Sipuncula of the Magellan area compared with adjacent regions of Antarctica

Abstract

The Magellan sipunculan fauna includes 4 families, 7 genera and 16 species. A comparison between this fauna and that from adjacent regions of Antarctica has been made. A total of 8 species and 3 genera are shared by the compared areas. Univariate analyses show no significant statistical differences among the investigated faunas, whereas a multivariate analysis corroborates that the effects of the Antarctic Convergence are stronger at the level of genera than species. Only 3 genera were able to cross over this zoogeographical boundary. However, these 3 genera succeeded in the new biotopes of Antarctica, since a total of 16 species have been recorded, compared with the 8 species only found in the Magellan region.