136
R. E. DE:LL
Of the 34 species known, over 66% also occur in East Antarctica. There
are few endemic species and no endemic genera.
The South Georgian Province supports 23 fish species (not counting
the poorly-known macrurids, skates and liparids). Nearly 40% of the
species are endemic, as are two genera. Species of Notothenia are much
better represented than species of Trematomus. Strong relationships
are shown with the West-Antarctic District (40% of the species in
common), Kerguelen Subregion (25%) and East-Antarctic District
Andriashev agrees that other methods of interpreting the same data
are possible. He brings forward the interesting point that there is a
progression from East Antarctica with a large land maw and the most
extreme climatic conditions, to the smaller less severe Antarctic
Peninsula, to the smaller still, much more benign South Georgia with a
corresponding reverse progression in the number of species present
from 56 in East Antarctica, 34 in West Antarctica and 23 in South
Georgia.
Because of the " sunken '' nature of the Antarctic Continental shelf,
Andriashev (1965) cannot distinguish a group of littoral fishes except
in South Georgia. Even the sublittoral group of fishes appears to be
weakly developed in places. The greatest number of species is found
between about 200 or 300 m and 500 or 600 m. Within this zone 80%
of the known Antarctic fishes have been collected. This is in marked
contrast to areas farther north where the number of benthic species
usually decreases beyond 100 or 200 m. Some genera and species of
typical Antarctic shelf families have adapted themselves to very deep
water. Andriashev cites the following examples.
(20%).
Chaenichthidae - Pagetopsis, Dacodraco - to 655 m
Harpagiferidae
- Pogonophryne
- to 850m
Nototheniidae
- Trematomus loennbergi - to 920 m
Bathydraconidae - Bathydraco scotiae
- to 2 5 7 9 m
Zoarcidae
- Austrolycicthys
- to 1 040 m
- Lycenchelys
- to 3 248 m
V. MBRINE ALGAE (Fig. 16)
Since intertidal algae are hardly developed at all in the Antarctic,
it was not possible to observe algal growth directly except in exceptional
circumstances in a few areas, until SCUBA diving could be used in
Antarctic waters. Until these new techniques showed the extent of sublittoral algal growth biologists, and especially zoologists, tended to
ignore, or a t least to greatly underestimate, the proper role of Antarctic
R. E. DE:LL
Of the 34 species known, over 66% also occur in East Antarctica. There
are few endemic species and no endemic genera.
The South Georgian Province supports 23 fish species (not counting
the poorly-known macrurids, skates and liparids). Nearly 40% of the
species are endemic, as are two genera. Species of Notothenia are much
better represented than species of Trematomus. Strong relationships
are shown with the West-Antarctic District (40% of the species in
common), Kerguelen Subregion (25%) and East-Antarctic District
Andriashev agrees that other methods of interpreting the same data
are possible. He brings forward the interesting point that there is a
progression from East Antarctica with a large land maw and the most
extreme climatic conditions, to the smaller less severe Antarctic
Peninsula, to the smaller still, much more benign South Georgia with a
corresponding reverse progression in the number of species present
from 56 in East Antarctica, 34 in West Antarctica and 23 in South
Georgia.
Because of the " sunken '' nature of the Antarctic Continental shelf,
Andriashev (1965) cannot distinguish a group of littoral fishes except
in South Georgia. Even the sublittoral group of fishes appears to be
weakly developed in places. The greatest number of species is found
between about 200 or 300 m and 500 or 600 m. Within this zone 80%
of the known Antarctic fishes have been collected. This is in marked
contrast to areas farther north where the number of benthic species
usually decreases beyond 100 or 200 m. Some genera and species of
typical Antarctic shelf families have adapted themselves to very deep
water. Andriashev cites the following examples.
(20%).
Chaenichthidae - Pagetopsis, Dacodraco - to 655 m
Harpagiferidae
- Pogonophryne
- to 850m
Nototheniidae
- Trematomus loennbergi - to 920 m
Bathydraconidae - Bathydraco scotiae
- to 2 5 7 9 m
Zoarcidae
- Austrolycicthys
- to 1 040 m
- Lycenchelys
- to 3 248 m
V. MBRINE ALGAE (Fig. 16)
Since intertidal algae are hardly developed at all in the Antarctic,
it was not possible to observe algal growth directly except in exceptional
circumstances in a few areas, until SCUBA diving could be used in
Antarctic waters. Until these new techniques showed the extent of sublittoral algal growth biologists, and especially zoologists, tended to
ignore, or a t least to greatly underestimate, the proper role of Antarctic