Abstract
BackgroundThe Great Australian Bight (GAB) comprises the majority of Australia’s southern coastline, but to date its deep water fauna has remained almost unknown. Recent issuing of oil and gas leases in the region has highlighted this lack of baseline biological data and established a pressing need to characterise benthic abyssal fauna.MethodsFrom 2013 to 2017, six large-scale systematic surveys of the GAB were conducted from 200 to 5000 m depth, constituting the deepest systematic biological sampling in Australia. Sampling was conducted on soft sediment and hard substrates, both at pre-determined depth intervals along north-south transect lines and at sites of interest identified by multibeam sonar.ResultsA total of 66,721 invertebrate specimens were collected, comprising 1267 species, with 401 species (32%) new to science. In addition to the novelty of the fauna, there was a high degree of rarity, with 31% of species known only from single specimens.ConclusionsIn this paper, we provide an annotated checklist of the benthic invertebrate fauna of the deep GAB, supplemented with colour photos of live specimens and commentary on taxonomy, diversity and distributions. This work represents an important addition to knowledge of Australia’s deep sea fauna, and will provide the foundation for further ecological, biogeographical and systematic research.
Highlights
The Great Australian Bight (GAB) comprises the majority of Australia’s southern coastline, but to date its deep water fauna has remained almost unknown
This paper provides a detailed checklist of the benthic invertebrate fauna of the deep GAB, with colour photos of live specimens and commentary on taxonomy, diversity and distributions
The combined biological sampling operations collected a total of 66,721 benthic invertebrate specimens, from 3522 separate lots
Summary
The Great Australian Bight (GAB) comprises the majority of Australia’s southern coastline, but to date its deep water fauna has remained almost unknown. Recent issuing of oil and gas leases in the region has highlighted this lack of baseline biological data and established a pressing need to characterise benthic abyssal fauna It is often noted how vast and unexplored the deep sea is, but it is a rare opportunity to explore an almost completely unknown marine region — adjacent to a region famed for its unique biodiversity. Such is the case with the Great Australian Bight (GAB), an area encompassing most of southern Australia’s coastline. Two major science programs have been implemented to enhance ecological knowledge of the deep GAB: the GAB Research Program (GABRP)
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