44. 



canyon. In Oceanographer Canyon shrimp are one of the most 

 important components of the hard substrate spifauna. The 

 middle depth zone is dominated by shrimp and sponges, while 

 the most common taxa in the deeper zone is the gorgonian 

 Paramurioea grandis. Again, various species of corals are 

 also found on the hard substrates of this canyon. 



The results of the historical survey identified a trend 

 of faunal emergence at higher latitudes (Appendix A) . This 

 means that the depth range of various species, particularly 

 with regard to peak densities, is shallower in the north than 

 it is in the south. Emergence with increasing latitude was 

 most pronounced in shallow water organisms. Some examples of 

 this trend are also seen in the results of the field survey. 

 However, this comparison is substantially hampered by the 

 scarcity of shallow water coverage in Lydonia Canyon and 

 the lack of comparable coverage in Oceanographer Canyon. 

 Figure 2 shows the depth distribution of four of the major 

 species composing the shallow water faunal assemblages. The 

 white sea pen was only found in Baltimore Canyon where it 

 occurs between 100 to 300 meters, with highest abundances 

 between 200 to 300 meters. This finding agrees with the 

 results of the historical survey. However, nothing can be 

 determined with regard to the white sea pen's occurrence or 

 depth range in the northern canyons, because of the lack of 

 comparable coverage. The galatheid crab Munida valida has 



