Hyperbenthic Mysidae Haworth, 1825 (Peracarida, Mysida) from the continental shelf of the northern Adriatic Sea

Species composition, distribution, and spatio-temporal dynamics of hyperbenthic Mysidae Haworth, 1825 (Peracarida, Mysida) were studied on the continental shelf of the northern Adriatic Sea. A total of seven species was collected: Anchialina agilis, Erythrops elegans, Haplostylus lobatus, Leptomysis gracilis, Mysidopsis angusta, Mysidopsis gibbosa, and Paraleptomysis banyulensis. The hyperbenthic mysid assemblage was dominated by A. agilis, E. elegans, and L. gracilis, in terms of frequency of occurrence, abundance, and biomass. Notable seasonal fluctuations in the abundance of the catches were observed, with a minimum reached in the period July-September, probably due to the species' life cycles as well as to environmental factors, such as the presence of mucilaginous aggregates close to the bottom.