Brachiopoda in the Faroe Islands area: Armfótingar (Brachiopoda) í føroyskum øki

Abstract

Six brachiopod species have been recorded in the BIOFAR material: Crania anomala (Miiller, 1776), Hemithirispsittacea (Gmelin, 1790) - one empty shell, Terebratulina retusa (Linne, 1758), Platidia anomioides (Scacchi & Philippi, 1844) - new to the area, Dallina septigera (Loven, 1846) and Macandrevia cranium (Muller, 1776).

All the Faroese brachiopods are epibenthic suspension feeders living attached or cemented (C anomala) to firm substrates. Not íncludíng the record of H. psittacea, only one species (P. anomioides) seems to be geographically restricted, occuring primarily at the banks. With theexception of this species there isageneral preference for depths between 200 and 500 m.

Most of the brachiopod species are confined to the Atlantic Water (temperature above 7°C), but a mixture of Atlantic Water and Arctic Intermediate Water (temperature range 3.5-7°C) is also important, the species however, showing a preference for temperatures above 6°C. D. septigera seems to tolerate lower temperatures as well, and thus preferring a mixture of Atlantic Water and Arctic Intermediate Water.