30 ALLAN HANCOCK PACIFIC EXPEDITIONS VOL. 27 



relationship to local sublittoral species for any of the 17 bathyal species 

 belonging to littoral genera. This statement needs qualification by stat- 

 ing the inability, at present, to trace relationships in such diverse genera 

 as Ajiipelisca and Byblis, especially the latter in which interspecific differ- 

 ences are minor. Except for Ampelisca and Paraphoxus and possibly 

 Metopa, the other so-called sublittoral genera are poorly represented on 

 the southern Californian coastal shelf and indeed are more diverse in 

 the boreal. The boreal orientation of the bathyal fauna of southern 

 California is seen especially in the genera Protomedeia, Monoculodes, 

 Liljeborgia, Tryphosa, Schisturella, Bruzelia, Leptophoxus, ProboloideSj 

 Bathymedon, Sophrosyne, and Lepidepecreella. However, some of these 

 genera also are well represented in the antiboreal, such as Liljeborgia, 

 Tryphosa, Proboloides (subgenus Metopoides) , and Lepidepecreella. 

 Paroediceroides also has an antiboreal attitude, but one must question 

 whether it is distinct from Rlonoculodes. Thrombasia, Tosilus and Coxo- 

 phoxus are newly erected and their further distribution is unknown. 

 The single species placed in Melphidippa is questionably assigned. 



PROSPECTUS 



Future studies on canyons might include the following: 



1. Concentration of study on one canyon in greater detail than 

 attempted in this survey. 



2. Microtopography: use of undersea vehicles and focused-beam 

 bathymetric sounding to chart microrelief of canyons (Buffington, 

 1964) in detecting areas for sampling of sediments and life. Presumably, 

 the canyon axis has flat areas where fine sediments are trapped and 

 organic content is therefore high ; perhaps these are places in which coarse 

 organic debris reaches stabilization after saltation. 



3. Establishment of several semi-permanent undersea stations 

 equipped with television for observation of sedimentary movements and 

 biotic activities. A platform or observation chamber equipped vi^ith tele- 

 vision, current meters, salinometers, thermistors, sediment traps and 

 other devices could be submerged into fixed position with the aid of a 

 diving vehicle; recording devices might be self-contained or connected 

 by cable to a shore station (several California laboratories are situated 

 close to favorable study areas). 



4. The study of currents is of first importance ; perhaps the fixed 

 benthic recording station could be equipped with a buoy suspended above 

 it, to the cable of which are attached recording current meters at inter- 



