Infaunal benthic communities of the New Zealand continental shelf

Abstract

Seventeen infaunal benthic communities are recognised from sampling on the New Zealand continental shelf and upper continental slope. These are characterised in terms of geographic distribution, substrate and bathymetric range, and commoner infaunal bivalves and echinoderms.

Macrobenthic polychaete assemblages of the continental shelf and upper slope off the west coast of the South Island, New Zealand

“…As pointed out by Probert & Grove (1998), the inner shelf fauna, represented here by Group I, corresponds mainly to a type of "Venus community" which McKnight (1969) described as an open shelf community widespread around New Zealand and typical of sandy substrata at depths of 20-60 m, and which in turn has similarities to "Fine, well-sorted sand assemblages" found worldwide (Peres 1982). Similarly, the mid shelf to outer shelf assemblages off the west coast, represented by Groups M and O, have similarities to "Nemocardium" and "Amphiura" communities described by McKnight (1969) from muddy shelf areas around New Zealand, and which in turn can be related to "Terrigenous Mud-shelf Assemblages" found worldwide (Peres 1982). The assemblages of McKnight (1969) and Peres (1982) are described mainly in terms of their conspicuous molluscs, echinoderms, and crustaceans, but it is to be expected that they would also exhibit similarities in their polychaete faunas.…”

“…Similarly, the mid shelf to outer shelf assemblages off the west coast, represented by Groups M and O, have similarities to "Nemocardium" and "Amphiura" communities described by McKnight (1969) from muddy shelf areas around New Zealand, and which in turn can be related to "Terrigenous Mud-shelf Assemblages" found worldwide (Peres 1982). The assemblages of McKnight (1969) and Peres (1982) are described mainly in terms of their conspicuous molluscs, echinoderms, and crustaceans, but it is to be expected that they would also exhibit similarities in their polychaete faunas. The most abundant polychaete families recorded in the present study are commonly recorded as important components of shelf faunas elsewhere.…”

“…But despite the importance of polychaetes, infaunal studies may not always take adequate account of them. McKnight's (1969) survey of New Zealand shelf assemblages was based primarily on conspicuous molluscs and echinoderms, and the only extensive study to have focused on polychaete assemblages of the New Zealand continental margin is of a bathyal region (Probert et al 1996). Information on the structure and distribution of polychaete assemblages in the New Zealand region and their relationship to environmental variables is consequently still very limited.…”

An integrated sequence stratigraphic, palaeoenvironmental, and chronostratigraphic analysis of the Tangahoe Formation, southern Taranaki coast, with implications for mid‐Pliocene (c. 3.4–3.0 Ma) glacio‐eustatic sea‐level changes

“…Mollusc-derived palaeodepth ranges are generally based on the distribution of extant fossil associations or communities on the modern coastline and continental shelf (Morton & Miller 1968;McKnight 1969;Gillespie 1992). Our calibration of depth ranges of molluscan taxa also draws on the depth-related associations reported by for the Pleistocene sequences of the Castlecliffian stratotype section, as well as ranges reported by Beu & Maxwell (1990) and references therein.…”

Advances in New Zealand oceanography, 1967–91

“…Studies have concentrated on large spatial scales and there have been no temporal studies. Data on the quantitative distribution of the benthos are more sparse than of plankton, although broad knowledge of the qualitative composition on soft bottoms in relation to substrate type and depth is good (McKnight 1969). Preliminary conclusions of Probert & Anderson (1986) indicate that benthic biomass shows both an east-west and north-south gradient, presumably because of corresponding differences in the overlying primary productivity and seasonal variation of planktonic biomass.…”