MUSORSTOM 10 cruise 

• Place: Fijian Archipelago
  
• Participants:
  • Bertrand Richer de Forges (mission chief)
  • Philippe Bouchet
  • Peter Newell
  • Monika Schlacher-Hoenlinger
  • Thomas Schlacher
  • Dako Nating
  • Frédéric Césa
• Material used:
  • Ship: R.V. Alis
  • Sampling tackles:
    • Warén dredge
    • Beam-trawl
    • Otter-trawl for shrimp
• Stations list
  
• Results:
  • New taxa
  • Publications

Abstract

The MUSORSTOM 10 cruise, using the R.V. "Alis", was carried out in the Fijian Archipelago during 5-19 August 1998. A total of 82 samples were collected by dredging and trawling from the upper bathyal zone and in the circalittoral depths, on the outer reef slopes of Vitu Levu and from Bligh Water. The bottom of Bligh Water is muddy and covered with pumice stones. Hard bottoms were sampled in the Beqa Channel. The invertebrate biodiversity of the benthic communities sampled is much lower than those sampled from the New Caledonian area, especially sessile epifaunal groups like sponges, stylasterine hydrocorals (Cnidaria, Stylasterina) and crinoids.