The Distribution and Abundance of Chloeia pinnata Moore, 1911 (Polychaeta: Amphinomidae) on the Southern California Borderland

Abstract

The amphinomid polychaete Chloeia pinnata Moore (1911) is a widely distributed member of the benthos of the southern California borderland where it is a prominent faunal element of every major habitat including the deep basins. In this wide range of environments it lives with a large number of other taxa which differ markedly from one location to another. The population densities of Chloeia were highest in two very dissimilar types of environments the offshore insular shelf of the Channel Islands and Cortes and Tanner Banks, and the nearshore mainland shelf. The two offshore areas are primarily nondepositional environments where relatively strong currents result in the development of coarse sediments rich in biogenic calcium carbonate components. These areas are influenced by persistent upwelling. By contrast, the parts of the mainland shelf where population densities of Chloeia were high, are in equilibrium environments highly influenced by the release of wastewaters.