New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts
Macrobenthic polychaete assemblages of the continental shelf and upper slope
off the west coast of the South Island, New Zealand
P. K. PROBERT+
Department of Marine Science
University of Otago
P. O. Box 56
Dunedin, New Zealand
email: keith.probert@stonebow.otago.ac.nz
G. B. READ
National Institute of Water & Atmospheric
Research Ltd
P. O. Box 14 901
Wellington, New Zealand
S. L. GROVE
Department of Marine Science
University of Otago
P. O. Box 56
Dunedin, New Zealand
A. A. ROWDEN
National Institute of Water & Atmospheric
Research Ltd
P. O. Box 14 901
Wellington, New Zealand
Abstract Polychaete assemblages are described from replicate
box-core samples collected in summer 1983 at 18 stations on the continental
shelf and upper slope (28-943 m) off the west coast of the South Island,
New Zealand, south-eastern Tasman Sea (c. 41-43deg.S, 169-172deg.E). Three main
station groupings were identified by multivariate analysis: (1) inner shelf
sandy stations characterised by
Prionospio australiensis,
Aricidea (
Acesta) sp.,
Magelona cf.
dakini,
Paraprionospio aff.
pinnata,
Aglaophamus sp.,
Heteromastus filiformis, and
Magelona sp.; (2) middle to
outer shelf muddy stations characterised by
Levinsenia cf.
gracilis,
Prionospio australiensis,
Paraprionospio coora,
Aglaophamus verrilli, and
Auchenoplax mesos; and (3) upper slope
sandy mud or mud stations characterised by
Prionospio ehlersi. A
combination of water depth and sediment clay content provided the best
correlation with the biotic pattern. Spionidae was the most abundant family
(49% of polychaete individuals), which may reflect the scope for opportunistic
species in a shelf environment characterised by a high input of terrigenous
sediment and episodic upwelling.
Keywords benthos; fauna; assemblages; Polychaeta; Spionidae;
continental shelf; continental slope; bathyal; New Zealand; South Island;
Tasman Sea
+Author for correspondence.
M00020
Received 20 April
2000; accepted 30 July 2001
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (1004K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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