Photographic survey of benthos provides insights into the Antarctic fish fauna from the Marguerite Bay slope and the Amundsen Sea

• Main Authors: Eastman, J.T (Author), Amsler, M.O (Author), Aronson, R.B (Author), Thatje, S. (Author), McClintock, J.B (Author), Vos, S.C (Author), Kaeli, J.W (Author), Singh, H. (Author), La Mesa, M. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2013.
• Subjects: Article
• Online Access: Get fulltext

We reviewed photographic images of fishes from depths of 381-2282 in Marguerite Bay and 405-2007 m in the Amundsen Sea. Marguerite Bay fishes were 33% notothenioids and 67% non-notothenioids. Channichthyids (47%) and nototheniids (44%) were the most abundant notothenioids. The deep-living channichthyid Chionobathyscus dewitti (74%) and the nototheniid genus Trematomus (66%) were the most abundant taxa within these two families. The most abundant non-notothenioids were the macrourid Macrourus whitsoni (72%) and zoarcids (18%). Amundsen Sea fishes were 87% notothenioids and 13% non-notothenioids, the latter exclusively Macrourus whitsoni. Bathydraconids (38%) and artedidraconids (30%) were the most abundant notothenioids. We observed that Macrourus whitsoni was benthopelagic and benthic and infested by large ectoparasitic copepods. Juvenile (42-cm) Dissostichus mawsoni was not neutrally buoyant and resided on the substrate at 1277 m. Lepidonotothen squamifrons was seen near and on nests of eggs in early December. A Pogonophryne spp. from 2127 m was not a member of the deep-living unspotted P. albipinna group. Chionobathyscus dewitti inhabited the water column as well as the substate. The pelagic zoarcid Melanostigma gelatinosum was documented in the water column a few meters above the substrate. The zoogeographic character of the Marguerite Bay fauna was West- or low-Antarctic in zoogeographic character and the Amundsen Sea was East- or high-Antarctic.