A species list of the sublittoral soft-bottom macrobenthos of Cyprus

Abstract

       In this study we report, for the first time, a comprehensive list of the sublittoral soft-bottom macrobenthos of Cyprus. Epifauna were distributed over a broader range of depths than infau­nal species. The greatest percentage of infauna occurred within a depth range of 20-40 m. Only 1.0% of the soft-bottom macrobenthic fauna were represented by Red Sea migrants; this support­ed results from previous studies which suggest that the overall migration path is east to west in the coastal waters of Cyprus. However, the recent arrival of an algal migrant species, Caulerpa racemosa, may prove to be problematic in the future, due to its advancing colonization around the Cyprus coast.