Cephalopods sampled near Azores-Biscay rise and along the mid-Atlantic Ridge north of the Azores by the FRV Walther Herwig II in 1982

ABSTRACT

In June 1982 F.R.V. Walther Herwig II (WH-II) cruise 52, leg 2, investigated the bathy- and benthopelagic fish fauna along the Azores Biscay Rise and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) north of the Azores. In total 678 decapod cephalopods were collected as bycatch and identified belonging to about 33 species in 17 families. The five most abundant families were Histioteuthidae, Cranchiidae, Mastigoteuthidae, Octopoteuthidae, and Chiroteuthidae. A comparison with the cephalopod species captured on a cruise of R.V. G.O. SARS (G.O. SARS) to the North Atlantic between 60°-41°N in June-July 2004 and their distribution patterns and biodiversity have been done. The use of different types of trawls applied on G.O. SARS and WH-II 52(2) regarding selection, species composition and biogeography are discussed. Locations with high species abundance and diversity were observed on WH-II 52(2) along the mid-Atlantic Ridge at about 50°-43°N.

KEYWORDS:

• Bathypelagic
• deep sea
• squids
• Sepiolids
• zoogeography
• distribution
• Atlantic Ocean

Acknowledgements

We thank especially Odd Aksel Bergstad, Institute of Marine Research, Flødevigen, Norway, without whom this research within MAR-ECO project no. 11290-20 could not have been accomplished. We owe thanks to Uwe Piatkowski, Leibniz-Institut für Meereswissenschaften (IFM-GEOMAR), who provided the contact to the Norwegian researcher (O. A. Bergstad). We are also grateful to Bernhard Hausdorf, Museum der Natur Hamburg, for making the material available for this study. To Angelika Brandt, Museum der Natur Hamburg, in whose division of crustacean research Cornelia was able to complete this work. We thank also our colleague Ute Mühlenhardt-Siegel of the Museum der Natur Hamburg for many constructive discussions. Jürgen Guerrero-Kommritz wants to thank Cornelia’s daughter Carolin Cremer for allowing him to finish this paper, and to Kathrin Philipps-Bussau, Museum der Natur Hamburg, for her help with the data of the raw manuscript. It was a big honour for me, Jurgen Guerrero-Kommritz to finish the last work of Cornelia.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Cornelia Warneke-Cremer was funded by MAR-ECO Project no . 11290-20.