Preface
The second Atlas of the zooplankton assemblages of the Straits of Magellan is intended
as a companion text to the first volume on the copepod species in this biogeographically unique are a. The Atlas deals with the amphipods, euphausiids, mysids, ostracods
and chaetognaths sampled during the course of the Italian expedition in the Straits in
1991. Although numerically less abundant than the copepods described in the first
volume of this series, these other groups can at times be relatively abundant, ranking
second or third in frequency after the ubiquitous copepods. Also, they contribute significantly to the total zooplankton biomass and therefore play an important ro le in the
carbon flux dynamics in the area.
The Atlas is intended for both beginners and experts in plankton ecology. The descriptive format is similar to the one adopted for the first volume on copepods. It is extremely succinct, with brief taxonomie descriptions. Emphasis is given to illustrations
that include line drawings and scanning electron micrographs; 39 species are described including 13 amphipod, 6 euphausiid, 4 mysid, 13 ostracod and 5 chaetognath
species. Several of these are new for the Straits. As in the first volume of the series, detailed information is also given on species distributions and relative abundances, together with environmental data at the time of collection. A detailed description of the
study area has already been published in the first volume of the series.
Since much of the faunistic information on the zooplankton assemblages in subAntarctic areas dates back to the turn of the century and is usually contained in rare
monographs or reports, we hope that this new Atlas, together with the first volume,
will provide a rapid and practica! handbook for the easy identification of the species
living in this and other sub-Antarctic areas, facilitating fu ture research activities in
these regions.
The second Atlas of the zooplankton assemblages of the Straits of Magellan is intended
as a companion text to the first volume on the copepod species in this biogeographically unique are a. The Atlas deals with the amphipods, euphausiids, mysids, ostracods
and chaetognaths sampled during the course of the Italian expedition in the Straits in
1991. Although numerically less abundant than the copepods described in the first
volume of this series, these other groups can at times be relatively abundant, ranking
second or third in frequency after the ubiquitous copepods. Also, they contribute significantly to the total zooplankton biomass and therefore play an important ro le in the
carbon flux dynamics in the area.
The Atlas is intended for both beginners and experts in plankton ecology. The descriptive format is similar to the one adopted for the first volume on copepods. It is extremely succinct, with brief taxonomie descriptions. Emphasis is given to illustrations
that include line drawings and scanning electron micrographs; 39 species are described including 13 amphipod, 6 euphausiid, 4 mysid, 13 ostracod and 5 chaetognath
species. Several of these are new for the Straits. As in the first volume of the series, detailed information is also given on species distributions and relative abundances, together with environmental data at the time of collection. A detailed description of the
study area has already been published in the first volume of the series.
Since much of the faunistic information on the zooplankton assemblages in subAntarctic areas dates back to the turn of the century and is usually contained in rare
monographs or reports, we hope that this new Atlas, together with the first volume,
will provide a rapid and practica! handbook for the easy identification of the species
living in this and other sub-Antarctic areas, facilitating fu ture research activities in
these regions.