ANALYSIS OF SUPRABENTHIC SAMPLES FOR THE FAUNISTICS OF THE ENGLISH-CHANNEL AND THE BIOGEOGRAPHY OF THE NORTHWESTERN EUROPEAN CONTINENTAL-SHELF - CRUSTACEA AND PYCNOGONIDA

The MACER-GIROQ sledge allowing the sampling of swimming organisms fro m 0.10 to 1.45 m above the sea-bottom was used at five circalittoral s ites during spring 1993 and autumn 1994 cruises; about 300 species or taxa were sampled, among them 64 species are added to the list of Mari ne Fauna from Roscoff (nine species), Plymouth (17 species) or Wimereu x (52 species) and normandy coast (seven species): 40 amphipods, nine mysids, six decapods, five cumaceans, three pycnogonids and one isopod . The distribution of these new species for the English Channel fauna is discussed in relation to the biogeography of the north-western euro pean continental shelf.