Corresponding author: Lyubomir A Kenderov (
Academic editor:
Antarctic marine organisms are characterised by a significant level of endemism. This is due to geological, climatological and oceanographic reasons, such as the break-up of Antarctida from Gondwana during the Cretaceous; the formation of a circumpolar current; the extremely low water temperatures (close to freezing); the short summer seasons. The South Shetland Islands (West Antarctic Peninsula) are one of 29 known biogeographic areas in the Southern Hemisphere (
The aim of this study is to present the first Bulgarian results on the taxonomic composition of marine macroinvertebrates from the South Bay, Livingston Island. The samples were collected during the XXVIIth Bulgarian Antarctic Expedition (2018–2019 austral summer). Various sites in four areas were sampled: the coastal zone in front of the Bulgarian Polar Base (Costa Bulgara); a small bay south of Cape Hesperides (Reservnoto port); Johnsons Dock Bay near the Spanish research station and Walker Bay near Hannah Point. Samples were collected mainly through bottom trawling at depths of 2 to 20 meters on different types of bottom substrates using Zodiac boats. A total of 11 macrozoobenthos samples were collected.
Our preliminary results show that the main macrozoobenthic species are well known in the seawaters of the South Shetlands and usually they have a circumpolar distribution. At the site with soft muddy bottoms (Johnsons Dock Bay), the corrugated ribbon worm
Lyubomir Angelov Kenderov
Vth International Congress on Biodiversity: „Taxonomy, Speciation and Euro-Mediterranean Biodiversity“
This study was supported through Project # 80-10-244/31.08.2018, funded by the Polar Research Fund and managed by Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.
The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
The authors thank the people that supported us in the field – Base commander Mr. Y. Todorov and boatman Pavel Vratchev. We are grateful to all the members of the XXVIIth Bulgarian Antarctic Expedition, and personally to the base commander Y. Yordanov and the team leader prof. Ch. Pimpirev.
This study was supported through Project # 80-10-244/31.08.2018, funded by the Polar Research Fund and managed by Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.
The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
L.K. - field research, identification of higher crustaceans and writing the abstract; V.E. - writing the abstract; P.M. - identification of macroinvertebrates; A.A. - writing the abstract; E. U - writing the abstract; M.K. - laboratory analysis and sample processing.