Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-9q27g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-22T16:38:38.895Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Distribution and bathymetric zonation of deep-sea brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) off the Japanese Pacific coast

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 September 2002

Julio García
Affiliation:
The University of Tokyo, Ocean Research Institute, Marine Ecology Division, Minamidai, 1-15-1, Nakano-Ku, Tokyo, 164-0014, Japan
Hsin-ming Yeh
Affiliation:
The University of Tokyo, Ocean Research Institute, Marine Ecology Division, Minamidai, 1-15-1, Nakano-Ku, Tokyo, 164-0014, Japan
Suguru Ohta
Affiliation:
The University of Tokyo, Ocean Research Institute, Marine Ecology Division, Minamidai, 1-15-1, Nakano-Ku, Tokyo, 164-0014, Japan

Abstract

The distribution and bathymetric zonation of deep-sea ophiuroids off the Japanese Pacific coast were analysed. Samples were collected using beam trawls between depths of 60 and 6382 m. In 154 samples, 139 ophiuroid species were found. Data were clustered based on Morisita–Horn similarity index and a dendrogram was constructed. The Japanese Pacific coast can be divided in two major zones. One in the northern part off the Japanese Pacific coast, and another in the region off the central Japanese Pacific coast. In the northern region, five bathymetrical zones were detected at depths of 130–250, 300–500, 500–650, 1100–1500, and 2000–3000 m. In the central region, eight bathymetrical zones were detected at 100–140, 150–250, 200–300, 220–300, 300–400, 400–500, 800–1000, and 1000–1500 m depth. Representative species for each bathymetrical zone are reported.

Type
SHORT COMMUNICATIONS
Copyright
2002 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)