A-22 



The trend is also obscured in the northern canyons. 

 Figure C5 shows the results of faunal observations made from 

 three ALVIN dives in Oceanographer Canyon. One dive covered 

 the west wall between 650 to 1550 meters while the other two 

 dives covered the canyon axis between 1450 and 1900 meters. 

 The canyon wall consists of a variety of different substrates 

 and no single taxa or tropic type predominates. Geryon 

 quinquedens is common in the shallower part as well as 

 several species of large starfish. Two gorgonians Aaantho- 

 gorgia armata and Paramuriaea borealis , and an octocoral 

 Anthomastus agassizii , which are restricted to hard sub- 

 strates, are also common in this area. One very unique 

 feature of this region is the presence of extensive coral 

 rubble formed by dead and broken pieces of the colonial 

 scleractinian Lophelia prolifera. This rubble provides a 

 very heterogeneous substrate for a variety of attached taxa. 

 Below 1150 meters fish and shrimp dominate the fauna. The 

 fauna in the axis of Oceanographer Canyon is dominated by 

 Hyalinoeoia artifex and fish from 1450 to 1550 meters, while 

 between 1550 to 1600 meters it is dominated by Desmophyllum 

 cristagalli , a solitary coral restricted to hard substrates. 

 Deeper in the canyon axis the fauna is dominated by the 

 ophiurid Ophiomusium lymani and a species of the burrowing 

 cerianthid anemone. 



Figure C6 shows the major faunal components seen during 

 three dives in Heezen Canyon. The wall of this canyon is 



