Occurrence and Distribution of Anoplodactylus arescus (Phoxichilidiidae: Pantopoda) from the Red Sea Coast, Egypt | ||||
| Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries | ||||
| Article 7, Volume 28, Issue 4, July and August 2024, Page 101-119 PDF (1.12 MB) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejabf.2024.367484 | ||||
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| Author | ||||
| Mohamed S. Koura et al. | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Anoplodactylus arescus du Bois-Reymond Marcus, 1959, was first recorded and described from the northern Red Sea. New material was collected from soft bottom substrates spanning Hurghada to Halayeb from 2019 to 2020. The collection sites varied in depth, ranging from intertidal to 35 meters deep. The intertidal sand samples were manually collected during snorkeling, while the deep samples required SCUBA diving for collection. Pycnogonid fauna were isolated, sorted, counted, and then identified to the lowest taxonomic level. The results revealed Anoplodactylus arescus as abundant species among the seven study areas selected. Grain size analysis was conducted at each site to evaluate its effect on the pycnogonid distribution. A list of species of pycnogonids reported from the Red Sea was provided based on our collection and approved literature. The results revealed a diverse community of pycnogonids in the Red Sea, with 17 species identified, belonging to nine genera and eight families. The study further indicates that coarse and medium sand, ranging from 125- 500µm, provides a suitable substrate for Anoplodactylus arescus. Pycnogonids were found in lower densities out of this grain size range. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Species list; Pycnogonids; Soft bottom; Phoxochilidiidae; Grain size; Depth and sites | ||||
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