Composition and Distribution of Macrobenthic Invertebrate Fauna 



167 



GRAMS 

 PER SQUARE METER 



AMPHIPODA 



Figure 172 



Geographic distribution of Amphipoda: A — number of specimens per square meter of 

 bottom: B — biomass in grams per square meter of bottom. 



deeper parts of the Gulf of Maine and on the continen- 

 tal slope and rise. The biomass of amphipods in the 

 coastal areas and on the offshore banks generally aver- 

 aged between 1 and 50 g/m 2 . In the central Gulf of 

 Maine and on the continental slope and rise, the biom- 

 ass of amphipods averaged less than 1 g/m 2 . 



Two of the standard geographic areas, Georges Bank 

 and the Southern New England Shelf, contained very 

 high average densities (953 and 1,269 individuals/m 2 , 

 respectively) of amphipods (Table 6; Fig. 173). Three 

 areas (Gulf of Maine, Georges Slope, and Nova Scotia) 

 had intermediate densities (1 18 to 280/m 2 ). The South- 



