48
R. K. DELL
recorded from the Antarctic Peninsula and one from the South Orkneys.
About 11 species seem to have been recorded from East Antarctica.
Only a few species have had ranges recorded embracing both East and
West Antarctica, e.g. Rimicola glacialis Bahmig, although a number
have extensive distributions from the Magellan Region and to varying
degrees down the Scotia Arc and also from Kerguelen, e.g. Stylochoides
albus Hallez, Procerodm ohlini (Bergendel) and P. wandeli Hallez.
Westblad (1 952) believes that the scattered occurrences of turbellarians on Kerguelen Island and the islands of the Scotia Arc seem to
demonstrate that the Antarctic Continent was formerly much wider in
extent. Since these littoral species have no pelagic larvae, their dispersal
by sea currents is inconceivable, “ so that the scattered occurrence of
a Turbellarian species must be interpreted as a remainder of an ancient
continuous distribution ”. Perhaps this is a rather broad conclusion to
be based upon such evidence, especially in face of much contrary geological evidence.
E. Nematodu
The first study on Antarctic free living nematodes seems to be that
of von Linstow (1892) who recorded a few species from South Georgia.
Cobb (1914) described two new genera and 25 new species from the
Ross Sea from material collected on the Shackleton Expedition. A
further collection from the Ross Sea was described by Allgen (1929).
The large fauna obtained at Gauss Station by the German South Polar
expedition was described by Steiner (1931). Mawson (1956, 1958)
described material from East Antarctica collected by the B.A.N.Z.A.R.
Expedition. A major advance in our knowledge of Antarctic nematodes
has come with the publication of Allgen’s (1959) massive work dealing
with the material sorted out from preserved bottom samples obtained
mainly by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition. Based on some 6 000
specimens mostly from the Magellan Region, the Falkland Islands,
South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula, Allgen recorded 343 species
classified in 92 genera (13 of the genera and 200 of the species being
described as new). Many of these were from the Magellan Region and
from the Falklands. The fauna recorded from South Georgia comprised 143 species, of which 20% were common to southern South
America, 49% were common to the Falklands and 17% common t o the
Antarctic Peninsula. Nematodes are, however, wide ranging animals
and 56 of the species now known from South Georgia also occur on the
Atlantic European coasts. Some 21 species also occurred in Australia
and 20 have been recorded also from Campbell Island. No records
were known to Allgen from Kerguelen.
R. K. DELL
recorded from the Antarctic Peninsula and one from the South Orkneys.
About 11 species seem to have been recorded from East Antarctica.
Only a few species have had ranges recorded embracing both East and
West Antarctica, e.g. Rimicola glacialis Bahmig, although a number
have extensive distributions from the Magellan Region and to varying
degrees down the Scotia Arc and also from Kerguelen, e.g. Stylochoides
albus Hallez, Procerodm ohlini (Bergendel) and P. wandeli Hallez.
Westblad (1 952) believes that the scattered occurrences of turbellarians on Kerguelen Island and the islands of the Scotia Arc seem to
demonstrate that the Antarctic Continent was formerly much wider in
extent. Since these littoral species have no pelagic larvae, their dispersal
by sea currents is inconceivable, “ so that the scattered occurrence of
a Turbellarian species must be interpreted as a remainder of an ancient
continuous distribution ”. Perhaps this is a rather broad conclusion to
be based upon such evidence, especially in face of much contrary geological evidence.
E. Nematodu
The first study on Antarctic free living nematodes seems to be that
of von Linstow (1892) who recorded a few species from South Georgia.
Cobb (1914) described two new genera and 25 new species from the
Ross Sea from material collected on the Shackleton Expedition. A
further collection from the Ross Sea was described by Allgen (1929).
The large fauna obtained at Gauss Station by the German South Polar
expedition was described by Steiner (1931). Mawson (1956, 1958)
described material from East Antarctica collected by the B.A.N.Z.A.R.
Expedition. A major advance in our knowledge of Antarctic nematodes
has come with the publication of Allgen’s (1959) massive work dealing
with the material sorted out from preserved bottom samples obtained
mainly by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition. Based on some 6 000
specimens mostly from the Magellan Region, the Falkland Islands,
South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula, Allgen recorded 343 species
classified in 92 genera (13 of the genera and 200 of the species being
described as new). Many of these were from the Magellan Region and
from the Falklands. The fauna recorded from South Georgia comprised 143 species, of which 20% were common to southern South
America, 49% were common to the Falklands and 17% common t o the
Antarctic Peninsula. Nematodes are, however, wide ranging animals
and 56 of the species now known from South Georgia also occur on the
Atlantic European coasts. Some 21 species also occurred in Australia
and 20 have been recorded also from Campbell Island. No records
were known to Allgen from Kerguelen.