RESULTS 



The specimens collected represented 45 different groups of animals, 

 most of them identified to the family level. Table 1. gives the 

 counts for the most common organisms. 



Table 1. Total number of individuals collected per station and 

 time of day over a ten-day period. Each figure repre- 

 sents the sum of ten 1 m-^ samples. 



The following observations were made: 



Calanoid copepods formed throughout the most common component of the 

 catches. They were apparently overrepresented on some occasions, 

 when a school of Acartia spinosa or A^ tonsa happened to be located 

 at a collecting station. Such schools, ranging in size from ten 

 thousands to hundred thousands of individuals generally appeared in 

 sheltered places on the reef, behind sea fans and branching gorgonias , 

 and on the deeper algal bed between stands of Sargassum . These 

 schools seemed to stay together during the entire day. On the follow- 

 ing day the same location was often vacant. While copepods could not 

 be observed at night, the night catches are highly variable, thereby 

 indicating uneven distribution. 



Mysids were also frequently found to be schooling. The aggregations 

 were usually between 10 and 50 cm in diameter and occurred invariably 

 close to shelter, either near a cave, crevice, or near clusters of 



VI-282 



