ANTARUTIO BENTHOS
171
ever, more than in almost any other area the results of Antarctic biological research have appeared in a wide range of languages and in an
extremely wide range of scientific journals and expedition reports. One
other concomitant result is that the type specimens of Antarctic animals
are scattered through the national museums of the world t o an extent
that is hardly comparable for any other geographical area (except perhaps South America). This undoubtedly hampers comparison of type
specimens and this has proved highly necessary for many Antarctic
forms.
The concept that Antarctic species might be widely distributed both
around the continent and into the Subantarctic has been slow to
develop. One suspects that some early workers envisaged the Antarctic
as it appeared on a Mercator’s projection of the world. Be that as it
may many workers seem to have been over-awed with the distances
between Antarctic localities without realising the general uniform conditions. It is also painfully obvious that some workers have been completely oblivious of the sheer bulk of literature on the Antarctic that
already exists. Perhaps none of these reasons accounts for the distinguished worker on Mollusca who in the early days of biological work in
Antarctic waters (1906) managed to describe the same species under
three separate specific, and two different generic names, all from the
South American quadrant, and all in the same year.
Fortunately more general reviews on specific groups of animals are
now appearing and there is now little excuse for lack of knowledge of
the literature.
Another difficulty in the study of any particular benthic group is
undoubtedly the large gaps in collecting around the continent and to
the north. Distribution maps for even the commonest, most widely
dispersed species really only delineate the human collecting effort rather
than any other biological fact. Even for such important areas as the
Scotia Ridge, collections are as yet too restricted to allow for detailed
analysis of this area as a migration route. Even when most of the available collections have been written up it still does not seem that enough
detailed information will exist to show, for example, how many species
show a direct link between the Magellan Region and the South Shetlands and the Antarctic Peninsula without also occurring a t the South
Orkneys and South Georgia.
I n addition to collections from the obvious areas around the Continent to fill distribution gaps and very detailed coverage of the Scotia
Ridge it would be extremely useful to have a few studies of faunal
change with depth in rather more detail than is a t present available
even from such well-worked areas as the Ross Sea.
171
ever, more than in almost any other area the results of Antarctic biological research have appeared in a wide range of languages and in an
extremely wide range of scientific journals and expedition reports. One
other concomitant result is that the type specimens of Antarctic animals
are scattered through the national museums of the world t o an extent
that is hardly comparable for any other geographical area (except perhaps South America). This undoubtedly hampers comparison of type
specimens and this has proved highly necessary for many Antarctic
forms.
The concept that Antarctic species might be widely distributed both
around the continent and into the Subantarctic has been slow to
develop. One suspects that some early workers envisaged the Antarctic
as it appeared on a Mercator’s projection of the world. Be that as it
may many workers seem to have been over-awed with the distances
between Antarctic localities without realising the general uniform conditions. It is also painfully obvious that some workers have been completely oblivious of the sheer bulk of literature on the Antarctic that
already exists. Perhaps none of these reasons accounts for the distinguished worker on Mollusca who in the early days of biological work in
Antarctic waters (1906) managed to describe the same species under
three separate specific, and two different generic names, all from the
South American quadrant, and all in the same year.
Fortunately more general reviews on specific groups of animals are
now appearing and there is now little excuse for lack of knowledge of
the literature.
Another difficulty in the study of any particular benthic group is
undoubtedly the large gaps in collecting around the continent and to
the north. Distribution maps for even the commonest, most widely
dispersed species really only delineate the human collecting effort rather
than any other biological fact. Even for such important areas as the
Scotia Ridge, collections are as yet too restricted to allow for detailed
analysis of this area as a migration route. Even when most of the available collections have been written up it still does not seem that enough
detailed information will exist to show, for example, how many species
show a direct link between the Magellan Region and the South Shetlands and the Antarctic Peninsula without also occurring a t the South
Orkneys and South Georgia.
I n addition to collections from the obvious areas around the Continent to fill distribution gaps and very detailed coverage of the Scotia
Ridge it would be extremely useful to have a few studies of faunal
change with depth in rather more detail than is a t present available
even from such well-worked areas as the Ross Sea.