An inventory study on meiofauna around Dokdo Island, Korea

Abstract

Dokdo is an ocean volcanic island which is located in the southwestern part of the East Sea (Japan Sea), 216.8 km far from mainland of Korea. For pursuing the conservation of biodiversity and a sustainable use of bio-resources around Dokdo Is., an extensive survey has been carried out. Its main aim is to establish a comprehensive inventory system on the basis of providing the species list of biological resources, securing various samples, and discovering unknown organism. As a result of the a year-survey on marine benthic meiofauna around Dokdo Is., eight putatively new species were discovered from the fine sand to coarse shell crumbs in the subtidal sediments at 6 to 132 m depth. They consist of three gastrotrich, two harpacticoid, two poecilostomatoid, and one cyclopoid species, respectively. This presentation provides a comprehensive species list of meiofauna hitherto known from Dokdo Is., Korea, with illustrations or photomicrographs of the species above-mentioned as well as some ecological photographs under the sea of Dokdo Is.Is., an extensive survey has been carried out. Its main aim is to establish a comprehensive inventory system on the basis of providing the species list of biological resources, securing various samples, and discovering unknown organism. As a result of the a year-survey on marine benthic meiofauna around Dokdo Is., eight putatively new species were discovered from the fine sand to coarse shell crumbs in the subtidal sediments at 6 to 132 m depth. They consist of three gastrotrich, two harpacticoid, two poecilostomatoid, and one cyclopoid species, respectively. This presentation provides a comprehensive species list of meiofauna hitherto known from Dokdo Is., Korea, with illustrations or photomicrographs of the species above-mentioned as well as some ecological photographs under the sea of Dokdo Is.