Cumacean (Peracarida, Crustacea) endemism and faunal overlap in Antarctic deep-sea basins

At least 155 morphotypes of Cumaceans have been determined from samples collected by various expeditions over the past 15 years. Among them, only 38 species were previously described, while at least 116 morphotypes (75%) represent species new to science. The faunal overlap of Antarctic Cumacea (Peracarida) is calculated between various deep-sea basins, between the deep sea and the shelf, and between different shelf areas of Antarctica and the Sub Antarctic islands. The degree of endemism is high (about 80%) for the Antarctic Cumacea, but within the Antarctic regions faunal overlaps are detectable. Maximal faunal overlap (about 50%) is found among the Antarctic shelf regions, but the deep-sea basins of the Antarctic Peninsula region and the Weddell Sea have also a high (about 30%) species overlap. Including the new findings of Cumacea from the various deep-sea basins, the overlap between the Antarctic shelf and the deep sea is only 18%.