Taxonomic identification of appendicularians collected in the epipelagic waters off northern Chile (Tunicata, Appendicularia)

Abstract

This work provides a first taxonomic description of appendicularians collected during September and August of 1995 in the north coast of Chile (18°23'-31°00' S). Fifteen species were identified. They belong to the families Oikopleuridae (Oikopleura longicauda, O. cophocerca, O. dioica, O. rufescens, O. fusiformis, O. albicans, O. gracilis and Megalocercus abyssorum), and Fritillariidae (Fritillaria pellucida typica, F. pellucida omani, F. haplostoma F. tenella, F. formica digitata, F. venusta and F. fraudax). All the species are first records for waters of northern Chile, thus broadening their previous distribution in the southeast Pacific. The most abundant species were Oikopleura longicauda (56.1 %), O. gracilis (10.4 %), Fritillaria pellucida typica (6.7 %); O. albicans (5.0 %); F. pellucida omani (4.7 %); O. cophocerca (4.4 %) and F. venusta (4.1 %), whereas the eight remaining species, constituted 8.6 % of the total appendicularians collected.