A comparative survey of neuston: geographical and temporal distribution patterns

Neuston samples were collected from 149 stations during a voyage west from Fiji to the Bay of Biscay from August 1979 through November 1980. The neustonic fauna was counted and assigned to 50 species groups, chosen to represent the most numerous animals in the hauls. Analyses of neustonic concentration and population structure showed regional and temporal differences in the fauna. Permanent inhabitants of the surface waters, the euneuston, were most numerous in the open tropical waters of the Central Indian Ocean. In contrast, the temporary neuston, which was composed of juveniles, vertical migrants and the uppermost individuals from deeper populations, attained its greatest concentration in the upwelling region of the Somali Current and at inshore stations around the Indonesian archipelago and in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea. Heavy rains adversely affected the neuston, possibly by diluting the surface waters. Both neustonic groups were sparsely represented in the cooler waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean. At night considerable immigration occurred into the neustonic zone, and the mean faunal density at dusk was 21 times greater than was found at mid-day. Surface waters were inhabited by the developmental stages of many species, and eggs and juveniles of both vertebrates and invertebrates were consistently present in the hauls.