54
R. I ( . DELL
endemic t o the South Sandwich Islands and one endemic to the South
Orkneys. Two species occur in both the Antarctic Peninsula and the
South Orkneys. Seventeen species extend from the Antarctic Peninsula
as far as South Georgia of which eight are distributed also outside the
Magellan area. A further nine species extend from the Antarctic
Peninsula as far as the Magellan area (eight of them extending also elsewhere). South Georgia appears to have 16 endemic species with an
additional 15 shared with the Magellan region, and a further seven
species occurring also outside the Magellan area.
This summary of the recorded distribution (simplified as it is) is
given to show that the distribution of benthic Antarctic animals does
not by any means fit a neat pattern. Additional collections will undoubtedly eradicate some of the apparent anomalies but may well
introduce others. The spread of collections through the Scotia Ridge
are obviously too scattered as yet for detailed analysis. The collections
made by the Eltanin (judging by the published results for the ascidians)
will go far to fill the gaps.
In a general paper on the Antarctic polychaetes (1967) Hartman
indicated that while 457 species had been recorded before 1965, nearly
as many again had been obtained in subsequent collections. Deep
water faunas have been taken in depths down to 3 714 m off South
Georgia, the Drake Passage, the Scotia Sea, and off the South Sandwich
Islands. The Bransfield Strait between the South Shetlands and the
Antarctic Peninsula yielded more than 100 species, including populations
of the large Laetmonice producta (around 770 m) and the southernmost
recorded Chaetopterus (73 m). Other species which were well represented were : Neosabellides elongatus (Ehlers), Pista spinifera (Ehlers),
Polyeunoa laevis McIntosh (commensal on a hydrocoral), Phyllocomus
crocea Grube (in 265 m), the viviparous Paronuphis antarctica (Monro)
and Rhamphobrachium ehlersi Monro (between 220 and 240 m), Steblosoma antarctica Monro, Pista mirabilis McIntosh, P . corrientis McIntosh,
P . spinifera (Ehlers) and Serpula narconensis Baird (reaching its
southern limit here in 884 m).
Collections from the South Shetland Islands, the South Orkneys, off
the Antarctic Peninsula, the South Sandwich Islands and the Weddell
Sea are apparently similarly rich. The new bathymetric data available,
with obvious peaked distribution at certain depths will supply the basis
for a much fuller analysis.
In Hartman’s (1967~) study of the polychaetes collected by the
Eltanin (1962-66) and the Staten Island (1963), she identified 367
species from Chile, southern South America, the islands of the Scotia
Arc, the Antarctic Peninsula and the Weddell and Bellingshausen Seas,
R. I ( . DELL
endemic t o the South Sandwich Islands and one endemic to the South
Orkneys. Two species occur in both the Antarctic Peninsula and the
South Orkneys. Seventeen species extend from the Antarctic Peninsula
as far as South Georgia of which eight are distributed also outside the
Magellan area. A further nine species extend from the Antarctic
Peninsula as far as the Magellan area (eight of them extending also elsewhere). South Georgia appears to have 16 endemic species with an
additional 15 shared with the Magellan region, and a further seven
species occurring also outside the Magellan area.
This summary of the recorded distribution (simplified as it is) is
given to show that the distribution of benthic Antarctic animals does
not by any means fit a neat pattern. Additional collections will undoubtedly eradicate some of the apparent anomalies but may well
introduce others. The spread of collections through the Scotia Ridge
are obviously too scattered as yet for detailed analysis. The collections
made by the Eltanin (judging by the published results for the ascidians)
will go far to fill the gaps.
In a general paper on the Antarctic polychaetes (1967) Hartman
indicated that while 457 species had been recorded before 1965, nearly
as many again had been obtained in subsequent collections. Deep
water faunas have been taken in depths down to 3 714 m off South
Georgia, the Drake Passage, the Scotia Sea, and off the South Sandwich
Islands. The Bransfield Strait between the South Shetlands and the
Antarctic Peninsula yielded more than 100 species, including populations
of the large Laetmonice producta (around 770 m) and the southernmost
recorded Chaetopterus (73 m). Other species which were well represented were : Neosabellides elongatus (Ehlers), Pista spinifera (Ehlers),
Polyeunoa laevis McIntosh (commensal on a hydrocoral), Phyllocomus
crocea Grube (in 265 m), the viviparous Paronuphis antarctica (Monro)
and Rhamphobrachium ehlersi Monro (between 220 and 240 m), Steblosoma antarctica Monro, Pista mirabilis McIntosh, P . corrientis McIntosh,
P . spinifera (Ehlers) and Serpula narconensis Baird (reaching its
southern limit here in 884 m).
Collections from the South Shetland Islands, the South Orkneys, off
the Antarctic Peninsula, the South Sandwich Islands and the Weddell
Sea are apparently similarly rich. The new bathymetric data available,
with obvious peaked distribution at certain depths will supply the basis
for a much fuller analysis.
In Hartman’s (1967~) study of the polychaetes collected by the
Eltanin (1962-66) and the Staten Island (1963), she identified 367
species from Chile, southern South America, the islands of the Scotia
Arc, the Antarctic Peninsula and the Weddell and Bellingshausen Seas,