутні, а середній розмір гастропод і двостворчастих молюсків набагато менший, аніж у Північному Льодовитому океані. Окрім того, ракоподібні з групи Reptantia (Decapoda) в морі Уедделла відсутні. Ми спробуємо пояснити причини порушення правила Декандоля–Уоллеса та деякі інші особливості фауни моря Уедделла. З цією метою порівняємо фауну деяких груп безхребетних Магелланового району й моря Уедделла

CAFF Monitoring Series Report No.3 - Arctic Marine Biodiversity Monitoring Plan (CBMP-MARINE PLAN)

CAFF Monitoring Series Report No.3 - Arctic Council's CAFF Working Group Arctic Marine Biodiversity Monitoring Plan (CBMP-MARINE PLA

Diversity of hard-bottom fauna relative to environmental gradients in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard

A baseline study of hard-bottom zoobenthos in relation to environmental gradients in Kongsfjorden, a glacial fjord in Svalbard, is presented, based on collections from 1996 to 1998. The total species richness in 62 samples from 0 to 30 m depth along five transects was 403 species. Because 32 taxa could not be identified to species level and because 11 species are probably new to science, the total number of identified species was 360. Of these, 47 species are new for Svalbard waters. Bryozoa was the most diverse group. Biogeographic composition revealed features of both Arctic and sub-Arctic properties of the fauna. Species richness, frequency of species occurrence, mean abundance and biomass generally decreased towards the tidal glaciers in inner Kongsfjorden. Among eight environmental factors, depth was most important for explaining variance in the composition of the zoobenthos. The diversity was consistently low at shallow depths, whereas the non-linear patterns of species composition of deeper samples indicated a transitional zone between surface and deeper water masses at 15–20 m depth. Groups of “colonial” and “non-colonial” species differed in diversity, biogeographic composition and distribution by location and depth as well as in relation to other environmental factors. “Non-colonial” species made a greater contribution than “colonial” species to total species richness, total occurrence and biomass in samples, and were more influenced by the depth gradient. Biogeographic composition was sensitive to variation of zoobenthic characteristics over the studied depth range. A list of recorded species and a description of sampling sites are presented

A new name for the deep-sea chiton Leptochiton clarki Sigwart & Sirenko non Berry (Lepidopleurida: Leptochitonidae)

Sigwart, Julia D., Sirenko, Boris I. (2015): A new name for the deep-sea chiton Leptochiton clarki Sigwart & Sirenko non Berry (Lepidopleurida: Leptochitonidae). Zootaxa 3986 (2): 249-250, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3986.2.

Deep-sea chitons from sunken wood in the West Pacific (Mollusca: Polyplacophora: Lepidopleurida): taxonomy, distribution, and seven new species

FIGURE 4. Preserved specimens of the seven new species described. In all pictures, anterior is at top and scale bars are 1 mm. A. Leptochiton consimilis n. sp., lateral view of right side, Solomon Islands, Salomon 2 sta. CP2216. B. Leptochiton angustidens n. sp., lateral view of right side (at left) and dorsal view (at right). Specimen is from Vanuatu, Boa 1 sta. CP2432. C. Leptochiton dykei n. sp., lateral view of right side (at left) and dorsal view (at right), Vanuatu, Boa 1 sta. CP2412. D. Leptochiton samadiae n. sp., lateral view of right side (at left) and dorsal view (at right), Solomon Islands, Salomon 2 sta. CP2285. E. Leptochiton longisetosus n. sp., lateral view of right side (at left), Vanuatu, Boa 1 sta. CP2422. F. Leptochiton clarki n. sp., paratype, lateral view, Solomon Islands, Salomon 1 sta. CP1751. G. Leptochiton schwabei n. sp., paratypes, right lateral view (at left), and dorsal view (at right) in different specimens, both from Solomon Islands, Salomon 1 sta. CP1783.Published as part of Sigwart, Julia D. & Sirenko, Boris I., 2012, Deep-sea chitons from sunken wood in the West Pacific (Mollusca: Polyplacophora: Lepidopleurida): taxonomy, distribution, and seven new species, pp. 1-38 in Zootaxa 3195 on page 14, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.28009

Deep molluscan phylogeny: synthesis of palaeontological and neontological data

The position of the earliest-derived living molluscs, the Polyplacophora (chitons) and shell-less vermiform Aplacophora, remains highly contentious despite many morphological, developmental and molecular studies of extant organisms. These two groups are thought to represent either a basal molluscan grade or a clade (Aculifera) sister to the ‘higher’ molluscs (Conchifera). These incompatible hypotheses result in very different predictions about the earliest molluscs. A new cladistic analysis incorporating both Palaeozoic and extant molluscs is presented here. Our results support the monophyly of Aculifera and suggest that extant aplacophorans and polyplacophorans both derive from a disparate group of multivalved molluscs in two major clades. Reanalysis of the critical Ordovician taxon ‘Helminthochiton’ thraivensis shows that this animal lacks a true foot despite bearing polyplacophoran-like valves. Its position within our phylogenetic reconstruction indicates that many fossil ‘polyplacophorans’ in the order Palaeoloricata are likely to represent footless stem-group aplacophorans. ‘H.’ thraivensis and similar forms such as Acaenoplax may be morphological stepping stones between chitons and the shell-less aplacophorans. Our results imply that crown-group molluscan synapomorphies include serial repetition, the presence of a foot, a mineralized scleritome and a creeping rather than worm-like mode of life