Corresponding author: Maria Aleksandra Bitner (
Academic editor: P. Stoev
Twenty species belonging to 16 genera, i.e.
Bitner MA (2015) Checklist of recent brachiopod species collected during the Terrasses and Exbodi cruises in the New Caledonian region, SW Pacific. ZooKeys 537: 33–50. doi:
The New Caledonia Exclusive Economic Zone, comprising the area from Vanuatu to Chesterfield Islands, is one of the most intensively investigated regions in the Indo-West Pacific Province; more than 40 oceanographic expeditions have been organized by French institutions within the programme Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos (formerly Musorstom; see also
This paper deals with brachiopods collected during two cruises, Terrasses and Exbodi, organized by the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris and by the Institut de la Recherche pour le Développement, Nouméa, New Caledonia on R.V. “
Location map of the brachiopod-bearing stations of the Terrasses and Exbodi expeditions.
The brachiopod fauna recognized in the Terrasses and Exbodi cruises consists of 20 species belonging to 16 genera in 11 families (
Fig.
This species, represented only by young individuals, was found only in two Exbodi stations at depths of 388–520 m.
The second craniid brachiopod is very rare and too poorly preserved to permit identification to species level. It was found in two stations (600–802 m). Morpho-species identification of
Fig.
This is one of three rhynchonellide species recognized in the studied material.
Fig.
This species, already noted from New Caledonia (
Fig.
This is one of the most common species (nearly 500 specimens). It was found in 13 Terrasses stations and 12 Exbodi stations (see
Fig.
This species, recently described from the Coral Sea by
Fig.
This short-looped terebratulide is a relatively common species in the investigated material, being already recorded from New Caledonia (
Fig.
The second
Fig.
This species is very characteristic with its thick shell, strongly incurved beak and very small foramen. It is relatively rare, being found in six samples (150–510 m). It is known only from the New Caledonian region (
Fig.
A single specimen of this species was found in one Terrasses station at 150–180 m but it was earlier recorded from New Caledonia (
Fig.
This second species of
Fig.
This is a relatively common species, found in 12 stations (180–790 m). Its presence in the studied area was already noted (
Fig.
This species is very rare and was found in only two Exbodi stations (388–802 m). Although known from the nearby New Zealand region (
So far the only representative of the family
Fig.
This long-looped brachiopod is one of the most common (more than 250 specimens) and was identified in 20 stations (260–840 m).
Fig.
This rare species was found in one station of each cruise (680–802 m). Originally described from the Norfolk Ridge (
Fig.
This easily recognizable species was found in 20 stations but was abundant only in the Exbodi material where it appears to have a very wide bathymetric range (110 to 1100 m). However this range probably is the result of the wide depth-range of the DW3932 dredge haul (500 to 1100 m), the specimens of this generally shallow-water form probably having been collected only in the shallower water.
Fig.
In the studied material this species was found in 16 stations in the material of both cruises at depths of 180–790 m. Originally described from off Japan (
Fig.
This species was originally described from the Norfolk Ridge where it was very common (see
Fig.
This species is very rare, found in only one Exbodi station at depths of 400–520 m. It was already reported from New Caledonia by
Fig.
This is the only thecideide brachiopod in the investigated material. This species was found in 10 Exbodi stations with a very wide depth range (159 to 1100 m) but as noted before (see
The brachiopods collected south of New Caledonia during the Terrasses cruise are represented by 15 species belonging to 13 genera. In the material from the Loyalty Ridge collected during the Exbodi cruise 19 species belonging to 16 genera have been identified. Fourteen species, i.e.
Most species recognized here have a wide geographical distribution, being known either in the Western Pacific or in the Indo-West Pacific Province. Only four species,
With the new record of
Warm thanks are expressed to P. Bouchet (MNHN, Paris) for the opportunity to study the material. I am very grateful to P. Maestrati for sorting the material and to P. Lozouet (both MNHN, Paris) for the facilities during my visit at the Muséum. C.C. Emig (BrachNet, Marseille) is acknowledged for his suggestions. B.L. Cohen (University of Glasgow, Glasgow) is thanked for valuable comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript. I also wish to thank D.E. Lee (University of Otago, Dunedin) and A. Logan (University of New Brunswick, Saint John) for their helpful reviews. This research has been supported by a grant No. 2012/05/B/NZ8/01023 of the National Science Centre of Poland. I thank A. Hołda-Michalska (Institute of Paleobiology, Warszawa) for help in the preparation of Fig.
List of brachiopod-bearing stations and species per station.
Station | Location | Depth | Species |
---|---|---|---|
|
|||
|
|||
DW 3032 |
|
760–820 m |
|
DW 3039 |
|
600–680 m | |
DW 3040 |
|
750–780 m |
|
DW 3041 |
|
800–840 m |
|
DW 3042 |
|
920–990 m |
|
CP 3047 |
|
266–267 m |
|
|
|||
CP 3051 |
|
410–530 m |
|
DW 3056 |
|
250–330 m |
|
DW 3059 |
|
440–450 m |
|
DW 3060 |
|
440–450 m |
|
DW 3062 |
|
300–320 m |
|
DW 3063 |
|
430–480 m |
|
CP 3065 |
|
480–550 m |
|
CP 3066 |
|
650–790 m |
|
CP 3067 |
|
800 m |
|
CP 3068 |
|
790 m |
|
DW 3069 |
|
300–320 m |
|
CP 3070 |
|
300–320 m |
|
DW 3072 |
|
180–220 m |
|
DW 3075 |
|
270 m |
|
DW 3076 |
|
390–570 m |
|
DW 3077 |
|
420–540 m |
|
|
|||
DW 3078 |
|
180–210 m |
|
DW 3079 |
|
300–420 m |
|
DW 3082 |
|
290 m |
|
DW 3083 |
|
470–570 m |
|
DW 3086 |
|
400 m |
|
DW 3089 |
|
390–410 m |
|
DW 3090 |
|
260 m |
|
CP 3091 |
|
260–270 m |
|
DW 3093 |
|
190–200 m |
|
DW 3094 |
|
250–300 m |
|
|
|||
DW 3100 |
|
260–320 m |
|
DW 3102 |
|
410–430 m |
|
CP 3104 |
|
410–470 m |
|
DW 3106 |
|
180–220 m |
|
DW 3107 |
|
380–440 m |
|
DW 3108 |
|
370–440 m |
|
DW 3109 |
|
150–180 m |
|
DW 3110 |
|
270–310 m |
|
|
|||
DW 3120 |
|
320–360 m |
|
DW 3121 |
|
380–400 m |
|
DW 3122 |
|
390–410 m |
|
DW 3123 |
|
420–450 m |
|
DW 3124 |
|
460 m |
|
DW 3129 |
|
110–130 m |
|
|
|||
|
|||
DW 3784 | 22°13'S, 22°13'S | 353–365 m |
|
DW 3785 |
|
386–387 m |
|
CP 3786 |
|
406–442 m |
|
DW 3787 |
|
223–249 m |
|
CP 3788 |
|
264–273 m |
|
CP 3789 |
|
335–350 m |
|
CP 3791 |
|
750–863 m |
|
CP 3792 |
|
850–876 m |
|
CP 3793 |
|
951–1180 m |
|
DW 3798 |
|
478–480 m |
|
CP 3834 |
|
257–258 m |
|
CP 3842 |
|
756–769 m |
|
CP 3843 | 22°22'S, 22°22'S | 776–800 m |
|
CP 3844 |
|
815–970 m |
|
DW 3845 |
|
70–72 m |
|
DW 3846 |
|
396 m |
|
CP 3848 |
|
430–440 m |
|
CP 3849 |
|
360–560 m |
|
CP 3851 |
|
471–510 m |
|
CP 3852 |
|
582 m |
|
DW 3862 |
|
400–520 m |
|
DW 3863 |
|
540–660 m |
|
CP 3871 |
|
580–780 m |
|
DW 3872 |
|
159–756 m |
|
DW 3880 |
|
350 m |
|
CP 3882 |
|
288 - 361 m |
|
CP 3883 |
|
433–516 m |
|
CP 3884 |
|
521–567 m |
|
CP 3885 |
|
558–584 m |
|
DW 3887 |
|
257–298 m |
|
DW 3889 |
|
354 m |
|
DW 3895 |
|
380 m |
|
DW 3896 |
|
340–343 m |
|
CP 3898 |
|
340–346 m |
|
DW 3900 |
|
355–357 m |
|
DW 3902 |
|
410 m |
|
DW 3903 |
|
580 m |
|
DW 3905 |
|
300 m |
|
DW 3906 |
|
490–580 m |
|
DW 3907 |
|
608–671 m |
|
CP 3911 |
|
680–802 m | |
DW 3913 |
|
622 m |
|
DW 3916 |
|
749–922 m |
|
DW 3917 |
|
753–951 m |
|
DW 3918 |
|
748–922 m |
|
DW 3922 |
|
525–560 m |
|
DW 3923 |
|
580–703 m |
|
DW 3924 |
|
730 m |
|
DW 3925 |
|
388 m |
|
CP 3927 |
|
381 m |
|
DW 3928 |
|
362–402 m |
|
DW 3930 |
|
448–464 m |
|
DW 3932 |
|
500–1100 m |
|
DW 3933 |
|
474 m |
|
DW 3939 |
|
489–860 m |
|
DW 3940 |
|
380–430 m |
|