Bathymetric Distribution of Brittlestars (Ophiuroidea) Collected off the Northern Oregon Coast

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Abstract
A cooperative study by the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries and the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission was undertaken to evaluate the composition of benthic fauna indigenous to waters adjacent to the Columbia River mouth. Standard stations were established by 25-fath intervals between 50 and 500 fath, and by 50-fath intervals from 500 to 1050 fath. Fifty- to 500-fath stations were monitored seasonally while sampling of deeper stations was generally restricted to spring and summer cruises.Twenty-four species of ophiuroids representing eight families and 14 genera were collected during this study. Species number varied by station ranging from one at 650 fath to a maximum of nine species at 300 fath.The number of species of ophiuroids by benthic zone showed a general increase with increasing depth. The total number of species collected by benthic zone was 4 from the sublittoral, 8 from the upper bathyal, 13 from the lower bathyal, and 15 from the abyssal. One, three, and eight species were confined to the outer sublittoral, lower bathyal, and abyssal, respectively.The highest availability of ophiuroids occurred between 150 and 250 fath and between 800 and 1050 fath. Lowest availability occurred at 125, 325, and 350 fath where few or no ophiuroids were observed. Larger catches of ophiuroids were estimated to contain from 500 to 2000 individuals. A single species, Ophiura sarsii, consistently dominated catches from 150 to 250 fath; while four species, Ophiocten pacificum, Ophiolimna bairdi, Ophiomusium lymani, and Ophiophthalmus normani, dominated catches between 800 and 1050 fath.The families Ophiuridae and Ophiacanthidae predominate in the study area. Together, they account for the majority of species collected which include the five most abundant species.The bathymetric distribution of ophiuroids from the Columbia River trackline illustrates a changing species composition with increasing depth, with the existence of both stenobathic and eurybathic species.

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