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Preliminary results of the deep-sea faunal survey conducted from the TR/V Seisui-maru of Mie University in April 2019 are presented. A total of 20 taxonomists and ecologists working on a wide variety of animal taxa participated in this survey. Surveyed areas included the Kumano Sea（off Mie Prefecture）and south of the Kii Strait（off Tanabe Bay, Wakayama Prefecture）， at depths of 112－775 m. Sampling gears employed were beam trawl and biological dredge. The collection is represented by macrobenthos and meiobenthos from nine animal phyla, including echinoderms, arthropods, molluscans and annelids. The number of phyla occurring in each station varied from seven to eight. The station with most diverse fauna at the phylum level was St. 3B（south of the Kii Strait, 775－661 m depth, mud bottom）．Meiofauna includes priapulids, nematodes and small arthropods such as copepods, tanaidaceans, amphipods, isopods and cumaceans. In addition to freeliving species, cnidarians symbiotic on a gastropod and an antipatharian, and crustaceans parasitic on a fi sh and sea urchins were also collected. Preliminary identifi cations are given for Asteroidea, Ophiuroidea, Holothuroidea, Crinoidea, Cyclopoida, Siphonostomatoida, Tanaidacea, Isopoda, Decapoda, Mollusca, polychaetes, Bryozoa, Cnidaria and Nemertea.

Preliminary results of the deep-sea faunal survey conducted from the TR/V Seisui-maru of Mie University in April 2018 are presented. 18 taxonomists and ecologists working on a wide variety of animal taxa participated in this survey. Surveyed areas included the Kumano Sea (off Mie Prefecture) and south of the Kii Strait (off Tanabe Bay, Wakayama Prefecture), at depths of 80-821 m. Sampling gears employed were beam trawl and biological dredge. The collection is represented by macrobenthos and meiobenthos from 11 animal phyla, including arthropods, echinoderms, annelids and molluscans. The number of phyla occurring in each station varied from 3 to 7. The station with most diverse fauna at the phylum level was St. 3B (south of the Kii Strait, 421-543 m depth, sandy mud bottom). Meiofauna includes priapulids and small arthropods, such as ostracods, tanaidaceans, isopods, cumaceans and acarus. In addition to free-living species, parasitic crustaceans, platyhelminthes, acanthocephalans, annelids and cnidarians were also collected from fishes, ascidians, urchins, holothurians, crustaceans and polychaetes. Preliminary identifications are given for Ostracoda, Cirripedia, Amphipoda, Decapoda, Asteroidea,Ophiuroidea, Holothuroidea, polychaetes, Echiura, Mollusca and Xenoturbellida., 紀伊水道南方海域および熊野灘の深海底生動物相を明らかにするために，2018年4月三重大学練習船勢水丸のNo.1803研究航海において，ドレッジ及びビームトロール調査を行った。この調査には幅広い動物門を対象とする，三重大学内外の系統分類学と生態学研究者18名が参加した。水深80m から821m の11か所で調査を行い，11の動物門が確認された。最も多様性が高い定点では1か所に100種以上の動物が確認された。節足動物，棘皮動物，環形動物，軟体動物のマクロベントスは大部分の調査定点から採集された。メイオベントスでは，節足動物の貝形虫類，タナイス類，等脚類，クーマ類，ダニ類，そして鰓曳動物が確認された。また自由生活性の生物の他に，甲殻類や多毛類，ナマコ類，ウニ類，ホヤ類，魚類に寄生する節足動物，扁形動物，鉤頭動物，環形動物，刺胞動物が認められた。甲殻類や多毛類，ユムシ類の未記載種や棘皮動物，珍渦虫類の日本初記録種及び海域初記録種が確認された。今後，試料を検討，種同定することにより，さらに確認種数は増加し，生物相が明らかにされるだろう。

In this paper, we describe Wataloricus japonicus gen. et sp. nov. (phylum Loricifera), based on specimens collected during surveys of Japanese waters in the Northwest Pacific conducted onboard the TR/Vs TOYOSHIO MARU and SEISUI MARU. This new loriciferan is placed in the family Pliciloricidae based on the morphology of the adult lorica and Higgins larval internal armature, setae, and toes. It is readily distinguished from other pliciloricid genera by the following combination of characters: adult with a long rigid mouth tube bearing an umbrella-like membrane that extrudes from the mouth opening; a double organ consisting of two untransformed separate spinoscalids; 15 single trichoscalids; and approximately 46 longitudinal folds in the lorica and anal field; and Higgins larva with clavoscalids characterized by ventral swelling and spine-like tip; short unsegmented spinoscalids of the second scalid row; indistinct collar, heavily wrinkled thorax; two pairs of anterior setae; two pairs of posterior setae; and slender toes with sub-terminal swelling. The new genus described herein appears to be synonymous with a previously reported undescribed genus sensu Heiner and Neuhaus (2007) from the Galapagos Spreading Centre, thereby indicating that the geographical distribution of the new genus may at least span the entire Pacific region.

In this study, we had investigated the benthic deep-sea fauna using the dredge and beam trawl in the region from the continental shelf to the continental slope of the Sea of Kumano, Mie Prefecture, during the No．1722 research voyage of the training ship Seisui-Maru of Mie University. The survey was carried out at 16 stations covering a depth range of 113－1059 m. The results of the survey, 14 phyla had been confirmed. Arthropod, echinoderm, annelid and molluscan macrobenthos were collected from all of the stations. The phylum number of each station was in the range from 4 to 11. The largest number of phyla had been confi rmed at St．10D of boulders bottom（768－800 m depth）. Meiobenthos confi rmed in our sample were kinorhynchs, nematodes, tardigrades, loriciferans and small arthropods such as tanaidaceans, copepods and cumaceans. In addition to free-living species, parasitic copepods, isopods, platyhelminthes, acanthocephalans and nematodes had been found in fish, crustaceans and polychaetes.