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

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