ON THE OCCURRENCE OF CALYCOPHORAE (SIPHONOPHORA) IN THE SOUTHERN ADRIATIC AND TYRRHENIAN SEA - A COMPARISON OF THE ANNUAL CYCLES OFF DUBROVNIK AND NAPLES

The 1965/66 samples taken monthly at three stations in the Bay of Napl es and in the south of Dubrovnik were used to compare the calycophore fauna of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Adriatic. Nearly identical calycop hore fauna were found, except for three rare Atlantic forms registered only by the deep-sea station in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Of numerical impo rtance were the neritic species Muggiaea kochi, Lensia subtilis, Sphae ronectes gracilis and S. irregularis, and the characteristic open-sea species Eudoxoides spiralis and the deep-sea species Lensia meteori. T he annual numerical abundance maxima in both areas were noted in sprin g. However, in the Tyrrhenian Sea, the values were two times higher, w hich agrees with the productivity patterns.