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Structure And Trophic Ecology Of A Low Latitude Midwater Decapod And Mysid Assemblage, Thomas L. Hopkins, Mark E. Flock, John V. Gartner Jr, Joseph J. Torres

Marine Science Faculty Publications

The micronektonic crustacean assemblage in the eastern Gulf of Mexico is an extension of the low latitude Atlantic and Caribbean faunas. Species showed highly varying diel distribution patterns ranging from a strong vertical migration to the epipelagic zone to absence of any migration resulting in a permanent residence deep in the mesopelagic zone. As in other low latitude areas, decapod species with variegated pigment patterns centered above 650 m during the day, whereas 'all-red' species centered below this depth. Standing stocks were estimated at 0.18 g dry wt m-2 and 3 ind. m-2 in the upper 1000 m. Diet analysis …