AMPELISCIDAE (AMPHIPODA) FROM ICELAND WITH A DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES (CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIOICE RESEARCH-PROGRAM)

This work presents the study of an Ampeliscidae collection sampled dur ing the BIOICE-programme around Iceland. Ampeliscids were present at 1 64 stations with 4467 individuals. Sixteen species were identified: ni ne Ampelisca, three Byblis and four Haploops. A new species, Ampelisca islandica n.sp., is described. It is very close to Ampelisca odontopl ax Sars, 1895 and is characterized by an elevated posteriorly pointed dorsal carina on urosome segment 1 the posterior edge of which overrea ches urosome 2, and by having the outer ramus of uropod 2 with a long subterminal spine. The data established the vertical distributions of four species: the lower bathyal limit for three species and the upper bathyal limit for two species. The most abundant species were Byblis g aimardi, B. minuticornis, Ampelisca macrocephala, A. aequicornis, and A. uncinata. The ampeliscids can be classified in five groups in relat ion to bathymetry: (1) species from the continental shelf and the uppe r part of the continental slope to 800 m; (2) species from the contine ntal shelf and the upper part of the continental slope to 1100 m; (3) species from the intermediate depths of the continental slope (200-100 0 m); (4) species with an extensive bathymetric distribution, and (5) Ampelisca islandica from the lower part of the continental slope. The analysis of the biogeographical affinities between the North-Atlantic bathyal ampeliscid fauna shows a high affinity of the Icelandic fauna with those of the Faeroes and North-western Atlantic.