Preface
An Atlas on the Zooplankton Assemblages of the Straits of Magellan represents
one of the few attempts in recent years to describe the pelagic fauna of a subAntarctic region. Its primary aim is to provide a rapid and practical handbook
for the easy identification of the plankton species living in the area. The idea of
preparing such an Atlas also derives from the fact that much of the faunistic
information for sub-Antarctic waters is very old and usually contained in rare
monographs and reports. Also, since most recent taxonomic records are generally
focused on genera or families, a comprehensive treatise will hopefully facilitate
future studies on plankton communities in these regions.
The Atlas is intended for both experts and beginners in plankton ecology. In
preparing it, we have tried to amalgamate older studies with newer ones that
incorporate modem techniques. Our purpose was to preserve the descriptive
format of illustrative volumes published at the tum of the century while using
advanced instrumentation such as the electron microscope and computerarranged line drawings. The format of our catalogue is extremely succinct, with
brief taxonomic descriptions of females and males, when possible. More
attention is given to illustrations than to descriptions since most of the species
sampled within the Straits are exhaustively described elsewhere.
The first volume of the Atlas describes the copepod assemblages, based on
the material collected during the course of an Italian expedition in the Straits of
Magellan in 1991. Forty-five copepod species are described, 18 of which are
new for the region. Detailed information is also given on their distribution and
abundances, together with a series of environmental parameters sampled at the
time of collection.
An Atlas on the Zooplankton Assemblages of the Straits of Magellan represents
one of the few attempts in recent years to describe the pelagic fauna of a subAntarctic region. Its primary aim is to provide a rapid and practical handbook
for the easy identification of the plankton species living in the area. The idea of
preparing such an Atlas also derives from the fact that much of the faunistic
information for sub-Antarctic waters is very old and usually contained in rare
monographs and reports. Also, since most recent taxonomic records are generally
focused on genera or families, a comprehensive treatise will hopefully facilitate
future studies on plankton communities in these regions.
The Atlas is intended for both experts and beginners in plankton ecology. In
preparing it, we have tried to amalgamate older studies with newer ones that
incorporate modem techniques. Our purpose was to preserve the descriptive
format of illustrative volumes published at the tum of the century while using
advanced instrumentation such as the electron microscope and computerarranged line drawings. The format of our catalogue is extremely succinct, with
brief taxonomic descriptions of females and males, when possible. More
attention is given to illustrations than to descriptions since most of the species
sampled within the Straits are exhaustively described elsewhere.
The first volume of the Atlas describes the copepod assemblages, based on
the material collected during the course of an Italian expedition in the Straits of
Magellan in 1991. Forty-five copepod species are described, 18 of which are
new for the region. Detailed information is also given on their distribution and
abundances, together with a series of environmental parameters sampled at the
time of collection.