120 



NOAA Technical Report NMFS 140 



EXPLANATION 



□ 1-9 

 10- 99 

 100-124 



INDIVIDUALS 

 PER SQUARE METER 



NEW \ N 7» ,. y '\ \ 



JERSEY ', YORK/ \ \ NC" / 



\ \ HAMPSHIRE .* 



CONNECTlCU 



GRAMS 

 PER SQUARE METER 



POLYPLACOPHORA 



Figure 105 



Geographic distribution of Polyplacophora: A — number of specimens per square 

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



Geographic Distribution 



Gastropods were distributed over nearly the entire re- 

 gion (Fig. 111). Moderately low densities (1 to 49 indi- 

 viduals/m 2 ) were widespread over a large part of the 

 study area. Medium and high densities generally oc- 

 curred in limited areas inshore and nearshore. 



In most areas where gastropods were found, their 

 average biomass was less than 1 g/m . Moderately 

 high biomasses (1 to 25 g/m 2 ) occurred over rather 

 large areas both inshore and offshore, whereas large 

 biomasses (25 to 133 g/m'-') occurred in only four 

 localities. 



Gastropods were present in all six of the standard 

 geographic areas (Tables 6, 8; Fig. 112). Quantities, in 

 terms of both number of individuals and biomass, were 

 highest in the four continental shelf areas and lowest in 

 the Georges Slope and Southern New England Slope 

 areas. Average density in the shelf areas ranged from 1 1 

 to 29 individuals/m 2 and average biomass from 0.9 to 

 4.3 g/m 2 . In the slope areas the average density was 7 to 

 8 individuals/m 2 and average biomass was less than 0.3 

 g/m 2 . Gastropods made up a slightly higher proportion 

 of the total faunal density in the slope areas than they 

 did in the continental shelf areas. 



