Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.2009, Page 157

TVEY SLØG AV ÆTTINI PRIAPULIDAE í FØROYSKUM SJÓØKI
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cemperature 0.1 °C. Later this species was found in
the northern parts of the Atlantic; from Finnmark
and Spitzbergen in the east to the Davis Strait in
the west (Wesenberg-Lund, 1930). In lcelandic
waters this species is known from two localities 66°
27' N, 21° W (in Hunafloi Djup) at 150-190 m
depth; and also at 66° 20' N, 12° 28' W oflí Digranes
Flak at 180 - 220 m depth (Wesenberg-Lund,
1937b). P. bicaudatus was also found during the
investigation of the Norske Nordhavsexpedition in
the eastern locality at 72° 30' N, 36° 39' E
(Wesenberg-Lund, 1930). According to Murina
(1997) this species was found at two stations in
the Laptev Sea by the R/V Polarstern (1993) at the
north coast of Asia. Three specimens in muddy
sediments at station 29 (77° 40' 5 N, 102° 7' 3 E ,
depth 120 m), and one specimen in muddy clay at
station 44 (77° 2' 32 N, 126° 25' 31 E, depth 92 -
95 m). Murina and Starobogatov (1961) reported
this species from the Kara Sea.
Discussion
Priapulus caudatus must be considered a
rare species in Faroese waters. Since 1986,
hundreds of seabed samples have been ana-
lyzed for macro-fauna and P. caudatus was
only found in 30 samples. Only four of the
specimens can be considered fully grown
adults, all the other specimens were small.
Figure 3. Map showing all stations in the Kaldbak Marine Biological Laboratory database and the occurrence of
priapulids in Faroese waters. Green dots are stations with Priapulopsis bicaudatus and blue dots are stations with
Priapulus caudatus. Green square shows Fisher (1922) station with Priapulopsis bicaudatus.