Ecology and Distribution of Some Pelagic Hyperiidea (Crustacea, Amphipoda) from New Zealand Waters
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Ecology and Distribution of Some Pelagic Hyperiidea (Crustacea, Amphipoda) from New Zealand Waters B.M. BARyl THE MARINE pelagic Amphipod a recorded and environmental associations provoke dis from New Zealand have been discussed sys cussion. tematically (Stephensen, 1927; Barnard , 1930, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 1932; Hurley, 1955), but few data are avail able on their distribution and ecology. The The writer gratefully acknowledges Dr. D. situation in Australia (Barnard, 1931; Dakin E. Hurley's identification of the amphipod and Colefax , 1933, 1940) and South Africa material, useful discussions of data, and read (Stebbing, 1910; Barnard, 1916, 1925, 1940) ing of typescripts and proofs. is similar. However, in antarctic latitudes MATERIAL AND METHODS some features of the ecolo gy of amphipods have been fairly extensively treated (Mackin Details of the areas from which collections tosh, 1934, 1937; Hardy and Gunther, 1935). were made, the gear and the methods, are The data presented herein are of collections discussed elsewhere (Bary, 1956, 1959). The made from the survey-frigate H.M.N.Z.S. areas sampled extended between Wellington "Lachlan, " in southern New Zealand waters, and Dunedin (one cruise in January, a second during the summer of 1951. The hyperi ids in March, 1951), between Dunedin and Fo from these collections have been identified by veaux Strait (duringJ anuary through March), D . E. Hurley, who generously undertook this and between Wellington and Auckland and taxonomic study (Hurley, 1955). Campbell islands , about 400 miles south of Fourteen species were present in the collec New Zealand (one cruise, November, 1951). tions. Seven of these were new records for (See Figs. 5, 6.) Procedure and gear were New Zealand. Five species, namely , Parathe standardized: tows were of 3 minutes at 1Yz misto (Euthemisto) gaudichaudii (Guer.), P. to 2 knots, within the surface metre of water, australis (Stebbing), P. gracilipes (Norman), using a net ofgraded silks, 50 cm. in diameter. eyl/opus magel/anicus Dana, and C. macropis Of the 80 samples, those of Stations 74-85 Bovallius, were present in .sufficienr numbers were collected whilst the ship was at anchor to permit discussing some features of their overnight in a tidal stream in western Foveaux ecology, especially their relationships to the Strait (Bary, 1956). Although the temperature water masses in the area about southern New was taken at each of these, salinity was de Zealand. The remaining nine species were of termined only for Station 79. Therefore, only rare occurrence, although their biological this station is shown in the various figures . All of the rare species collected at Stations 1 New Zealand Defence Scientific Corps, c/o Navy 74- 85 are shown as being captured at Station Office, Wellington, N .Z. Now at Oceanographic Lab oratory, 78 Craighall Road, Edinburgh 6, Scotland . 79 in Figures 2, 5a. Of the common species, Manu script received May 21, 1957. only those captured at Station 79 are illus- 317 318 PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. XIII, October, 1959 trated. All samples have been quantitatively group), for water originating in the sub analysed. tropical region (one group), and for the sub The method of the temperature-salinity antarctic region (two groups, a Southern plankton (T- S-P) diagram (Bary, 1959) is Group for cold water, and a Northern Group used here to elucidate the distributions of for that cold water which has undergone a species. Occurrenc es of species are plotted in temperature increase in its progress north the intercepts of the temperatures and salini ward). The cohesion of each of these groups ties of the stations at which they were cap in the T- S- P diagrams can only be interpreted tured . Species are thus related to the as being due to a correlation between the dis hydrological conditions as indicated by these tribution of the individual species composing properties . The water-envelope (Figs. 1- 4) the group and the properties of the water surrounds the intercepts of all the tempera body which they inhabit and of which they tures and salinities of the surface waters in the are indicators . The area ofchief concentration sampled areas, but Figure 1 shows only those of each indicator group of species is shown in for plankton stations. The hydrology of the Figure 2 by lining-in; there are, however, no area and the relationships of these waters are . species of the Northern Group among the illustrated and discussed by Bary (1959). Amphipoda. The stippled arrows indicate the T- S-P diagrams of the five commonly oc routes (within the diagram) along which curring amphipods are shown in Figures 3 oceanic species are believed to be penetrating and 4. The geographical distributions ofthese towards coastal waters. These routes closely species in relation to temperatures (Figs. 5, 6) coincide with the direction of water move are discussed and interpreted in the light of ments as deduced from the correspon din g information derived from the T- S- P dia T- S diagram of the surface waters (Fig. 1). grams. The stations have been subdivided The cold-water Amph ipoda are repre into several series, and each of these is as near sented solely by species of the Southern as possible a synoptic series and a geographic Subantarctic Group (Fig. 3).Large numbers unit . The geographical distribution of the of Parathemisto (Euthemisto) gaudichaudii were subantarctic species and the coastal-subtrop captured ; there were fewer specimens of Cyl ical species are charted for each series. Rare lopus magellanicus, and C. macropis was rare. species are charted according to the water Both the numbers of these oceanic species, properties with which they are associated in and the frequency of their occurrences de the T- S- P diagram (Fig. 2). Thus, Vibilia creased in coastal waters, probably as a result stebbingi (?), at Station 210, is shown to be in of their being transferred into relatively ad water of subantarctic origin in the T- S-P dia verse conditions. However, the greater num gram ; therefore, the appropriate geographical ber of the stations in coastal waters were chart is that which concerns other subantarctic occupied in daylight (Fig. 1) which may species (Fig. 5g). As well, the rare species are contribute towards the taking of fewer speci listed in Table 1 and appreciations are made mens (this feature is discussed by Bary, 1959). of their distributions as recorded by other in The occurrences of two Coastal species, vestigators, and as indicated by the relation Parathemisto gracilpes and P. australis, and of ships exhibited in the T- S- P diagrams. In the the subtropical species, Hyperoche mediterranea charts they are shown together at Station 79 Senna, are shown in Figure 4. Hyperoche among the subtropical species. mediterranea is restricted to a narrow range of temperature in the warmest waters (except for DISTRIBUTI ON Station 100) whilst P. gracilipes and P. australis Indicator groups of species were selected occur commonly over much the same salini previously (Bary, 1959) for coastal water (one ties, but over a wider range of temperatures. Pelagic Hyperiidea - BARY 319 16'5 --- -- ... ~ -- ..........._- 16'0 ISS 150 145 e99 COASTAL A ND DIL UTED 3~~ 14'0 SUBANTARCTIC WA TERS '82 92 9 ()199 e l38 -----1 9" , } i QI78 126e 135 COASTAL WATER 0 2 165 '8270 ~20!) ()198 0 1. ells QIB6 e 12 5 04 QI92 el53 w l2 S 0:: I B 9 Q~<:> :J ,,~ (1) 3 4 2 ~?" f~12 '0 °d Q IB7 0:: IBB Q w Q T -SD IAGRAM 0 v x us ~,+ P la ~ k t o n Station s. w 0 6 Ser-ie s S ymbol Numben Oat., f- I ······ ··· · • ·· ····· 10 - 153 · · ~6 - 2 4· 1 · 5 1 11 ·0 2 · ··· ···· 15 9- 192··· 24' 1- 1'2 ·5 1 3 ····· ·· · ·· o ···· ··· 193 -22 B··· 5113·2 ·5 1 4 ··········· 11 229-314····EY9.3.51 105 5 ········· · 0 1- 6 " ' 3 / 4 ' 1'5 1 6 ··· ··· ··· ·· <D • . .•• • 320-343··21/22'3'51 7 8 795-921 13 /1 7.11 .5 1 10 ·0 Direct ion of Water Movement .. (a, deduced from diagram) 9-5 g·O 8 7 95 8 8 2 6 8·5 DI L UT ED WA T ERS · ··· . , . .. .. - -- - - SUBTROPICAL CO NVERGENC E == === == 8 921 8 '0 340 '1 ·2 ·3 -4 ·5 ·6 ·7 ' 8 '9 350 ·1 SA LINITY - (%0). FIG. 1. Tem peratur e-salinity (T-S) diagram of surface waters about eastern and sou thern Sou th Island, New Zealand, extending sou thwards to Auckland and Campbell Islands. Plank ton statio ns for which temperatures and salinities were obtained are entered. N umbers underlined (e.g., 212 ) represent night stations; num bers overlined represent stations between dawn and sunri se or sunset and dark. Stations witho ut lines were occupi ed in daylight. 320 PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. XIII, October, 1959 165 - -- --------------- ------------ 16'0 ~~~ --- 15,5 15-0 145 140 135 <-P'O I w 0::125 ::J «~ 0::/2'0 w a.. ~ WI 15 ~ 11'0 AREA S OF CH IE F CONCE NTR ATION 105 OF: Subantarctic Spec ies, 100 Northern Southern 95 Subtropical Species Coastal Spec ies 9 '0 Direction of Plankton Movement ..............:. :.:: : :::: :~.. (as deduced from the diagram) e 8·5 e 8 ·0 34'0 ·1 ·5 ·6 ·7 ' 8 ·9 35-0 ··1 '2 SA LI NIT Y- %0. FIG. 2. Generalised T-S-P diag ram show ing areas of chief concentration of indicator groups of species for waters of sub tropical and suba ntarctic orig ins and for coastal waters. Species captured rarely are shown by the ir inirial lercers adjacent to the station at which they were cap tured (see text for Station 79). Po= P1atyscelis oooides.