Artigo Revisado por pares

Vertical Distribution, Morphology and Diet of Proboscidactyla Stellata (Cnidaria: Limnomedusae) in Lough Hyne Marine Nature Reserve, Co. Cork, Ireland

1997; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 77; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1017/s0025315400038583

ISSN

1469-7769

Autores

L. Ballard, Alan A. Myers,

Tópico(s)

Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies

Resumo

The vertical distribution, morphology and diet of Proboscidactyla stellata (Cnidaria: Limnomedusae) were studied in Lough Hyne over a two year period. Vertical hauls of four depth strata, 40–30 m, 30–20 m, 20–10 m and 10–0 m, were taken monthly and at 4 h intervals for a period of 48 h in July and 24 h in September 1994. Proboscidactyla stellata was largely concentrated in the lower 20 m of the water column reaching a maximum of 21 m −3 at 30–20 m depth in June 1993. An oxythermocline occurred at 25–30 m depth in the summer and autumn months of 1993 and affected the vertical distribution of the medusae. Six morphs of the species, varying in the number of gonads, were found in the lough. Bivalve veligers, which P. stellata actively selected, formed 83% of the diet.

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