ANTARCTIC BENTHOS
41
palaeontologists rather wary of using fossil spicules alone as palaeoecological evidence.
Koltun (1968) was able to identify down to species many of the
sponges contributing to the sediments in various areas of the Southern
Ocean.
Bipolarity
The sponges are one of the few groups in which bipolar species are
still recognized. Koltun (1969) considered that ten species could be
considered bipolar.
Sphaerotylus schoenus Sollas, S. borealis Svareczevsky ( = S.
antarcticw Kirkpatrick), Suberites montiniger Carter, Artemisina
apollinis (Ridley and Dendy), Hymedesmia simillima Lundbeck and H .
longurius Lundbeck are all species which occur in both the Arctic and
Antarctic and do not extend far into adjacent waters. Plakina monolopha Schulze, P . triZopha, Esperiopsis villosa (Carter) and Desmacidon
fruticosa (Montagu) occur in both hemispheres but rather in temperate
or subtropical waters. Other species which could be considered bipolar
are Stylocordyla borealis Loven, Amphilectus fucorum (Esper), Adocia
flagellifer (Ridley and Dendy), Aplysilla sulphurea Schulze and Halisarca dujardini Johnston. There no longer seems any doubt that these
Southern Hemisphere species are identical with the Northern Hemisphere species. Koltun (1969) however pointed out that zoogeographical
conclusions should not be taken too far as yet, since the sponge fauna of
tropical waters has still not been studied.
C. Coelenterata
1. Scleractinian corals
Antarctic and Subantarctic corals have usually been considered to
belong to the group of " simple " or " deep sea " corals. The term
" ahermatypic " (literally non-reef building) is much more accurate and
has been used much more frequently over the last decade in contrast
to " hermatypic " (the corals of the reef building type). Considering
the few species involved, knowledge of the Antarctic Scleractinian
corals has only slowly accumulated and as Squires (1969, p. 16) has
indicated they " are as yet inadequately known ". However, the systematic problems which Squires mentions are problems concerning all
living ahermatypic corals and are not confined to the Antarctic.
Workers who have contributed especially to our knowledge of the
41
palaeontologists rather wary of using fossil spicules alone as palaeoecological evidence.
Koltun (1968) was able to identify down to species many of the
sponges contributing to the sediments in various areas of the Southern
Ocean.
Bipolarity
The sponges are one of the few groups in which bipolar species are
still recognized. Koltun (1969) considered that ten species could be
considered bipolar.
Sphaerotylus schoenus Sollas, S. borealis Svareczevsky ( = S.
antarcticw Kirkpatrick), Suberites montiniger Carter, Artemisina
apollinis (Ridley and Dendy), Hymedesmia simillima Lundbeck and H .
longurius Lundbeck are all species which occur in both the Arctic and
Antarctic and do not extend far into adjacent waters. Plakina monolopha Schulze, P . triZopha, Esperiopsis villosa (Carter) and Desmacidon
fruticosa (Montagu) occur in both hemispheres but rather in temperate
or subtropical waters. Other species which could be considered bipolar
are Stylocordyla borealis Loven, Amphilectus fucorum (Esper), Adocia
flagellifer (Ridley and Dendy), Aplysilla sulphurea Schulze and Halisarca dujardini Johnston. There no longer seems any doubt that these
Southern Hemisphere species are identical with the Northern Hemisphere species. Koltun (1969) however pointed out that zoogeographical
conclusions should not be taken too far as yet, since the sponge fauna of
tropical waters has still not been studied.
C. Coelenterata
1. Scleractinian corals
Antarctic and Subantarctic corals have usually been considered to
belong to the group of " simple " or " deep sea " corals. The term
" ahermatypic " (literally non-reef building) is much more accurate and
has been used much more frequently over the last decade in contrast
to " hermatypic " (the corals of the reef building type). Considering
the few species involved, knowledge of the Antarctic Scleractinian
corals has only slowly accumulated and as Squires (1969, p. 16) has
indicated they " are as yet inadequately known ". However, the systematic problems which Squires mentions are problems concerning all
living ahermatypic corals and are not confined to the Antarctic.
Workers who have contributed especially to our knowledge of the