Biodiversity Data Journal : Data Paper (Biosciences)
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Data Paper (Biosciences)
Mollusca collected by Agassiz trawl from the 2016 SO-AntEco (JR15005) expedition to the South Orkney Islands, Antarctica - data
expand article infoJan Steger, Katrin Linse§, Yi-Ming Gan|, Huw J. Griffiths§
‡ Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
§ British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
Open Access

Abstract

Background

This dataset contributes to the knowledge of macro- and megafaunal Mollusca associated with a range of benthic habitat types in the South Orkney Islands, Antarctica, an exceptionally diverse region of the Southern Ocean. The information presented is derived from Agassiz trawl samples collected on the archipelago’s shelf plateau and slope, within and outside of the South Orkney Islands Southern Shelf Marine Protected Area (SOISS MPA). Sampling was conducted in the framework of the British Antarctic Survey/SCAR “South Orkneys - State of the Antarctic Ecosystem” (SO-AntEco) project aboard RRS James Clark Ross during expedition JR15005 in Austral summer 2016. This dataset is published by the British Antarctic Survey under the licence CC-BY 4.0. We would appreciate it if you could follow the guidelines from the SCAR Data Policy (SCAR 2023) when using the data. If you have any questions regarding this dataset, do not hesitate to contact us via the contact information provided in the metadata or via data-biodiversity-aq@naturalsciences.be. Issues with the dataset can be reported at https://github.com/biodiversity-aq/data-publication/. This dataset is part of the Biodiversity, Evolution and Adaptation Project of the Environmental Change and Evolution Program of the British Antarctic Survey. The cruise report of the expedition is available at https://www.bodc.ac.uk/resources/inventories/cruise_inventory/reports/jr15005.pdf.

New information

We report occurrences of Mollusca from individual samples taken with a 2 m-wide Agassiz trawl (AGT) in the framework of the February – March 2016 research expedition JR15005 of RRS James Clark Ross to the SOISS MPA and adjacent shelf and slope areas. Of 78 successful AGT deployments, 44 trawls at depths ranging from 235-2194 m yielded living Mollusca, totalling 2276 individuals, 67 morphospecies and 163 distributional records. One hundred and fifteen empty shells were also collected and recorded in the dataset. Three morphospecies (one Bivalvia and two Gastropoda) were sampled exclusively as empty shells, yielding a total of 70 morphospecies and 2391 specimens represented in the dataset. All specimens were preserved in 96% undenatured ethanol and are stored as vouchers in the collections of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Cambridge, United Kingdom. The publication of this dataset aims at increasing the knowledge on the biodiversity, abundance and geographical and bathymetric distribution of larger-sized epi- and shallow infaunal Mollusca of the South Orkney Islands.

Keywords

benthic biodiversity, Southern Ocean, continental slope, continental shelf, Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Polyplacophora, Scaphopoda, Solenogastres

Introduction

The aim of the SO-AntEco expedition (JR15005) was to assess and contribute to a better understanding of the benthic biodiversity, community composition and zonation on the shelf and slope areas of the South Orkney Islands, including the SOISS MPA, and to provide information for future MPA monitoring and management. Previous studies have shown the archipelago to host an exceptionally high biodiversity for a polar site, most of which is contributed by marine benthic species (Barnes et al. 2009). To protect representative examples of marine ecosystems, habitats, and the biodiversity in the region, CCAMLR closed all demersal finfish fisheries around the islands in 1989 and established the SOISS MPA in 2009 (CCAMLR-XXVIII paragraph 7.1; CM 91-03; CCAMLR (2009)), the world's first MPA located entirely within the high seas (Brasier et al. 2018). Benthic sampling stations in the present dataset ranged from approximately 200 to 2000 m water depth and were chosen to cover different habitats, informed by the map of geomorphic zones by Dickens et al. (2014). These habitats included: (i) shelf, (ii) gentle shelf slope, and (iii) ridge along the southern shelf edge of the South Orkney Islands; and (i) shelf, (ii) steep shelf slope, (iii) marginal plateau, (iv) seamount, and (v) steep trough walls along the northern shelf edge (Brasier et al. 2018).

We here report on the molluscs collected during the JR15005 campaign as they are a taxonomically and ecologically diverse phylum known to be a good surrogate taxon for entire benthic communities (Smith 2005, Tyler and Kowalewski 2017). With almost 700 formally described species in the Southern Ocean (Clarke and Johnston 2003), Mollusca is one of the more speciose higher-level taxa in the region. However, even though the group has been the target of investigations since the early Antarctic expeditions and, thus, is amongst the best known in the Southern Ocean (Clarke and Johnston 2003, De Broyer and Danis 2011), recent investigations in yet un(der)studied habitats, regions and depths have continued to record or describe new species on a regular basis (e.g., Aldea et al. (2009), Zamarro et al. (2013), Chen et al. (2015), Kantor et al. (2016)).

In this context, the publication of this dataset aims at increasing the knowledge on the macro- and megabenthic molluscs from the study area that encompasses the shelf edge and little investigated slope areas of the South Orkney Islands archipelago, Scotia Arc, in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean.

Project description

Title: 

Mollusca collected by Agassiz trawl from the 2016 SO-AntEco expedition to the South Orkney Islands, Antarctica – data

Personnel: 

Jan Steger, Katrin Linse, Yi-Ming Gan, Huw J. Griffiths

Funding: 

The SO-AntEco - JR15005 expedition was part of the Biodiversity, Evolution and Adaptation Project of the Environmental Change and Evolution Program of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). The publication of this dataset was funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO, contract n°FR/36/AN1/AntaBIS) in the framework of EU-LifeWatch as a contribution to the SCAR Antarctic Biodiversity Portal (biodiversity.aq).

Sampling methods

Description: 

The study area encompasses the continental shelf and slope of the South Orkney Islands, Scotia Arc, in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean (Fig. 1A). The archipelago is situated approximately 600 km north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula and hydrographically affected by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the north and the Weddell Sea Gyre in the south (Barnes et al. 2009, Meredith et al. 2011, Dickens et al. 2014). The present dataset provides species occurrences and specimen counts of larger-sized (mostly > 1 cm) Mollusca from 44 AGT hauls (= stations) taken during RRS James Clark Ross cruise JR15005 in 2016. Detailed station information is provided in Table 1, their geographic positions are plotted in Fig. 1B.

Table 1.

Details on SO-AntEco/JR15005 Agassiz trawl stations that yielded Mollusca. Positions are given according to datum WGS84, depths in metres, dates in the format dd.mm.yyyy.

Station No.

Start Lat.

End Lat.

Start Long.

End Long.

Min. Depth

Max. Depth

Region

Date

JR15005_6

-60.6997

-60.6988

-45.4727

-45.4756

235

243

Signy

29.02.2016

JR15005_9

-61.5357

-61.5339

-46.9372

-46.9458

522

564

West

02.03.2016

JR15005_15

-61.5374

-61.5343

-47.1298

-47.1375

772

791

West

03.03.2016

JR15005_16

-61.5332

-61.5311

-47.1406

-47.1538

791

817

West

03.03.2016

JR15005_17

-61.5318

-61.5300

-47.1614

-47.1704

836

844

West

03.03.2016

JR15005_31

-62.1681

-62.1643

-44.9830

-44.9861

531

535

South

05.03.2016

JR15005_32

-62.1617

-62.1569

-44.9877

-44.9883

524

530

South

05.03.2016

JR15005_33

-62.1542

-62.1498

-44.9902

-44.9877

517

556

South

06.03.2016

JR15005_43

-62.3337

-62.3316

-44.5258

-44.5351

1000

1000

South

06.03.2016

JR15005_44

-62.3302

-62.3278

-44.5417

-44.5532

969

1012

South

06.03.2016

JR15005_45

-62.3329

-62.3287

-44.5262

-44.5345

1006

1055

South

07.03.2016

JR15005_51

-62.4202

-62.4185

-44.4629

-44.4801

2098

2194

South

08.03.2016

JR15005_54

-60.5341

-60.5386

-46.4837

-46.4879

785

807

NW Trough

09.03.2016

JR15005_55

-60.5419

-60.5465

-46.4903

-46.4939

808

810

NW Trough

09.03.2016

JR15005_61

-60.3547

-60.3588

-46.6842

-46.6885

465

540

North West

09.03.2016

JR15005_62

-60.3539

-60.3583

-46.6841

-46.6875

458

573

North West

10.03.2016

JR15005_63

-60.3544

-60.3589

-46.6842

-46.6876

442

545

North West

10.03.2016

JR15005_68

-60.3224

-60.3262

-46.7672

-46.7726

732

852

North West

10.03.2016

JR15005_69

-60.3208

-60.3254

-46.7674

-46.7704

733

837

North West

10.03.2016

JR15005_70

-60.3216

-60.3266

-46.7690

-46.7699

722

826

North West

10.03.2016

JR15005_79

-60.2766

-60.2742

-46.8659

-46.8739

484

486

North West

11.03.2016

JR15005_81

-60.2713

-60.2695

-46.8784

-46.8870

459

485

North West

11.03.2016

JR15005_83

-60.2207

-60.2182

-46.6898

-46.6988

783

807

North West

11.03.2016

JR15005_85

-60.2135

-60.2158

-46.7234

-46.7332

798

838

North West

12.03.2016

JR15005_90

-60.4944

-60.4965

-44.5179

-44.5255

520

624

North

12.03.2016

JR15005_91

-60.4959

-60.4988

-44.5224

-44.5297

551

658

North

13.03.2016

JR15005_93

-60.4641

-60.4687

-44.7027

-44.7112

1028

1077

North

13.03.2016

JR15005_94

-60.4717

-60.4753

-44.7158

-44.7260

992

1028

North

13.03.2016

JR15005_95

-60.4589

-60.4562

-44.7044

-44.7146

1062

1149

North

13.03.2016

JR15005_100

-60.4763

-60.4719

-44.4192

-44.4187

790

896

North

13.03.2016

JR15005_101

-60.4768

-60.4726

-44.4190

-44.4224

773

858

North

13.03.2016

JR15005_105

-60.4572

-60.4550

-44.3115

-44.3257

1447

1483

North

14.03.2016

JR15005_112

-60.7522

-60.7565

-42.9576

-42.9693

548

598

North East

15.03.2016

JR15005_113

-60.7578

-60.7595

-42.9744

-42.9844

508

546

North East

15.03.2016

JR15005_114

-60.7524

-60.7531

-42.9632

-42.9734

1758

2190

North East

15.03.2016

JR15005_119

-60.7387

-60.7348

-42.9725

-42.9802

801

867

North East

15.03.2016

JR15005_120

-60.7450

-60.7405

-42.9811

-42.9881

708

831

North East

15.03.2016

JR15005_125

-60.7222

-60.7190

-43.0022

-43.0125

1034

1139

North East

16.03.2016

JR15005_126

-60.7216

-60.7205

-43.0267

-43.0365

1014

1017

North East

16.03.2016

JR15005_130

-60.6713

-60.6728

-42.4951

-42.5034

512

531

North East

16.03.2016

JR15005_132

-60.6772

-60.6786

-42.5206

-42.5295

493

500

North East

16.03.2016

JR15005_138

-60.7032

-60.6978

-42.9774

-42.9901

1541

1674

North East

17.03.2016

JR15005_142

-60.5733

-60.5715

-41.0549

-41.0633

621

651

Bruce Bank

18.03.2016

JR15005_146

-60.5589

-60.5617

-41.0376

-41.0461

622

625

Bruce Bank

19.03.2016

Figure 1.  

Map of the South Orkney Islands and sampling stations. A Location of the South Orkney Islands in the Scotia Sea, Southern Ocean. B Positions of Agassiz trawl (AGT) sampling stations of the SO-AntEco project along the shelf and slope areas of the archipelago. The boundaries of the South Orkney Islands Southern Shelf Marine Protected Area (SOISS MPA) are indicated by a dotted line. Sites that yielded living Mollusca are highlighted as red dots, grey dots mark the positions of trawls that did not contain any molluscs. Findings of empty shells were limited to trawl stations where also living molluscs were found.

Sampling description: 

Mollusca were collected using a 2 m-wide AGT with an outer 3 cm mesh-sized and an inner 1 cm mesh-sized net following a standardised deployment protocol (see JR15005 cruise report at https://www.bodc.ac.uk/resources/inventories/cruise_inventory/report/16041/).

Six major clusters of sampling stations were located to the south, west, northwest (subdivided into two sites: “North West” and “North West Trough”), north and northeast of the South Orkney Islands, as well as at Bruce Bank. Targeted sampling depths were 500, 750, 1000, 1500 and 2000 m. Furthermore, a single trawl was taken on the shelf off Signy Island at approximately 200 m depth. If conditions permitted, three replicate AGTs were taken at the shallower stations (500, 750 and 1000 m), while at least one haul was conducted at the deeper stations (1500 and 2000 m). Detailed locations of major clusters and individual sampling sites are shown in Fig. 1B. Swath multibeam bathymetry was used to assess seafloor topography prior to AGT deployments and – if possible (at < 1000 m water depth) – in situ seafloor imaging conducted at the same sites using the shallow underwater camera system (SUCS) to gather additional information on local faunal density, biomass and abundance (see also Brasier et al. (2018)).

Once on the bottom, the AGT was towed for 10 min at a speed of 1 kn. On deck, samples were sorted by hand into higher-level taxonomic groups (e.g., molluscan classes), the collected individuals roughly counted, placed in pre-cooled 96% ethanol and stored at -20°C. All molluscan specimens recovered during JR15005 were preserved.

Treatment of samples: Identification of specimens was performed at BAS, based on external morphological characters using specialised literature (e.g., Dell (1990), Hain (1990), Numanami (1996), Steiner and Linse (2000), Aldea and Troncoso (2008), Engl (2012), Kantor et al. (2016)) and an available reference collection. Mollusca were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level, excluding one live collected individual and shell fragments too damaged for identification. Thirty-four percent of morphospecies (24 out of 70 species, Table 2) could only be classified at genus level or above: two of these were Solenogastres, two Polyplacophora, one Bivalvia and 19 Gastropoda. Taxa not identified to species level represent distinct morphospecies and do not belong to any other species in the dataset. Further morphological and genetic studies are required to clarify the status of these entities. Of morphospecies likely to represent undescribed species, DNA has been extracted for future COI sequence analysis. Three of the 70 morphospecies (Cuspidaria tenella E. A. Smith, 1907, Torellia sp. 1 [the sole representative of family Capulidae in our material] and Falsilunatia cf. scotiana) were collected only as empty shells.

Table 2.

Distribution of the 2391 molluscan specimens in the dataset across families, genera, and species. Specimen counts (# spcms.) presented subsume live and dead collected specimens. For a detailed breakdown of specimen counts by station and into live individuals and empty shells, see Table 3.

Family

Genus

Species

# spcms.

Solenogastres sp. 1

1

Solenogastres sp. 2

1

Leptochitonidae

3

Leptochitonidae

Leptochiton

3

Leptochitonidae

Leptochiton

Leptochiton sp. 1

2

Leptochitonidae

Leptochiton

Leptochiton sp. 2

1

Mopaliidae

1

Mopaliidae

Nuttallochiton

1

Mopaliidae

Nuttallochiton

Nuttallochiton mirandus

1

Nuculanidae

76

Nuculanidae

Nuculana

56

Nuculanidae

Nuculana

Nuculana inaequisculpta

56

Nuculanidae

Propeleda

20

Nuculanidae

Propeleda

Propeleda longicaudata

20

Yoldiidae

7

Yoldiidae

Yoldiella

7

Yoldiidae

Yoldiella

Yoldiella cf. valettei

7

Sareptidae

17

Sareptidae

Aequiyoldia

17

Sareptidae

Aequiyoldia

Aequiyoldia eightsii

17

Limopsidae

49

Limopsidae

Limopsis

49

Limopsidae

Limopsis

Limopsis marionensis

49

Philobryidae

1856

Philobryidae

Adacnarca

1

Philobryidae

Adacnarca

Adacnarca nitens

1

Philobryidae

Lissarca

1855

Philobryidae

Lissarca

Lissarca notorcadensis

1855

Lasaeidae

3

Lasaeidae

Kellia

1

Lasaeidae

Kellia

Kellia sp. 1

1

Lasaeidae

Altenaeum

2

Lasaeidae

Altenaeum

Altenaeum gibbosum

2

Thyasiridae

21

Thyasiridae

Thyasira

18

Thyasiridae

Thyasira

Thyasira debilis

3

Thyasiridae

Thyasira

Thyasira falklandica

15

Thyasiridae

Parathyasira

3

Thyasiridae

Parathyasira

Parathyasira dearborni

3

Thraciidae

1

Thraciidae

Thracia

1

Thraciidae

Thracia

Thracia meridionalis

1

Cuspidariidae

7

Cuspidariidae

Cuspidaria

7

Cuspidariidae

Cuspidaria

Cuspidaria infelix

4

Cuspidariidae

Cuspidaria

Cuspidaria minima

1

Cuspidariidae

Cuspidaria

Cuspidaria tenella

2

Eucyclidae

2

Eucyclidae

Calliotropis

2

Eucyclidae

Calliotropis

Calliotropis eltanini

1

Eucyclidae

Calliotropis

Calliotropis lateumbilicata

1

Calliostomatidae

1

Calliostomatidae

Falsimargarita

1

Calliostomatidae

Falsimargarita

Falsimargarita thielei

1

Colloniidae

2

Colloniidae

Leptocollonia

2

Colloniidae

Leptocollonia

Leptocollonia sp. 1

2

Capulidae

1

Capulidae

Torellia

1

Capulidae

Torellia

Torellia sp. 1

1

Naticidae

16

Naticidae

Amauropsis

2

Naticidae

Amauropsis

Amauropsis aureolutea

2

Naticidae

Falsilunatia

11

Naticidae

Falsilunatia

Falsilunatia cf. scotiana

1

Naticidae

Falsilunatia

Falsilunatia sp. 1

10

Naticidae

Naticidae cf. Falsilunatia sp. 1

2

Naticidae

Sinuber

1

Naticidae

Sinuber

Sinuber sp. 1

1

Velutinidae

3

Velutinidae

Marseniopsis

3

Velutinidae

Marseniopsis

Marseniopsis sp. 1

1

Velutinidae

Marseniopsis

Marseniopsis sp. 2

1

Velutinidae

Marseniopsis

Marseniopsis sp. 3

1

Prosiphonidae

48

Prosiphonidae

Antarctodomus

1

Prosiphonidae

Antarctodomus

Antarctodomus thielei

1

Prosiphonidae

Chlanidota

27

Prosiphonidae

Chlanidota

Chlanidota signeyana

27

Prosiphonidae

Chlanificula

15

Prosiphonidae

Chlanificula

Chlanificula thielei

15

Prosiphonidae

Neobuccinum

4

Prosiphonidae

Neobuccinum

Neobuccinum eatoni

4

Prosiphonidae

Probuccinum

1

Prosiphonidae

Probuccinum

Probuccinum tenerum

1

Cominellidae

2

Cominellidae

Falsitromina

2

Cominellidae

Falsitromina

Falsitromina sp. 1

2

Muricidae

5

Muricidae

Trophon

5

Muricidae

Trophon

Trophon coulmanensis

4

Muricidae

Trophon

Trophon sp. 1

1

Marginellidae

4

Marginellidae

Volvarina

4

Marginellidae

Volvarina

Volvarina ealesae

3

Marginellidae

Volvarina

Volvarina hyalina

1

Volutidae

38

Volutidae

Harpovoluta

33

Volutidae

Harpovoluta

Harpovoluta charcoti

33

Volutidae

Miomelon

4

Volutidae

Miomelon

Miomelon turnerae

4

Volutidae Tractolira 1

Volutidae

Tractolira

Tractolira sp. 1

1

Volutomitridae

17

Volutomitridae

Paradmete

17

Volutomitridae

Paradmete

Paradmete cf. fragillima

6

Volutomitridae

Paradmete

Paradmete percarinata

10

Volutomitridae

Paradmete

Paradmete sp. 1

1

Borsoniidae

14

Borsoniidae

Belaturricula

4

Borsoniidae

Belaturricula

Belaturricula cf. ergata

1

Borsoniidae

Belaturricula

Belaturricula gaini

3

Borsoniidae

Typhlodaphne

10

Borsoniidae

Typhlodaphne

Typhlodaphne paratenoceras

10

Neogastropoda cf. Borsoniidae sp. 1

2

Mangeliidae

1

Mangeliidae

Lorabela

1

Mangeliidae

Lorabela

Lorabela pelseneeri

1

Raphitomidae

1

Raphitomidae

Pleurotomella

1

Raphitomidae

Pleurotomella

Pleurotomella cf. simillima

1

Cochlespiridae

15

Cochlespiridae

Aforia

15

Cochlespiridae

Aforia

Aforia magnifica

15

Pseudomelatomidae

23

Pseudomelatomidae

Conorbela

23

Pseudomelatomidae

Conorbela

Conorbela antarctica

23

Horaiclavidae

9

Horaiclavidae

Micropleurotoma

9

Horaiclavidae

Micropleurotoma

Micropleurotoma sp. 1

9

Cancellariidae

3

Cancellariidae

Nothoadmete

3

Cancellariidae

Nothoadmete

Nothoadmete consobrina

3

Acteonidae

3

Acteonidae

Neactaeonina

3

Acteonidae

Neactaeonina

Neactaeonina edentula

3

Newnesiidae

3

Newnesiidae

Newnesia

3

Newnesiidae

Newnesia

Newnesia sp. 1

3

Philinidae

4

Philinidae

Philine

4

Philinidae

Philine

Philine sp. 1

4

Bathydorididae

2

Bathydorididae

Prodoris

2

Bathydorididae

Prodoris

Prodoris cf. clavigera

2

Dorididae

5

Dorididae

Doris

5

Dorididae

Doris

Doris kerguelenensis

5

Nudibranchia sp. 1

2

Nudibranchia sp. 2

1

Nudibranchia sp. 3

1

Dentaliidae

15

Dentaliidae

Dentalium

15

Dentaliidae

Dentalium

Dentalium majorinum

15

Gadilidae

105

Gadilidae

Siphonodentalium

105

Gadilidae

Siphonodentalium

Siphonodentalium dalli

105

Each dataset entry corresponds to either live collected individuals or empty shells of a single molluscan species from a particular station stored within a labelled container/vial in the BAS voucher collection. Multiple conspecific specimens from any one sampling event may be distributed across more than one container (see Table 3 for a detailed breakdown).

Table 3.

Species occurrences and specimen counts (# spcms.) for the 44 Agassiz trawl samples (column "Station No.") of the SO-AntEco/JR15005 expedition that yielded Mollusca. For each species, a complete inventory of vials stored in the voucher collection of the British Antarctic Survey (Cambridge, United Kingdom) is provided, including their content in terms of: (i) total number of specimens, (ii) live collected individuals, and (iii) empty shells. In bivalves, a dead specimen may represent either a complete (i.e., articulated) empty shell or a loose valve.

Species

# spcms. (Species)

Station No.

# spcms. (Station)

Vial ID

# spcms. (Vial)

Total

Alive

Dead

Solenogastres sp. 1

1

JR15005_79

1

1615.Sol01

1

1

0

Solenogastres sp. 2

1

JR15005_142

1

2957.Sol02

1

1

0

Leptochiton sp. 1

2

JR15005_68

1

1334.P02

1

1

0

JR15005_70

1

1466.P02

1

1

0

Leptochiton sp. 2

1

JR15005_105

1

2218.P03

1

1

0

Nuttallochiton mirandus

1

JR15005_81

1

1696.P01

1

1

0

Nuculana inaequisculpta

56

JR15005_6

53

0152.B03

52

43

9

0154.B03

1

0

1

JR15005_54

2

1032.B03

1

0

1

1043.B03

1

0

1

JR15005_63

1

1271.B03

1

1

0

Propeleda longicaudata

20

JR15005_61

6

1120.B10

6

4

2

JR15005_62

1

1195.B10

1

1

0

JR15005_63

11

1269.B10

11

10

1

JR15005_70

2

1507.B10

2

0

2

Yoldiella cf. valettei

7

JR15005_6

6

0147.B04

1

1

0

0154.B04

4

2

2

0162.B04

1

0

1

JR15005_54

1

1032.B04

1

0

1

Aequiyoldia eightsii

17

JR15005_6

17

0147.B09

16

10

6

0162.B09

1

0

1

Limopsis marionensis

49

JR15005_62

1

1195.B02

1

1

0

JR15005_70

3

1459.B02

1

1

0

1460.B02

1

1

0

1515.B02

1

1

0

JR15005_79

1

1600.B02

1

0

1

JR15005_90

1

1831.B02

1

1

0

JR15005_91

3

1894.B02

3

3

0

JR15005_94

21

2906.B02

2

2

0

2907.B02

19

17

2

JR15005_119

3

2530.B02

3

3

0

JR15005_126

1

2730.B02

1

1

0

JR15005_130

2

2782.B02

2

1

1

JR15005_132

7

2819.B02

1

1

0

2840.B02

6

5

1

JR15005_142

5

2948.B02

5

5

0

JR15005_146

1

3127.B02

1

1

0

Adacnarca nitens

1

JR15005_62

1

1194.B16

1

1

0

Lissarca notorcadensis

1855

JR15005_9

448

0185.B01

448

448

0

JR15005_15

11

0286.B01

11

11

0

JR15005_17

4

0343.B01

2

2

0

0351.B01

2

2

0

JR15005_31

3

0568.B01

3

3

0

JR15005_32

6

0621.B01

6

6

0

JR15005_61

493

1094.B01

38

38

0

1097.B01

51

51

0

1120.B01

403

403

0

1133.B01

1

1

0

JR15005_62

269

1194.B01

268

268

0

3258.B01

1

1

0

JR15005_63

268

1271.B01

268

268

0

JR15005_83

2

1773.B01

2

2

0

JR15005_90

7

1838.B01

7

7

0

JR15005_91

146

1878.B01

144

144

0

1893.B01

1

1

0

1894.B01

1

1

0

JR15005_112

22

2304.B01

22

22

0

JR15005_114

26

2455.B01

26

26

0

JR15005_119

96

2530.B01

1

1

0

2531.B01

95

95

0

JR15005_120

51

2592.B01

51

51

0

JR15005_132

3

2862.B01

3

3

0

Kellia sp. 1

1

JR15005_6

1

0154.B14

1

1

0

Altenaeum gibbosum

2

JR15005_6

2

0154.B13

2

2

0

Thyasira debilis

3

JR15005_6

3

0147.B07

1

1

0

0162.B07

2

2

0

Thyasira falklandica

15

JR15005_6

12

0154.B11

12

12

0

JR15005_54

3

1028.B11

3

1

2

Parathyasira dearborni

3

JR15005_6

3

0154.B08

2

2

0

0162.B08

1

1

0

Thracia meridionalis

1

JR15005_6

1

0162.B06

1

1

0

Cuspidaria infelix

4

JR15005_61

2

1120.B15

2

2

0

JR15005_62

1

1195.B15

1

0

1

JR15005_91

1

1894.B15

1

1

0

Cuspidaria minima

1

JR15005_6

1

0162.B05

1

1

0

Cuspidaria tenella

2

JR15005_70

1

1461.B17

1

0

1

JR15005_130

1

2782.B17

1

0

1

Calliotropis eltanini

1

JR15005_146

1

3144.G25

1

1

0

Calliotropis lateumbilicata

1

JR15005_51

1

0997.G16

1

1

0

Falsimargarita thielei

1

JR15005_61

1

1133.G35

1

1

0

Leptocollonia sp. 1

2

JR15005_62

1

1163.G07

1

1

0

JR15005_70

1

1486.G07

1

1

0

Torellia sp. 1

1

JR15005_79

1

1600.G30

1

0

1

Amauropsis aureolutea

2

JR15005_70

1

1486.G40

1

1

0

JR15005_79

1

1600.G40

1

0

1

Falsilunatia cf. scotiana

1

JR15005_61

1

1133.G36

1

0

1

Falsilunatia sp. 1

10

JR15005_61

3

1106.G41

1

0

1

1133.G41

2

0

2

JR15005_62

1

1163.G41

1

0

1

JR15005_63

3

1264.G41

1

0

1

1270.G41

2

1

1

JR15005_70

3

1472.G41

1

1

0

1486.G41

2

1

1

Naticidae cf. Falsilunatia sp. 1

2

JR15005_61

1

1133.G42

1

1

0

JR15005_63

1

1270.G42

1

1

0

Sinuber sp. 1

1

JR15005_91

1

1893.G38

1

1

0

Marseniopsis sp. 1

1

JR15005_91

1

1893.G39

1

1

0

Marseniopsis sp. 2

1

JR15005_91

1

1894.G43

1

1

0

Marseniopsis sp. 3

1

JR15005_68

1

1306.G34

1

1

0

Antarctodomus thielei

1

JR15005_101

1

2117.G17

1

1

0

Chlanidota signeyana

27

JR15005_17

1

0337.G03

1

1

0

JR15005_32

1

0647.G03

1

1

0

JR15005_44

3

0892.G03

3

2

1

JR15005_45

1

0931.G03

1

1

0

JR15005_61

8

1106.G03

1

1

0

1133.G03

7

3

4

JR15005_62

1

1163.G03

1

1

0

JR15005_63

8

1264.G03

2

1

1

1270.G03

6

4

2

JR15005_68

1

1306.G03

1

1

0

JR15005_70

1

1486.G03

1

0

1

JR15005_83

1

1747.G03

1

1

0

JR15005_132

1

2841.G03

1

1

0

Chlanificula thielei

15

JR15005_15

1

0273.G04

1

0

1

JR15005_17

2

0337.G04

2

0

2

JR15005_63

1

1270.G04

1

0

1

JR15005_68

1

1339.G04

1

0

1

JR15005_83

1

1747.G04

1

1

0

JR15005_85

2

1792.G04

2

1

1

JR15005_91

3

1893.G04

3

0

3

JR15005_93

1

1985.G04

1

0

1

JR15005_94

2

2010.G04

1

0

1

2011.G04

1

1

0

JR15005_130

1

2788.G04

1

0

1

Neobuccinum eatoni

4

JR15005_31

1

0551.G19

1

1

0

JR15005_61

2

1133.G19

2

1

1

JR15005_63

1

1270.G19

1

1

0

Probuccinum tenerum

1

JR15005_119

1

2525.G13

1

1

0

Falsitromina sp. 1

2

JR15005_63

2

1264.G29

2

2

0

Trophon coulmanensis

4

JR15005_61

4

1133.G23

4

4

0

Trophon sp. 1

1

JR15005_44

1

0892.G33

1

1

0

Volvarina ealesae

3

JR15005_44

1

0892.G12

1

1

0

JR15005_93

1

1960.G12

1

1

0

JR15005_119

1

2525.G12

1

1

0

Volvarina hyalina

1

JR15005_44

1

0892.G20

1

1

0

Harpovoluta charcoti

33

JR15005_55

3

1050.G02

1

1

0

1051.G02

1

1

0

1052.G02

1

1

0

JR15005_61

4

1074.G02

1

1

0

1133.G02

3

3

0

JR15005_62

7

1148.G02

1

1

0

1149.G02

1

1

0

1150.G02

1

1

0

1163.G02

4

1

3

JR15005_63

7

1251.G02

1

1

0

1252.G02

1

1

0

1253.G02

1

1

0

1254.G02

1

1

0

1255.G02

1

1

0

1264.G02

1

1

0

1281.G02

1

1

0

JR15005_69

1

1420.G02

1

1

0

JR15005_79

1

1598.G02

1

1

0

JR15005_93

3

1955.G02

1

1

0

1957.G02

1

1

0

1959.G02

1

1

0

JR15005_94

1

1996.G02

1

1

0

JR15005_95

3

2067.G02

1

1

0

2068.G02

1

1

0

2069.G02

1

1

0

JR15005_126

2

2712.G02

1

1

0

2713.G02

1

1

0

JR15005_132

1

2855.G02

1

1

0

Miomelon turnerae

4

JR15005_15

1

0273.G08

1

0

1

JR15005_83

2

1747.G08

2

1

1

JR15005_85

1

1792.G08

1

1

0

Tractolira sp. 1

1

JR15005_63

1

1264.G26

1

1

0

Paradmete cf. fragillima

6

JR15005_43

1

0843.G22

1

1

0

JR15005_44

5

0892.G22

5

3

2

Paradmete percarinata

10

JR15005_16

1

0296.G10

1

1

0

JR15005_61

4

1133.G10

4

3

1

JR15005_62

1

1163.G10

1

1

0

JR15005_63

2

1264.G10

1

0

1

1270.G10

1

0

1

JR15005_83

1

1747.G10

1

1

0

JR15005_85

1

1792.G10

1

1

0

Paradmete sp. 1

1

JR15005_44

1

0892.G21

1

1

0

Belaturricula cf. ergata

1

JR15005_132

1

2841.G31

1

1

0

Belaturricula gaini

3

JR15005_44

1

0892.G18

1

0

1

JR15005_112

1

2290.G18

1

1

0

JR15005_126

1

2750.G18

1

1

0

Typhlodaphne paratenoceras

10

JR15005_15

1

0273.G09

1

1

0

JR15005_61

1

1133.G09

1

0

1

JR15005_62

2

1163.G09

2

1

1

JR15005_79

1

1600.G09

1

0

1

JR15005_83

1

1747.G09

1

1

0

JR15005_85

2

1792.G09

2

2

0

JR15005_112

1

2290.G09

1

0

1

JR15005_113

1

2387.G09

1

0

1

Neogastropoda cf. Borsoniidae sp. 1

2

JR15005_112

1

2290.G37

1

1

0

JR15005_119

1

2533.G37

1

1

0

Lorabela pelseneeri

1

JR15005_6

1

0152.G14

1

1

0

Pleurotomella cf. simillima

1

JR15005_63

1

1264.G28

1

1

0

Aforia magnifica

15

JR15005_15

1

0273.G06

1

0

1

JR15005_33

1

0728.G06

1

1

0

JR15005_61

4

1133.G06

4

2

2

JR15005_62

2

1163.G06

2

2

0

JR15005_70

1

1486.G06

1

0

1

JR15005_79

2

1600.G06

2

0

2

JR15005_90

1

1832.G06

1

1

0

JR15005_91

2

1893.G06

2

2

0

JR15005_113

1

2387.G06

1

1

0

Conorbela antarctica

23

JR15005_15

1

0273.G05

1

1

0

JR15005_61

9

1133.G05

9

5

4

JR15005_62

3

1163.G05

3

2

1

JR15005_63

6

1264.G05

2

1

1

1270.G05

4

2

2

JR15005_70

1

1486.G05

1

0

1

JR15005_85

3

1792.G05

3

3

0

Micropleurotoma sp. 1

9

JR15005_61

5

1133.G15

5

1

4

JR15005_63

4

1264.G15

3

2

1

1270.G15

1

0

1

Nothoadmete consobrina

3

JR15005_61

1

1133.G27

1

1

0

JR15005_63

2

1264.G27

2

2

0

Neactaeonina edentula

3

JR15005_54

1

1029.G24

1

0

1

JR15005_61

1

1133.G24

1

1

0

JR15005_100

1

2102.G24

1

1

0

Newnesia sp. 1

3

JR15005_105

1

2225.G44

1

1

0

JR15005_138

2

2903.G44

2

2

0

Philine sp. 1

4

JR15005_15

1

0363.G11

1

1

0

JR15005_16

1

0312.G11

1

1

0

JR15005_17

2

0335.G11

2

2

0

Prodoris cf. clavigera

2

JR15005_113

1

2386.G66

1

1

0

JR15005_125

1

2672.G66

1

1

0

Doris kerguelenensis

5

JR15005_33

2

0709.G62

2

2

0

JR15005_91

1

1896.G62

1

1

0

JR15005_113

1

2386.G62

1

1

0

JR15005_114

1

2457.G62

1

1

0

Nudibranchia sp. 1

2

JR15005_79

1

1613.G63

1

1

0

JR15005_81

1

1694.G63

1

1

0

Nudibranchia sp. 2

1

JR15005_81

1

1694.G64

1

1

0

Nudibranchia sp. 3

1

JR15005_94

1

1998.G65

1

1

0

Dentalium majorinum

15

JR15005_61

2

1132.S01

2

1

1

JR15005_63

3

1263.S01

3

2

1

JR15005_68

1

1343.S01

1

0

1

JR15005_70

6

1469.S01

6

5

1

JR15005_79

1

1600.S01

1

0

1

JR15005_91

2

1895.S01

2

2

0

Siphonodentalium dalli

105

JR15005_6

77

0155.S02

77

75

2

JR15005_61

6

1132.S02

6

6

0

JR15005_62

1

1162.S02

1

1

0

JR15005_63

21

1263.S02

21

21

0

Quality control: 

All records were validated. Coordinates were plotted on a map to verify that the actual geographical location corresponds to its locality. Event dates and time were converted into ISO 8601 and verified with the field reports. All scientific names were checked for typos and matched to the species information backbone of the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS Editorial Board (2018); http://marinespecies.org/); Life Science Identifiers (LSIDs) were assigned to each taxon as scientificNameID.

Step description: 
  1. Benthic sampling with a 2 m-wide AGT in the South Orkney Islands during research cruise JR15005.
  2. On board, the catch was hand-sorted into different higher-level taxa, with Mollusca segregated mostly to class level, and animals subsequently fixed in 96% ethanol at -20°C.
  3. Taxonomic identification of the molluscan specimens was performed at the British Antarctic Survey (Cambridge, United Kingdom), based on morphological characters and with the aid of a stereomicroscope.
  4. Species-level specimen counts were compiled for each trawl sample (Table 3).
  5. Of species potentially new to science, DNA was extracted for future molecular analysis.

Geographic coverage

Description: 

Continental shelf and slope of the South Orkney Islands, Southern Ocean.

Coordinates: 

-62.4202 and -60.2135 Latitude; -47.1704 and -41.0376 Longitude.

Taxonomic coverage

Description: 

The present dataset provides information on the phylum Mollusca and includes five classes (Aplacophora, Polyplacophora, Bivalvia, Gastropoda and Scaphopoda). In total, 2276 living individuals were collected, representing 36 families, 67 species and 163 species-level distributional records (Table 3). To date, two morphospecies of the aplacophoran taxon Solenogastres, one morphospecies of an unidentified conoidean neogastropod and three morphospecies of nudibranchs (Gastropoda) have not been assigned to a family. Of live collected individuals, 1999 specimens (88%) were Bivalvia (accounting for 15 species), 158 (7%) Gastropoda (accounting for 45 species), 113 (5%) Scaphopoda (accounting for two species), four (0.2%) Polyplacophora (accounting for three species) and two (0.1%) Aplacophora (accounting for two species). Furthermore, 115 empty shells are recorded in the dataset. One family (Capulidae) and three species-level taxa (the cuspidariid bivalve Cuspidaria tenella E. A. Smith, 1907, the capulid gastropod Torellia sp. 1 and the naticid gastropod Falsilunatia cf. scotiana) were exclusively recorded as empty shells (Table 3).

Temporal coverage

Data range: 
2016-2-29 - 2016-3-19.

Usage licence

Usage licence: 
Other
IP rights notes: 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 Licence.

Data resources

Data package title: 
Mollusca collected by Agassiz trawl from the 2016 SO-AntEco expedition to the South Orkney Islands, Antarctica - data
Number of data sets: 
1
Data set name: 
Mollusca collected by Agassiz trawl from the 2016 SO-AntEco expedition to the South Orkney Islands, Antarctica - data
Data format: 
Darwin Core
Description: 

The dataset, published by Steger et al. (2023), contains information on specimens of Southern Ocean Mollusca that were collected by Agassiz trawl (AGT) during the 2016 JR15005 SO-AntEco research cruise. The specific aims and objectives of the cruise can be found in the cruise report (available at https://www.bodc.ac.uk/resources/inventories/cruise_inventory/report/16041/). The dataset and associated specimens will be used to investigate the biodiversity and assemblage structure of molluscs on the South Orkney Islands shelf and slope and to identify new species records from yet un(der)sampled depths, as well as undescribed species. This dataset is published by the British Antarctic Survey under the licence CC-BY 4.0. The publication of this dataset was funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO, contract n°FR/36/AN1/AntaBIS) in the framework of EU-LifeWatch as a contribution to the SCAR Antarctic Biodiversity Portal (biodiversity.aq). Please follow the guidelines from the SCAR Data Policy (SCAR 2023) when using the data. If you have any questions regarding this dataset, please do not hesitate to contact us via the contact information provided in the metadata or via data-biodiversity-aq@naturalsciences.be.

The dataset column descriptions below are modified after Wieczorek et al. (2012) and Darwin Core Maintenance Group (2021).

Column label Column description
id Identifier of a record, consisting of the cruise number (JR15005), underscore, 4-digit vial number as assigned in the field, dot, alphanumeric morphospecies code, underscore and a single letter indicating whether the record pertains to live collected individuals (“A”) or empty shells (“D”).
type The nature or genre of the resource.
language Language of the resource.
institutionID An identifier for the institution having custody of the object(s) referred to in the record.
institutionCode The acronym in use by the institution having custody of the object(s) referred to in the record.
basisOfRecord The specific nature of the data record.
occurrenceID An identifier for the Occurrence (as opposed to a particular digital record of the Occurrence). For details, see description of column id.
catalogNumber An identifier for the record within the dataset or collection. For details, see description of column id.
organismQuantity Number of specimens. Loose valves of bivalves were counted as one specimen each.
organismQuantityType The type of quantification system used for the quantity of Organisms.
occurrenceStatus A statement about the presence or absence of a Taxon at a Location.
preparations A list (concatenated and separated) of preparations and preservation methods for a specimen.
occurrenceRemarks Comments or notes about the Occurrence. Indicates whether specimen(s) was/were live collected or dead (i.e., empty shells).
eventID An identifier for the set of information associated with an Event (something that occurs at a place and time) – RRS James Clark Ross JR15005 station number.
fieldNumber An identifier given to the Event in the field.
eventDate The date-time when the Event was recorded.
year The four-digit year in which the Event occurred, according to the Common Era Calendar.
month The integer month in which the Event occurred.
day The integer day of the month on which the Event occurred.
verbatimEventDate The verbatim original representation of the date and time information for an Event.
samplingProtocol The names of, references to, or descriptions of the methods or protocols used during an Event.
countryCode The standard code for the country in which the Location occurs.
locality The specific description of the place.
minimumDepthInMeters The lesser depth of a range of depth for the Event below the local surface, in metres.
maximumDepthInMeters The greater depth of a range of depth for the Event below the local surface, in metres.
decimalLatitude The geographic latitude (in decimal degrees, using the spatial reference system given in geodeticDatum) of the geographic centre of a Location. Positive values are north of the equator, negative values are south of it.
decimalLongitude The geographic longitude (in decimal degrees, using the spatial reference system given in geodeticDatum) of the geographic centre of a Location. Positive values are east of the Greenwich Meridian, negative values are west of it.
geodeticDatum The ellipsoid, geodetic datum, or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geographic coordinates given in decimalLatitude and decimalLongitude are based.
coordinateUncertaintyInMeters The horizontal distance (in metres) from the given decimalLatitude and decimalLongitude describing the smallest circle containing the whole of the Location.
coordinatePrecision A decimal representation of the precision of the coordinates given in the decimalLatitude and decimalLongitude.
footprintWKT A Well-Known Text (WKT) representation of the shape (footprint, geometry) that defines the Location.
footprintSRS The ellipsoid, geodetic datum, or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geometry given in footprintWKT is based.
verbatimIdentification A string representing the taxonomic identification as it appeared in the original record.
identificationQualifier A brief phrase or a standard term ("cf.", "aff.") to express the determiner's doubts about the Identification.
identifiedBy A list (concatenated and separated) of names of people, groups, or organisations who assigned the Taxon to the subject.
identifiedByID A list (concatenated and separated) of the globally unique identifier (ORCID iD) for the person, people, groups, or organisations responsible for assigning the Taxon to the subject.
identificationRemarks Comments or notes about the Identification.
scientificNameID Taxon number (Life Science Identifier, LSID) according to the World Register of Marine Species (https://www.marinespecies.org).
scientificName The full scientific name, corresponding to the lowest level taxonomic rank that can be determined.
kingdom The full scientific name of the kingdom in which the Taxon is classified.
phylum The full scientific name of the phylum in which the Taxon is classified.
class The full scientific name of the class in which the Taxon is classified.
order The full scientific name of the order in which the Taxon is classified.
family The full scientific name of the family in which the Taxon is classified.
genus The full scientific name of the genus in which the Taxon is classified.
specificEpithet The name of the first or species epithet of the scientificName.
taxonRank The taxonomic rank of the most specific name in the scientificName.
scientificNameAuthorship The authorship information for the scientificName formatted according to the conventions of the applicable nomenclaturalCode.

Acknowledgements

We show appreciation to the captain, crew and scientific team members of the RRS James Clark Ross expedition JR15005. We further would like to thank Robert Mesibov for his helpful feedback on our dataset and Cristian Aldea, an anonymous reviewer and the editor Anton P. van de Putte for their constructive comments.

Author contributions

JS identified and counted specimens, compiled the data, wrote and edited the manuscript. KL identified specimens, provided lab equipment and edited the manuscript. YMG compiled and prepared data for submission to GBIF and edited the manuscript. HG was PI of JR15005, provided the specimens, compiled and edited data and edited the manuscript.

References

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