Epifauna of the Sea of Japan collected via a new epibenthic sledge equipped with camera and environmental sensor systems

摘要: Abstract Faunistic data from a newly designed camera-epibenthic sledge (C-EBS) are presented. These were collected during the joint Russian–German expedition SoJaBio ( S ea o f Ja pan Bio diversity Studies) on board R.V. Akademik Lavrentyev four transects (A–D) between 460 and 3660 m depth. In total, 244,531 macro- megafaunal individuals sampled with classes Malacostraca (80,851 individuals), Polychaeta (36,253 ind.) Ophiuroidea (34,004 being most abundant. Within Malacostraca, Peracarida (75,716 abundant within these, Isopoda dominant taxon (27,931 ind.), followed by Amphipoda (21,403 Cumacea (13,971 Tanaidacea (10,830 ind.). Mysidacea (1581 least frequent. Bivalvia, Amphipoda, as well inbenthic meiofaunal Nematoda occurred in higher numbers at shallower stations their decreased increasing Polychaeta, Isopoda, Tanaidacea, contrary, increased abundance Only one isopod species was abyssal depths Sea of Japan but very high abundance: Eurycope spinifrons Gurjanova, 1933 (Asellota: Munnopsidae). Echinoderms frequently slope stations. Ophiuroids dominating, holothurians, echinoids asteroids which lower primarily A B. 2163 individual anthozoans recorded these mostly confined to slope. The technical design new C-EBS is described. Next temperature-insulated epi- suprabenthic samplers, it equipped still video cameras, deliver information seabed topography occurrence. Furthermore, Aanderaa CTD SEAGUARD RCM allow for collection physical parameters, such near bottom oxygen composition, temperature conductivity.