| one publication added to basket [16445] | The copepod fauna of the Gulf of Carpentaria, and its Indo-West Pacific affinities
Othman, B.H.R.; Greenwood, J.G.; Rothlisberg, P.C. (1990). The copepod fauna of the Gulf of Carpentaria, and its Indo-West Pacific affinities. Neth. J. Sea Res. 25(4): 561-572
In: Netherlands Journal of Sea Research. Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ): Groningen; Den Burg. ISSN 0077-7579; e-ISSN 1873-1406, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Othman, B.H.R.
- Greenwood, J.G.
- Rothlisberg, P.C.
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| Abstract |
Copepods from the Gulf of Carpentaria, the tropical, northern Australian waters adjacent to the Arafura Sea, were collected from 23 sites spanning the entire Gulf during 10 cruises in the period August 1975 to May 1977. Samples were taken using plankton nets with mesh size of 142 µm. One hundred and two species of copepods were identified, 68 species belonging to the sub-order Calanoida, 30 to the Cyclopoida and four to the Harpacticoida. Thirteen of these species were new to science; descriptions of seven have so far been published. Ninety five of the species collected in this study are new records for the Gulf region, and 23 are new records for waters of the Australian continent. The faunal composition is characteristically warm water neritic, and shows similarity to that of Southeast Asia, having at least 88 species in common. Comparisons of copepod species records from the Gulf of Carpentaria with those from the northeastern Pacific coast of Australia (Great Barrier Reef and Moreton Bay) show 79 species to be common to these areas. Of all the species collected in the Gulf, three have been previously recorded from the Indian Ocean but not the Pacific, and five are otherwise only known from the Pacific Ocean. The Gulf is regarded as forming the southeasternmost region of the Indo-pacific marine domain, within which most of the 13 new species encountered in this study appear to be endemic. Species distribution patterns are discussed in relation to post-glacial and present-day hydrodynamics of the region. |
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