Polychaete Study in Northeastern Mediterranean Coast of Egypt

Within the frame work, organized by the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Alexandria, Egypt, 15 quantitative samples were collected and analysed for Polychaetes using a Van Veen grab on the soft bottom, at depths ranging from 12m to 106 m. Samples were taken over two seasons (spring and summer, 2008) during two trips to the Northeastern coast of the Egyptian Mediterranean waters at El Tina Bay, Balteem, Abokhashaba and Gamasa. The analysis of samples resulted 108 Polychaete species belonging to 25 families and 61 genera. More than 50 species were considered new for Egyptian Mediterranean waters. Data were analyzed with univariate techniques (Diversity, Richness and Eveness or Equitabilty). Results showed that, species richness and abundance were lower in the deeper samples and higher in spring than in summer season. The feeding guild classification was examined. Also the relation between different depths and feeding guild were reported. A total of nine main feeding categories were identified. There were more significant associations between feeding guild and depth. Also the analysis revealed the dominance of surface deposit feeding with slightly fewer Omnivores and micro herbivores. This work, indicating that the polychaetes of the study area are quite diverse and poorly in number of individuals and great number of newly recorded species was reported.

Data and resources

Additional information

Temporal extent	2008-03-01 – 2008-09-01
Date (publication)	2013-10-11
Status	onGoing
Update frequency	asNeeded
Metadata language	en
License	Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
Source metadata	ISO 19115 XML
Last updated	2026-11-04
Created	2026-11-04
API	package_show