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Long Term Trends in the Discovery Of Marine Species New to Science Which Occur in Britain and Ireland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

Mark J. Costello
Affiliation:
Environmental Sciences Unit, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
Chris S. Emblow
Affiliation:
Environmental Sciences Unit, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
Bernard E. Picton
Affiliation:
Environmental Sciences Unit, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

Extract

Marine species new to science continue to be discovered around Britain and Ireland. The number of marine species described each year was plotted against time for Pisces, Echinodermata, Anthozoa, Bivalvia, Decapoda, Gastropoda, Bryozoa, Tunicata, Medusozoa, Amphipoda, Porifera, Nudibranchia, Polychaeta, Copepoda, Oligochaeta, and Nematoda. Trends suggest that the latter four taxa in particular, in which individuals generally have a small body size, still have many species remaining to be described. More conspicuous taxa are better known, but new species continue to be described. Whilst the World Wars and advent of new scientific techniques do not appear to have had significant impacts on the general trends in discovery of new species, individual scientists have made major contributions.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1996

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References

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