Die verbreitung der kaltwasser- und der warmwasserfauna der Appendicularien im nördlichen Nordatlantischen Ozean im Spätwinter und Spätsommer 1958

The Appendicularia caught in vertical hauls during the cruises of R.V. “Anton Dohrn” and R.V. “Gauß” in the northern North Atlantic Ocean, in late winter and late summer of the International Geophysical Year (I.G.Y.), 1958, were investigated. In addition, material caught during spring, 1955 by R.V. “Anton Dohrn” was used (Figs. 1 and 2; Tables 1 and 2). Seasonal differences are revealed in the appendicularian fauna in the open ocean between 40° and 65° northern latitude. Among the species caught (Table 2) in 1955, northwest of the Hebrides, Pelagopleura australis Bückmann 1923 (Fig. 3) is of special interest. This species has hitherto only been found in antarctic and southern waters; it is, however, possible that Sinistroffia scripsii Tokioka 1957 is a synonym. In the same place, a new form of Fritillaria venusta Lohmann was found, which is described as F. venusta f. replicata n.f. (Fig. 4). The hitherto known form should be named F. venusta f. bicornis. In Figs. 5 to 7, the species dominating in single catches are indicated by symbols. A borderline between the areas of cold-water and warm-water forms can be drawn. This line is located farther to the North in late summer than in late winter. In the eastern part of the area investigated, the difference amounts to 5° latitude. Warm-water species prevail over cold-water species or appear in equal numbers in both seasons in places where water with temperatures above 11°C is found within the upper 100 m (Figs. 8 and 9). It is, however, known that Oikopleura dioica thrives also at temperatures of 10°C and below; this was also found in the spring of 1955. Cold-water species exhibited higher frequencies as well as abundances, in the late summer than in the late winter of 1958. This fact is chiefly due to an increase in individual numbers of the most important boreal species, Oikopleura labradoriensis, but also of the arctic O. vanhoeffeni and the boreal Fritillaria borealis typica. Relative to O. labradoriensis, the population of F. borealis typica decreases in late summer. During spring 1955, both species exceeded the 1958 values by far. This is considered to be the result of annual, rather than seasonal, differences. The composition of the warm water fauna (Tables 4 and 5) reveals considerable seasonal differences. In late winter, O. longicauda is the most abundant species; it prevails in almost all warm-water catches. In late summer, it is outweighed by O. dioica and O. fusiformis in the total catch, by O. dioica in many single catches in the whole warm-water area, by O. fusiformis in its north eastern part in a few very rich catches, together with Fritillaria pellucida. For size comparison of the individnals, standard trunk length could not be used because of the generally bad state of preservation. In Oikopleura, the lengths of the left stomach lobe were measured instead. It is, however, to be taken into account that the regression of body length to the stomach length (left side) is different at different stages of maturity. In ripening and ripe individuals, body length increases at a higher rate because of growths in length of the gonads. The regressions were calculated for 3 maturity stages (A, B, C; Figs. 10, 12 and 14) of O. labradoriensis and O. vanhoeffeni. In O. longicauda, the specimens were distinctly smaller during late summer, and the proportion of juveniles (stage A) was much higher (Fig. 11). Possibly, this is caused by a reproduction rate still reduced during late winter, but increasing later in the year. O. labradoriensis shows similar, though less pronounced, differences in the proportion of maturity stages, and no significant differences in size composition (Fig. 13). The 1955 material contains a much higher proportion of mature individuals than either cruise of 1958. Similar conditions as in O. longicauda cannot, therefore, be assumed to be involved in regard to O. labradoriensis, at least not at present. There were more mature O. vanhoeffeni individuals present in spring 1955, but they were much smaller than during late summer 1958. No explanation for this observation can, at present, be offered.