Towards an understanding of the shallow-water echinoderm biodiversity of KwaZulu-Natal, Republic of South Africa
Samyn, Y.; Thandar, A.S. (2003). Towards an understanding of the shallow-water echinoderm biodiversity of KwaZulu-Natal, Republic of South Africa, in: Samyn, Y. Towards an understanding of the shallow-water holothuroid fauna (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) of the western Indian Ocean. pp. 331-337
In: Samyn, Y. (2003). Towards an understanding of the shallow-water holothuroid fauna (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) of the western Indian Ocean. PhD Thesis. Vrije Universiteit Brussel: Brussel. III, 384 + 1 cd-rom pp., more
Biodiversity Distribution > Geographical distribution Water > Shallow water Echinodermata [WoRMS] PSW, South Africa, Natal [Marine Regions] Marine/Coastal
Prior to this study, 130 shallow-water (i.e. less then 50 m deep) species of echinoderms were reported from the subtropical (26°S/32°E -30°S/30°E) east coast of South Africa. The Indo-Pacific and the endemic components of this fauna made up 93 % of the species, while the circumtropical, the Atlantic and the cosmopolitan components represented only 7% of the echinoderm fauna. A current study in the KwaZulu- Natal province has added some 39 % of new records (excluding the Crinoidea) to the echinoderm fauna of this province. Changing its endemic component from 26 to 21 %, the Indo-Pacific component from 68 to 73 % with the other components remaining more or less stable. Total echinoderm species distribution of KwaZulu-NataI was analyzed with the second Kulczynski coefficient, a measurement of similarity between two bioassociational areas. This analysis reveals that while the faunistic components of KwaZulu-Natal seem rather homogeneous, the area in the region of St. Lucia Bay appears to be characterized by a high species turn-over.
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