Faunal survey of benthic invertebrates of shallow water in southern part of Izu Peninsula

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In the present study, a faunal survey of macro-benthos in shallow water of southern part of Izu peninsula, focusing on the species diversity and ecological habitat was carried out. Sampling was collected at 50 sites that cover various depth(3m-150m)and habitats(muddy bottom to rocky shore)by dredging. Approximately 3000 specimens of invertebrates was collected. Dominated animals were gastopod and bivalve molluscs, polychaet annelids and ophiuroids. Following phyla(subphyla)was also cofirmed : poriferans, anthozoan and hydrozoan cnidarians, platyhelminthes, nemerteans, nematode, gastopod, bivalve, scaphopod, polyplacophoran and cephalopodan molluscs, sipunculans, echiurans, endoproctans, bryozoans, articulare and inarticulate brachiopods, lophophorates, crinoid, asteroid, ophiuroid, echinoid and holothurian echinoderms, hemichordates, urochordate and cephalochordates. Branchyostoma and Lingula that have disappeared in most Japanese area are found to be reproducing in this area. A large population of some endangered bivalve species, Musculista japonica, M.perfragilis, Pitar japonicus, was discovered. In addition, many new species of various taxa, such as new species of epitoniid and naticid gastropods, lepidopleurinan polyplacophora and enteropneustan hemichordate were also discovered and some of these taxa seem to be endemic to this area. Major component of the invertebrates fauna are the species distributed in pacific coast of mid-southern area of Japan.Total genomic DNA of some endangered and possible endemic inveretebrates were preserved. Molecular genetic analysis on these samples is now in progress.