Macrofauna community structure in extreme temperature and hypersaline waters: Khor Al-Adaid, Arabian Gulf

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Al-Khayat, Prerana Shet, Mandar Nanajkar, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6463394/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Arabian Gulf is characterized by hyper saline waters with high temperature levels, which fluctuate seasonally, creating natural stress for marine benthic communities. A study on benthic macrofaunal was conducted at Khor-Al-Adaid, an ‘Inland Sea’. The substratum of the study area is primarily sandy, and supports a macrofaunal community dominated by polychaetes, followed by gastropods and other group of macrofauna such as Demospongia, Stelleroidae, Scaphypoda, Crustacea, Bivalvia as and Ascidiacea in all four seasons (winter, summer, spring and autumn). A total of 108 macrobenthic species from 9 phyla were observed. The polychaetes were dominated by Nephtys sp., Eulalia viridis , Hormothoe dictyophora and Syllis sp. The highest species richness was observed in summer (47) and autumn (44). The diversity indices and statistical analyses including cluster analysis, simper analysis, k - dominance curve and redundancy analysis (RDA) showed significant variations in the community structure. Benthic macrofauna Community structure Species richness Shannon Index Khor-Al-Adaid in Qatar Arabian Gulf Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 Introduction The Arabian Gulf (hereafter “Gulf”) is a shallow, semi-enclosed, hypersaline marginal sea connected to the Arabian Sea through the Strait of Hormuz (Fig. 1 a). The water depths are generally less than 20 m, except at a few regions. Complex bathymetry with numerous small and large islands, coral reefs, mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, mud and sand flats are the peculiar topographic features of the Gulf (Khan et al. 2002 ). The region experiences extreme hot summer, moderate cold winter, shamal winds, dust storms, high evaporation and weak precipitation. Natural stressors such as high salinity levels and water temperature extremes significantly influence marine ecosystems. The sea surface temperature (SST) ranges from 18–22°C in winter (Beltagy 1983 ) to 31–36°C during summer (Riegl and Purkis 2012 ). Environmental factors, including sediment type, temperature, salinity, primary productivity, depth and physical disturbance have an impact on marine macrobenthos biodiversity and dispersion (Basson et al. 1977 ; Coles and McCain 1990 ). Salinity levels around the Qatar peninsula are generally high due to high evaporation. The salinity around Qatar coast typically ranges between 39 and 46, with a vertical gradient of about 1.2 (Al-Ansari et al. 2015 ). The mean salinity along the east coast varies between 42 and 45, whereas it is significantly higher along the west coast, ranging from 50 to 55 and exceeds 55 during summer. This variation in the salinity gradients is influenced by the shallow water and complex circulation pattern of the region with restricted water exchange, especially along the west coast. In Areas with restricted water flow such as Salwa Bay and inland lagoons, salinity can reach between 55 and 80. Despite the Gulf’s high biodiversity of marine macro-invertebrates, species richness remains low due to extreme. environmental conditions such as elevated temperature and salinity levels (Al-Yamani et al. 2009 ; Price 2002 ). Although the Gulf experiences extreme summer temperatures and high salinity, it supports diverse marine ecosystems (Naser 2011 ), with relatively high biological productivity in some regions of Qatar waters (Al-Khayat 2005 ). These ecosystems are crucial for marine biodiversity conservation, and serving as feeding and nursery grounds for commercially important marine organisms (Naser 2014 ). Benthic biota plays a key role in these ecosystems, contributing to ecological habitat structure and marine health. Their sedentary nature and structurally complex community making them effective biological indicators and diverse taxa, which can cope to uncertainty (Joydas et al. 2019 ). Studying benthic fauna is essential for marine habitat quality assessments (Borja et al. 2004 ; Rosenberg et al. 2004 ; Mistri and Munari 2008 ; Nourinezhad et al. 2013 ). Benthic invertebrates link primary production to higher trophic levels by feeding on the plankton and then saving as a food source for larger organisms such as fish and sea birds. They also rework structure of sediments, oxygenate the seafloor, and play a fundamental role in decomposing the organic matter before bacterial re-mineralization (Tagliapietra and Sigovini 2010 ). Studies on marine macrobenthic invertebrate in the Gulf dates back to the early 20th century (Standen 1900 ). Several researchers have documented the biodiversity of macrobenthic fauna in different habitats (Basson et al. 1977 ; McCain 1984 ; Coles and McCain 1990 ; Al-Yamani et al. 2009 ; Naser 2010 ; Al-Khayat 1997 , 2006 , 2019, 2021). Basson et al. ( 1977 ) identified approximately 530 species linked to seagrass, 638 species associated with subtidal sand and 610 species associated with subtidal mud of Saudi Arabia's eastern shore. MCain (1984) reported 624 species of benthic organisms while Coles and McCain ( 1990 ) identified 834 species associated with seagrasses and sand/silt substrata. Al-Yamani et al. ( 2009 ) reported 270 species (103 Mollusca, 83 Polychaeta, and 38 Crustacea) from Kuwait subtidal areas. Naser ( 2010 ) identified 97 species (46 Polychaeta, 25 Mollusca, and 18 Crustacea) from subtidal areas on the east coast of Bahrain. Al-Khayat ( 1997 ) recorded 246 intertidal mollusc species along the east and west coasts of Qatar. Al-Khayat and Al-Mohannadi ( 2006 ) reported 29 macrobenthic fauna and flora associated with Amiantis umbonella from Khor Al Adaid. Additionally, Al-Khayat and Jones ( 1999 ) and Al-Khayat et al. ( 2019 , 2021 ) reported benthic biodiversity from natural and planted mangrove swamps at different locations along the Qatar coast. Despite these studies, a comprehensive assessment of macrobenthic fauna and their habitat destruction in Qatar waters remains limited, particularly near the Khors. This study aims to understand the community structure of macrobenthos, analyze their spatial and seasonal variations, and investigate the impact of physicochemical fluctuations on benthic communities. Materials and Methods Study area Khor Al-Adaid is located on the southeast coast of the Qatar peninsula (Fig. 1 b), locally known as “Khor” (inland sea), and surrounded by mobile sand dunes and sabkha. This land-surrounded lagoon like body of water is bordered by Saudi Arabia in the south and features a large tidal embayment with a complex, convoluted shoreline. With an average depth of approximately 5 m, it is connected to the Arabian Gulf through a narrow deep canal extending 10 km in length. Khor Al-Adaid serves as a nursery and feeding ground for green turtles, fish and various invertebrates. Declared as a natural reserve, it is also a famous tourist site in Qatar. Methodology Field samplings were carried out in Khor Al Adaid at eight stations (Fig. 1 b) in 2015, representing four seasons: February 2015 (winter), April 2015 (spring), July 2015 (summer), and October 2015 (autumn). Salinity and hydrogen-ion concentration (pH) were monitored by means of a Water Quality Logging System (Model 3800-YSI Inc.). Water samples were collected in 500ml acid cleaned, deionized, distilled water rinsed and labelled high density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles for dissolved nutrients analysis (NO 3 , NO 2 , NH 4 , PO 4 + and SiO 3 ). Samples were filtered onto 0.45 µm membrane filters (47mm diameter) and preserved at -20°C, and analysed using standard spectrophotometric methods. Dissolved oxygen was analysed by the Winkler method (Strickland and Parsons 1972 ). Chlorophyll a (phytoplankton biomass indicator) was analysed by filtering one litter of seawater and using a spectrophotometer (Parsons et al. 1984). Macrobenthic fauna were sampled from surface sediments with a van veen grab (0.1m 2 bite area), sieved through a 0.05mm mesh and preserved in 5% neutralized formalin. Identification of macrofauna was carried out with the guidelines of Jones ( 1986 ), Vine ( 1986 ), Bosch and Bosch ( 1989 ), Oliver ( 1992 ) and Bosch et al. ( 1995 ). Species composition, diversity, richness and evenness were calculated according to Shannon-Wiener function (Shannon-Wiener 1963). Physicochemical parameters were also recorded, while sampling at the stations. Results and discussion Macrobenthos abundance A total of 108 invertebrate taxa belonging to 9 phyla were identified from 8 stations in 4 seasons (spring, winter, summer and autumn). The highest abundance of macrofauna was recorded in winter (1774 no/m 2 ) followed by 1438 no/m 2 in spring, and 1080 no/m 2 in autumn, and the lowest abundance in summer (703 no/m 2 ) (Table 1 , Fig. 2 ). These benthic macrofauna belong to eight groups namely, demospongia, polychaeta, gastropoda, bivalvia, scaphypoda, crustacean, stelleroidae and ascidiacea. Among all the macrofauna, polychaetes were the most abundant taxa in all the seasons. The highest abundance of polychaetes was recorded in winter (1700 no/m 2 ), followed by spring (1353 no/m 2 ) and the lowest in summer (559 no/m 2 ). Figure 3 presents the seasonwise abundance of 10 polychaetes. In Polychaeta, Nephtys sp. was highly abundant in spring (500 no/m 2 ) followed by winter and summer (350 no/m 2 ) and lowest in autumn (153 no/m 2 ). Eulalia viridis was second dominant species in spring and autumn (300 no/m 2 ) followed by winter (233 no/m 2 ) and lowest in summer (97 no/m 2 ). Harmothoe dictyophora was also found abundantly in winter (275 no/m 2 ) and almost absent in summer (1 no/m 2 ). Syllis sp. and Onuphis eremita were found only in winter season (235 no/m 2 ) and (300 no/m 2 ) respectively. Lysidice sp. was the highly abundant species in the winter season (150 no/m 2 ), and it was not recorded in the spring season. Neries sp. was the second dominant species in spring (114 no/m 2 ) followed by autumn season (112 no/m 2 ) and was also recorded in summer and winter in ample amount. Prionospio sp. was also found in the winter season (30 no/m 2 ) along with Leocrates sp. and Eunice sp. The seasonal abundance of polychaetes is influenced by sediment composition, food availability and physicochemical parameters. Fine sediments rich in organic matter favoured deposit feeders like Prionospio sp. and Nephtys sp. (Pearson and Rosenberg 1978 ), leading to higher abundances in winter and spring. In contrast, coarse sediments with higher oxygen penetration supported suspension feeders such as Harmothoe dictyophora and Onuphis eremita (Rhoads and Young 1970 ), which declined in summer due to sediment disturbances. Salinity and dissolved oxygen fluctuations also played their roles with species like Eulalia viridis and Neries sp. (Alongi, 1990 ) showing year-round presence, and indicating tolerance to environmental changes. Winter conditions, characterized by lower temperatures, stable sediments and higher organic matter, supported the highest polychaete abundance (Fauchald and Jumars 1979 ), while summer due to increased temperature, oxygen depletion and sediment disturbances led to decline. The dominance of deposit feeders in winter and spring highlights the role of organic accumulation (Gray 2002 ), whereas carnivorous and suspension-feeding species depend on prey availability and oxygen levels. These findings underscore the seasonal variability in benthic macrofaunal communities and their strong dependence on environmental factors (Smith et al. 2020 ; Brown et al. 2018 ). The composition of macrofaunal communities provides valuable insight into the health of marine environment as these organisms are sensitive to environmental changes and pollution. The Polychaetes were highly abundant (88%), followed by bivalvia 6%, gastropoda 4% and the remaining are demospongia, crustacea, scaphopoda, etc (Fig. 4 ). The dominance of polychaetes shared Nephtys sp. (30%) Eulalia viridis (20%), Harmothoe dictyophora (16%), Syllis sp. (13%) and the remaining 21% were represented by Nereis sp., Eunice sp., Owenia sp., Prionospio sp. etc. (Fig. 5 ). The presence of suspension feeders such as Harmothoe dictyophora and Syllis sp. suggests oxygenated sediment conditions that facilitate their survival (Rhoads and Young 1970 ). The relatively lower abundance of bivalves and gastropods indicates that factors such as sediment characteristics or anthropogenic impacts might be limiting their distribution. Bivalves, known for their filter-feeding mechanisms, rely on stable sediment and water quality conditions, whereas gastropods are often influenced by substrate composition and food availability (Gray 2002 ). Macrobenthic communities, being largely sedentary in nature, are excellent bio-indicators for the health of marine ecosystem. They are directly affected by pollution, and oxygen depletion (Jewett et al. 1999 ). Table 1 Abundance of macrofauna (no/m 2 ) from Khor-Al-Adaid, off Qatar Taxa Abundance of species Spring Winter Summer Autumn Axinella sp 3 2 3 3 Chalinidae 0 3 0 0 Haliclona fascigera 2 3 1 1 Halicolona sp. 2 3 1 3 Iotrochota sp. 2 3 2 2 Spongia ceylonensis 3 2 3 3 Sponge sp. 1 2 2 2 2 Eunice sp. 3 18 2 0 Lysidice sp. 0 150 1 1 Leocrates sp. 3 26 1 2 Nereis sp. 115 49 93 113 Nephtys sp. 500 350 350 153 Onuphis eremita 4 300 1 1 Owenia sp. 3 6 4 1 Eulalia viridis 300 233 97 300 Harmothoe dictyophora 206 276 1 250 Sabella fusca 2 4 2 0 Neodexiospira kayi 1 6 1 1 Hydroides elegans 0 17 0 1 Prionospio sp. 6 30 3 2 Syllis sp. 211 235 3 123 Bulla ampulla 1 1 0 3 Cerithum scabridum 3 2 5 4 Cerithidea cingulata 0 0 2 0 Cerithium rueppelli 0 0 0 0 Cerithum sp. 2 2 1 5 Clypeomorus bifasciata persica 2 1 2 4 Rhinoclavis sp. 1 1 0 0 Mitrella blanda 2 3 6 3 Diodora sp. 0 0 0 2 Aliculastrum cylindricum 2 1 3 4 Atys sp. 2 1 0 0 Hexaplex kuesterianus 0 0 1 1 Thais tissoti 2 3 1 1 Ancill farsiana 0 1 1 1 Ancilla sp. 0 1 1 1 Pirenella conica 2 1 0 3 Priotrochus obscurus 1 0 2 0 Clanculus scabrosus 0 0 2 0 Osilinus sp. 1 2 0 0 Priotrochus obscurus 1 1 0 0 Pseudominolia gradata 0 0 2 0 Priotrochus kotschyi 0 0 0 2 Pseudominolian edyma 0 0 3 2 Pseudominolia sp. 0 0 2 0 Pagodatrochu svariabilis 0 0 2 3 Trochus radiatus 3 1 3 2 Umbonium vestiarium 2 1 2 4 Acar plicata 0 0 0 2 Brabatia sp. 0 0 0 1 Acrosterigma maculosa 1 1 0 1 Acrosterigma sp. 0 0 0 1 Afrocardium sp. 0 0 0 1 Fragum sueziense 0 0 0 1 Fulvia australis 0 0 9 0 Fulvia fragilis 2 1 3 0 Fulvia sp. 1 1 0 1 Parvicardium sp. 0 0 0 1 Plagiocardium sp. 0 0 0 1 Chama asperella 2 1 0 2 Chama reflexa 3 1 1 3 Chama sp. 1 1 2 0 Dosinia alta 0 0 8 3 Dosinia sp. 0 0 5 2 Isognomon sp. 0 0 0 1 Limatulella sp. 0 0 0 1 Bellucian sp. 1 0 0 0 Pillucina angela 0 0 2 5 Pillucina sp. 0 0 1 2 Scabrilucina victorialis 0 0 1 0 Malleus regula 0 0 0 1 Malvufundus sp. 0 0 2 2 Hexaplex kuesterianus 0 0 1 0 Semiricinulatis soti 0 0 1 0 Brachyodontes variabilis 9 1 4 6 Lioberus ligneus 0 0 1 0 Nucula consentanea 0 0 0 8 Isognomon nucleus 0 0 5 1 Pterelectroma physoides 0 0 13 0 Pteria sp. 0 0 3 0 Pinctada radiata 6 1 5 0 Ervilia sp. 0 0 0 2 Spondylus sp. 2 1 0 0 Eurytellina nitens 0 0 0 1 Nitidotellina unifasciata 0 0 1 2 Tellidora pellyana 0 0 0 1 Tellina sp. 1 1 3 3 Transkeiara vayensis 1 0 1 1 Diplodonta sp. 1 1 1 0 Callista florida 2 1 0 1 Gafrarium pectinatum 0 0 0 1 Marcia sp. 0 0 1 0 Timoclea arakana 0 0 0 3 Pelecyora ceylonica 0 0 7 2 Dentalium sp. 0 1 0 0 Laevidentalium curvotracheatum 0 1 1 2 Laevidentaliumlongitrorsum 0 0 0 2 Diogenes avarus 1 0 0 0 Diogenes sp. 2 3 2 1 Gonodactylus sp. 1 2 1 1 Elasmopus pectenicrus 0 1 2 0 Elasmopus pectenicrus 0 0 0 0 Gammaropsis sp. 1 2 1 1 Pilumnus sp. 2 3 1 1 Asterina burtoni 1 2 1 1 Astropecten polyacanthus 1 2 1 1 Ophiothela venusta 1 1 1 1 Phallusia nigra 1 3 2 1 Abundance (no/m 2 ) 1438 1774 703 1080 Physicochemical parameters and macro faunal diversity The seasonal variation in physicochemical parameters significantly influenced the composition and abundance of benthic macro-fauna in Khor Al Adaid. The observed fluctuations in sea surface temperature (SST), ranging from 20.9°C in winter to 33.9°C in summer, played a crucial role in shaping macrofaunal distribution. The highest macrofaunal abundance recorded in winter (1774 no/m²) corresponded with lower temperatures, which provided a more stable environment with reduced metabolic stress and enhanced oxygen solubility (Gray 2002 ). In contrast, the extreme summer temperatures, coupled with increased evaporation, resulted in hypersaline conditions (salinity reaching 54.8), leading to a significant decline in macrofaunal abundance (703 no/m²). Such conditions are known to create physiological stress, limiting the survival of many benthic species except for highly tolerant organisms like Eulalia viridis and Nereis sp., which exhibited year-round presence (Alongi 1990 ). Dissolved oxygen (DO) levels were observed to be higher in winter, with a maximum value of 6.73 mg/L at station 1, corresponding to increased macrofaunal abundance, particularly deposit-feeding polychaetes such as Prionospio sp. and Nephtys sp. Higher oxygen levels are likely to facilitate better respiration and organic matter decomposition, promoting benthic productivity (Fauchald and Jumars 1979 ). In contrast, summer conditions, characterized by lower oxygen levels due to high temperatures and increased microbial activity, negatively impacted suspension feeders such as Harmothoe dictyophora and Onuphis eremita , which require well-oxygenated sediments (Rhoads and Young 1970 ). The role of organic matter was evident in winter and spring when fine sediments enriched with organic detritus favoured deposit feeders, while the prevalence of coarser sediments in summer reduced their abundance (Pearson and Rosenberg 1978 ). Nutrient concentrations remained consistently low, with phosphate often below detection limits and nitrate never exceeding 1 µm/L, classifying the study area as oligotrophic (Yigiterhan et al. 2020 ). The slightly elevated nitrate levels observed at stations 2, 4 and 5 in November (0.96–0.99 µm/L) may have contributed to localized organic matter enrichment, supporting benthic communities in these areas. Similarly, silicate concentrations showed seasonal variation, with higher values at stations 1 and 2 during summer and autumn, potentially influencing diatom availability, an important food source for some benthic species (Rakib et al. 2021 ). However, chlorophyll-a concentrations rarely exceeded 1 µg/L, confirming the low primary productivity of the region. As a result, the macrofaunal community was more dependent on organic detritus accumulation rather than direct phytoplankton production (Smith et al. 2020 ). The interaction between temperature, salinity, DO levels, and sediment composition recorded seasonal shifts in macrofaunal abundance. The highest diversity and abundance in winter and spring were attributed to favourable environmental conditions, while the summer decline was driven by temperature-induced stress, hyper salinity and reduced oxygen availability. These findings underscore the strong influence of physicochemical parameters on benthic community dynamics and highlight the adaptive strategies of macrofaunal species in response to extreme environmental fluctuations characteristic of the Arabian Gulf region (Brown et al. 2018 ). Diversity Indices The macrofaunal diversity is explained in terms of number of species (S), number of individuals (N), Shannon-Wiener index ( H' ), Margalef’s species richness (d) and Pielou’s evenness (J'). Seasonwise analysis shows that the number of species was maximum at station 3 (33) and minimum at station 7 (15) in winter season. However, species richness (d) was maximum at station 2 (4.766) and minimum at station 7 (2.17). Evenness was recorded the highest at station 4 (0.53) and the lowest at station 6 (0.340). Similarly, the Shannon index was maximum at station 4 (1.73) and minimum at station 6 (1.09). In spring, the number of species was maximum at station 3 (32) and minimum at station 7 (9). Species richness (d) was the highest at station 6 (1.74) and the lowest at station 7 (1.69). Evenness was recorded the highest at station 8 (0.55) and the lowest at station 7 (0.25). The Shannon index was maximum at station 6 (1.74) and minimum at station at 7 (0.46). In summer, the number of species was maximum at station 4 (47) and minimum at station 7 (13). Species richness (d) was the highest at station 4 (7.39) and lowest at station 7 (3.00). Evenness was recorded the highest at station 6 (0.52) and the lowest at station 3 (0.40). The Shannon index was maximum at station 5 (1.8) and minimum at station 7 (1.20). In autumn, the number of species was maximum at station 5 (44) and minimum at station 8 (15). Species richness (d) was the highest at station 5 (5.97) and the lowest at station 8 (2.76). Evenness was recorded the highest at station 7 (0.64) and the lowest at station 1 (0.32). The Shannon index was maximum at station 7 (1.78) and minimum at station 1 (0.92). Season-wise diversity indices are shown in Fig. 6 . Number of species (S) is the highest in summer (31) and the lowest in spring (25). Number of individuals (N) was the highest in winter (795) and was the lowest in summer (335). The Shannon index ( H' ) was the highest in winter, summer and autumn (1.5) and the lowest in spring (1.2). Species richness (d) was recorded the highest in summer (5.3) and the lowest in winter (3.7). Evenness was recorded the highest in winter, summer and autumn (0.5) and the lowest in spring (0.4). A total of 14 polychaete species -were recorded in the four seasons. The highest abundance of individuals was found in the winter season and the lowest in summer. Among the recorded species, polychaete Nephtys sp. is dominant in three seasons, except in autumn. Temperature and salinity have increased in the summer season (Rakib et al. 2021 ), significantly influencing the macrofaunal abundance. However, the polychaete diversity in the study area was significantly lower than that found from other regions of the Arabian Gulf (Mohammad 1980 ; Joydas 2017; Saleh 2012 ). The cluster analysis shows that species present in the winter and spring seasons share a 75% similarity. Species present in autumn exhibit a 68% similarity to those in winter and spring, while species from the summer season show a 59% similarity to all these seasons (Fig. 7 ). SIMPER analysis measures dissimilarity by considering the contribution of species between two groups. Between winter and spring seasons, Onuphis eremita contributes 19.02% and Lysidice sp. contributes 15.08% dissimilarities and average dissimilarity is 24.20. In comparison between winter and summer seasons, Onuphis eremita contributes 10.82% and Harmothoe dictyophora contributes 10.34% dissimilarity, with an average dissimilarity of 46.89. Between spring and summer seasons, Harmothoe dictyophora contributes 12.37% and Syllis sp. contributes 11.95% and an average dissimilarity of 37.65 (Table 2 ). Table 2 SIMPER analysis of dissimilarity of polychaetes at Khor-Al-Adaid Groups: Winter and Spring Average dissimilarity = 24.20 Species Avg. Abundance (%) Avg. Abundance (%) Contribution % Cumulative % Onuphis eremita 17.32 1.87 19.02 19.02 Lysidice sp. 12.25 0 15.08 34.1 Hydroides elegans 4.12 0 5.08 39.18 Nereis sp. 6.98 10.72 4.6 43.78 Nephtys sp. 18.71 22.36 4.5 48.28 Groups: Winter and Summer Average dissimilarity = 46.89 Onuphis eremita 17.32 1 10.82 10.82 Harmothoedictyophora 16.6 1 10.34 21.16 Syllis sp. 15.34 1.61 9.1 30.25 Lysidice sp. 12.25 1 7.45 37.71 Eulaliaviridis 15.28 9.84 3.6 41.31 Groups Spring and Summer Average dissimilarity = 37.65 Harmothoe dictyophora 14.35 1 12.37 12.37 Syllis sp 14.52 1.61 11.95 24.32 Eulaliaviridis 17.32 9.84 6.93 31.25 Nephtys sp. 22.36 18.71 3.38 34.63 Pterelectromaphysoides 0 3.61 3.34 37.97 The spring season shows the highest dominance of 55%, with (species rank 5), winter season shows the dominance upto 50% (rank 6), autumn season at 38% and species (rank 5) and summer with the lowest dominance of 25% (rank 3) (Fig. 8 ). Species diversity was nearly constant across all four seasons, with summer having the highest species richness. Redundancy Analysis (RDA) showed winter season largely contributing to maximum macrofaunal diversity. Among all the macrofauna, Asteroidae showed significant contribution in winter. Environmental parameters such as pH, Chl-a and DO showed a strong correlation with benthic diversity, whereas temperature and salinity showed a weak correlation to the benthic diversity (Fig. 9 ). Polychaete diversity was the highest in winter with Eunice sp. showing significant dominance. RDA indicated that temperature and salinity had a strong influence on Eulalia viridis , while pH and DO showed strong correlation with Eunice sp., Prionospio sp. and Owenia sp. Other polychaete species such as Neries sp., Nephtys sp. and Syllis sp. did not show significant correlations with any of the environmental factors (Fig. 10 ). The study area Khor-Al-Adaid is a sandy beach with a dynamic and high energy environment, which limits macrofaunal settlement, particularly for polychaetes. The relatively large grain size and low organic matter content make it difficult for sedentary or tubicolous polychaetes to construct tubes or burrows, favouring errant species instead. According to Rivers et al. ( 2020 ), Khor-Al-Adaid has a distinctive ecosystem characterized by aeolian dunes, siliciclastic sand and shallow water, creating a challenging habitat for macrofauna. This fine to medium-grained sand supports errant (sessile) polychaetes, which move across the sediment to capture prey. However, sedentary or tubicolous polychaetes struggle to construct tubes or dig burrows due to the relatively large grain size and low organic matter, which affects feeding and survival. Despite these conditions, organisms such as gastropods, bivalvia, crustaceans and echinoderms were found to thrive in the sandy habitat. Conclusion This study evaluated the macrobenthic communities of an inland sea (khor) of Qatar. While several other Khors exist along the Qatar coast, they remain unexplored for similar work. Despite waters of extreme temperatures and hypersaline, Khor-Al-Adaid showed considerable diversity and abundance of benthic organisms, indicating their adaptation to harsh environmental conditions. The findings of this study highlight the ecological significance of the region, and emphasize the need for further studies on the macro-benthic communities in other khors of Qatar. Declarations Acknowledgement We thank the Directors of ESC, Qatar University and National Institute of Oceanography, India for providing facilities to carry out this work. This work was carried out under the program “UNESCO Chair in Marine Sciences at Qatar University”. 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Estua, Coas Shelf Sci 210:1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2018.06.001 Coles SL, McCain JC (1990) Environmental factors affecting benthic infaunal communities of the western Arabian Gulf. Marine Environ Res 29(4):289–330. https://doi.org/10.1016/0141-1136(90)90004-X Fauchald K, Jumars PA (1979) The diet of worms: A study of polychaete feeding guilds. Oceanogra Marine Bio: An Annual Review 17:193–284 Gray JS (2002) Species richness of marine soft sediments. Marine Ecol Prog Series 244:285–297. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps244285 Jewett SC, Dean TA, Smith RO, Blanchard A (1999) Exxon Valdez' oil spill: impacts and recovery in the soft-bottom benthic community in and adjacent to eelgrass beds. Marine Ecol Prog Series 185:59–83 Jones DA (1986) A Field Guide to the Seashores of Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf. University of Kuwait and Bland ford Press, Poole, 191 Joydas TV, Qurban MA, Borja A, Krishnakumar PK, Al-Suwailem AM (2017) Macrobenthic community structure in the northwestern Arabian Gulf, twelve years after the 1991 oil spill. Front Mar Sci 4:248. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00248 Joydas TV, Qurban MA, Manokaran S, Basali AU, Rabaoui L, Manikandan KP, Ashraf M, Krishnakumar PK, Borja A (2019) Benthic quality assessment in the Saudi waters of the Arabian Gulf. Paper presented in the Petro Environment 2019 (9th Symposium on Environmental Progress in the Petroleum and Petrochemical Industry), held on 19-21 February 2019 at Khobar, Saudi Arabia Khan NY, Munawar M, Price ARG (Eds.) (2002) The Gulf Ecosystem: Health and Sustainability. Backhuys Publishers McCain JC (1984) Marine Ecology of Saudi Arabia: The Intertidal Fauna of Sand beaches in the northern area, Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia. Fauna Saudi Arabia 6:53-78 Mistri M, Munari C (2008) BITS: a SMART indicator for soft-bottom, nontidal lagoons. Marine Pollu Bull 56:587–599 Mohammad MBM (1980) Polychaete annelids from Kuwaitian islands, Arabian Gulf, with descriptions of four new species. Zoo J Linn Soc 69:31–42 Naser HA (2010) Using macrobenthos as a tool for assessing marine environmental quality in Bahrain, Arabian Gulf. Marine Pollu Bull 60(11):1962–1970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.07.026 Naser HA (2011) Human impacts on marine biodiversity: Macrobenthos in Bahrain, Arabian Gulf. In J. Lopez-Pujol (Ed.), The Importance of Biological Interactions in the Study of Biodiversity. 109–126. InTech. https://doi.org/10.5772/23046 Naser HA (2014) Marine ecosystem diversity in the Arabian Gulf: threats and conservation. In: Biodiversity - The Dynamic Balance of the Planet. https://doi.org/ 10.5772/57425 Nourinezhad M, Nabavi SMB, Vosughi GH, Fatemi MR, Sohrabi M (2013) Identification and estimation of macrofauna in low tides of Bushehr Province, Persian Gulf. Iran. J Fish Sci 12:411–429 Oliver PG (1992) The Bivalve Seashells of the Red Sea: An Identification Guide. Christa Hemmen Verlag & National Museum of Wales 330 Pearson TH, Rosenberg R (1978) Macrobenthic succession in relation to organic enrichment and pollution of the marine environment. Ocean Marine Bio: An Annual Review 16:229–311 Price ARG (2002) Simultaneous ‘hotspots’ and ‘coldspots’ of marine biodiversity and implications for global conservation. Mar Ecol Prog Series 241:23–27 Rakib F, Al-Ansari EMAS, Husrevoglu YS, Yigiterhan O, Al-Maslamani I, Aboobacker VM, Vethamony P (2021) Observed variability in physical and biogeochemical parameters in the central. Arabian Gulf. Ocean 63(2):227–237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceano.2020.12.003 Rhoads DC, Young DK (1970) The influence of deposit-feeding benthos on water turbidity and nutrient recycling. American J Sci 268:523–532. https://doi.org/10.2475/ajs.268.5.523 Riegl B, Purkis SJ (2012) Coral bleaching and mortality thresholds in the SE Gulf: highest in the world. In B. Riegl SJ Purkis (Eds.), Coral Reefs of the Gulf: Adaptation to Climatic Extremes. Springer, Dordrecht. 95–106. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-3008-3_6 Rivers JM, Dalrymple RW, Yousif R, Al-Shaikh I, Butler JD, Warren C, Skeat SL, Abdel Bari EMM (2020) Mixed siliciclastic-carbonate-evaporite sedimentation in an arid aeolian landscape: The Khor Al Adaid tide-dominated coastal embayment. Qatar Sediment Geoloy 408:105730. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. sedgeo.2020.105730 Rosenberg R, Blomqvist M, Nilsson HC, Cederwall H, Dimming A (2004) Marine quality assessment by use of benthic species abundance distributions: a proposed new protocol within the European Union water framework directive. Marine Pollu Bull 49:728–739 Saleh AAF (2012) Effects of multiple-source pollution on spatial distribution of polychaetes in Saudi Arabia. Res J Environ Toxico 6:1. https://doi.org/10.3923/ rjet.2012.1.12 Shannon CE, Wiener W (1963) The mathematical theory of communication. University of Illinois Press. Smith CR, De Leo FC, Bernardino AF, Sweetman AK, Martinez Arbizu P (2020) Abyssal food limitation, ecosystem structure and climate change. Trends Ecol Evol 25(9):518–528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2010.02.001 Standen R (1900) The marine fauna of the Persian Gulf. J Linn Soc London Zoology 28(188):1–30 Strickland JDH, Parsons TR (1972) A Practical Handbook of Seawater Analysis. Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Bull 167:310 Tagliapietra D, Sigovini M (2010) Benthic fauna: collection and identification of macrobenthic invertebrates. NEAR Curriculum Nat. Environ. Sci. Terre et Environ 88:253–261 Vine PJ (1986) The marine fauna of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. In BW Hoagland, PJ Vine (Eds.), The Marine Flora and Fauna of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands 1–120 Yigiterhan O, Al-Ansari EM, Nelson A, Abdel-Moati MA, Turner J, Alsaadi HA, Paul B, Al-Maslamani IA, Al-Ansi Al-Yafei MA, Murray JW (2020) Trace element composition of size-fractionated suspended particulate matter samples from the Qatari Exclusive Economic Zone of the Arabian Gulf: the role of atmospheric dust. Biogeosciences 17:381—404 2020. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-381-2020 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6463394","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":450346003,"identity":"e6df7e7e-388e-4150-923b-66f484eed5d6","order_by":0,"name":"Vethamony Ponnumony","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA6UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJACZih1AEQyNhChg7EZQrMlkKyFx4A4LeYSyccfF9RskzOXyPl4m4fBRnbDAeaNH/BpsZyRltg849htY8sZuZuteRjSjDccYCuWwKfF4MwZw2YettuJG27kbpPmYTicuOEAjwEBLec/NvP8A2nJeQbU8h+kxfgHXi3HexibedvAWtiAWg6AtJjhtcWyvc1wNm/fbWODM8+MLecYJBvPPMxWZoFPizkz84PPPN9uyxkcT354402FnWzf8ebNN/A6DM4SSGCQAHOZkQTxa+E/wCCBITgKRsEoGAWjAAgAZaFOedC94VUAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Qatar University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Vethamony","middleName":"","lastName":"Ponnumony","suffix":""},{"id":450346004,"identity":"a6841fa5-4ea5-443a-acc3-6a0a01b97ab2","order_by":1,"name":"Fatima A. 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Al-Khayat","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Qatar University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jassim","middleName":"A.","lastName":"Al-Khayat","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-04-16 12:17:02","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6463394/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6463394/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":82040664,"identity":"17675243-963f-492e-94ec-c0fc92f7c67b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-06 09:01:48","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":277767,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ea The Arabian Gulf, EEZ of Qatar and the bathymetry\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eb Study area and sampling stations at Khor Al-Adaid off Qatar\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6463394/v1/a83055e5c7857c4951744141.png"},{"id":82039806,"identity":"459ff649-519c-4157-a36a-9faa3aff032b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-06 08:53:48","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":12995,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeasonwise macrofauna abundance (no/m\u003c/strong\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e) of Khor-Al-Adaid\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6463394/v1/114ceb8cd66d235ad4617071.png"},{"id":82040658,"identity":"fce923c6-f44d-4a63-978c-5194a72a7566","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-06 09:01:47","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":48030,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeason wise polychaete abundance (no/m\u003c/strong\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e) of Khor-Al-Adaid\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6463394/v1/d9cb850176502af63893e266.png"},{"id":82040656,"identity":"e9e5cee7-908f-4ffe-bd84-be23043c868a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-06 09:01:46","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":24137,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eComposition of macrofauna (in %) at Khor-Al-Adaid\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6463394/v1/323c50b72d33166112a3bce7.png"},{"id":82039759,"identity":"725c2b53-d101-4779-b413-9b7c413e8206","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-06 08:53:45","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":29283,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eComposition of polychaetes (in %) at Khor-Al-Adaid\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6463394/v1/062f88dff272ae28aad46ac2.png"},{"id":82040657,"identity":"4414fae5-27a0-4d9a-8047-5018591b43b2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-06 09:01:47","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":33288,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeason-wise macrofaunal diversity indices at Khor-Al-Adaid\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6463394/v1/f1c991daecdbe4710384fc1e.png"},{"id":82039775,"identity":"02f07234-8205-44da-a541-2ff64a668b88","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-06 08:53:46","extension":"png","order_by":7,"title":"Figure 7","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":28362,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCluster analysis of season-wise macrofauna at Khor-Al-Adaid\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"7.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6463394/v1/eb9043af5bf7107a6f173a9f.png"},{"id":82039731,"identity":"db88d16c-b5ec-48eb-952a-2766bbcfe2e8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-06 08:53:44","extension":"png","order_by":8,"title":"Figure 8","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":160324,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ek-\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003edominance curve of macrofauna at Khor-Al-Adaid\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"8.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6463394/v1/28d142574a83b574c81d6d13.png"},{"id":82040659,"identity":"f1f9ec73-4ce0-4e5d-8df2-017cd45152ec","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-06 09:01:47","extension":"png","order_by":9,"title":"Figure 9","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":85432,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRedundancy analysis (RDA) for macrofaunal community distribution and environmental\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003efactors\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"9.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6463394/v1/4cd3d85c00720b93c5f95fcd.png"},{"id":82039734,"identity":"5cbeb84e-2150-4799-b0b0-83ffa195b93c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-06 08:53:44","extension":"png","order_by":10,"title":"Figure 10","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":81850,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRedundancy analysis (RDA) for polychaete species and environmental factors\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"10.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6463394/v1/022a3c9038fdaefed36bf670.png"},{"id":89829532,"identity":"97028dd5-43ab-48ea-bd18-e7362f0b47d8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-25 13:11:20","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2078464,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6463394/v1/50d33b5e-9756-49a5-858c-21191a21da20.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Macrofauna community structure in extreme temperature and hypersaline waters: Khor Al-Adaid, Arabian Gulf","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe Arabian Gulf (hereafter \u0026ldquo;Gulf\u0026rdquo;) is a shallow, semi-enclosed, hypersaline marginal sea connected to the Arabian Sea through the Strait of Hormuz (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003ea). The water depths are generally less than 20 m, except at a few regions. Complex bathymetry with numerous small and large islands, coral reefs, mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, mud and sand flats are the peculiar topographic features of the Gulf (Khan et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e). The region experiences extreme hot summer, moderate cold winter, shamal winds, dust storms, high evaporation and weak precipitation. Natural stressors such as high salinity levels and water temperature extremes significantly influence marine ecosystems. The sea surface temperature (SST) ranges from 18\u0026ndash;22\u0026deg;C in winter (Beltagy \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1983\u003c/span\u003e) to 31\u0026ndash;36\u0026deg;C during summer (Riegl and Purkis \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e). Environmental factors, including sediment type, temperature, salinity, primary productivity, depth and physical disturbance have an impact on marine macrobenthos biodiversity and dispersion (Basson et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1977\u003c/span\u003e; Coles and McCain \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1990\u003c/span\u003e). Salinity levels around the Qatar peninsula are generally high due to high evaporation. The salinity around Qatar coast typically ranges between 39 and 46, with a vertical gradient of about 1.2 (Al-Ansari et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). The mean salinity along the east coast varies between 42 and 45, whereas it is significantly higher along the west coast, ranging from 50 to 55 and exceeds 55 during summer. This variation in the salinity gradients is influenced by the shallow water and complex circulation pattern of the region with restricted water exchange, especially along the west coast. In Areas with restricted water flow such as Salwa Bay and inland lagoons, salinity can reach between 55 and 80. Despite the Gulf\u0026rsquo;s high biodiversity of marine macro-invertebrates, species richness remains low due to extreme. environmental conditions such as elevated temperature and salinity levels (Al-Yamani et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e; Price \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e). Although the Gulf experiences extreme summer temperatures and high salinity, it supports diverse marine ecosystems (Naser \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e), with relatively high biological productivity in some regions of Qatar waters (Al-Khayat \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e). These ecosystems are crucial for marine biodiversity conservation, and serving as feeding and nursery grounds for commercially important marine organisms (Naser \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBenthic biota plays a key role in these ecosystems, contributing to ecological habitat structure and marine health. Their sedentary nature and structurally complex community making them effective biological indicators and diverse taxa, which can cope to uncertainty (Joydas et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Studying benthic fauna is essential for marine habitat quality assessments (Borja et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e; Rosenberg et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e; Mistri and Munari \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e; Nourinezhad et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). Benthic invertebrates link primary production to higher trophic levels by feeding on the plankton and then saving as a food source for larger organisms such as fish and sea birds. They also rework structure of sediments, oxygenate the seafloor, and play a fundamental role in decomposing the organic matter before bacterial re-mineralization (Tagliapietra and Sigovini \u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). Studies on marine macrobenthic invertebrate in the Gulf dates back to the early 20th century (Standen \u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1900\u003c/span\u003e). Several researchers have documented the biodiversity of macrobenthic fauna in different habitats (Basson et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1977\u003c/span\u003e; McCain \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1984\u003c/span\u003e; Coles and McCain \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1990\u003c/span\u003e; Al-Yamani et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e; Naser \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e; Al-Khayat \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1997\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e, 2019, 2021). Basson et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1977\u003c/span\u003e) identified approximately 530 species linked to seagrass, 638 species associated with subtidal sand and 610 species associated with subtidal mud of Saudi Arabia's eastern shore. MCain (1984) reported 624 species of benthic organisms while Coles and McCain (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1990\u003c/span\u003e) identified 834 species associated with seagrasses and sand/silt substrata. Al-Yamani et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e) reported 270 species (103 Mollusca, 83 Polychaeta, and 38 Crustacea) from Kuwait subtidal areas. Naser (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e) identified 97 species (46 Polychaeta, 25 Mollusca, and 18 Crustacea) from subtidal areas on the east coast of Bahrain. Al-Khayat (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1997\u003c/span\u003e) recorded 246 intertidal mollusc species along the east and west coasts of Qatar. Al-Khayat and Al-Mohannadi (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e) reported 29 macrobenthic fauna and flora associated with \u003cem\u003eAmiantis umbonella\u003c/em\u003e from Khor Al Adaid. Additionally, Al-Khayat and Jones (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1999\u003c/span\u003e) and Al-Khayat et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) reported benthic biodiversity from natural and planted mangrove swamps at different locations along the Qatar coast. Despite these studies, a comprehensive assessment of macrobenthic fauna and their habitat destruction in Qatar waters remains limited, particularly near the Khors. This study aims to understand the community structure of macrobenthos, analyze their spatial and seasonal variations, and investigate the impact of physicochemical fluctuations on benthic communities.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Materials and Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStudy area\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eKhor Al-Adaid is located on the southeast coast of the Qatar peninsula (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eb), locally known as \u0026ldquo;Khor\u0026rdquo; (inland sea), and surrounded by mobile sand dunes and sabkha. This land-surrounded lagoon like body of water is bordered by Saudi Arabia in the south and features a large tidal embayment with a complex, convoluted shoreline. With an average depth of approximately 5 m, it is connected to the Arabian Gulf through a narrow deep canal extending 10 km in length. Khor Al-Adaid serves as a nursery and feeding ground for green turtles, fish and various invertebrates. Declared as a natural reserve, it is also a famous tourist site in Qatar.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Methodology","content":"\u003cp\u003eField samplings were carried out in Khor Al Adaid at eight stations (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eb) in 2015, representing four seasons: February 2015 (winter), April 2015 (spring), July 2015 (summer), and October 2015 (autumn). Salinity and hydrogen-ion concentration (pH) were monitored by means of a Water Quality Logging System (Model 3800-YSI Inc.). Water samples were collected in 500ml acid cleaned, deionized, distilled water rinsed and labelled high density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles for dissolved nutrients analysis (NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e, NO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e, NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e, PO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e and SiO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e). Samples were filtered onto 0.45 \u0026micro;m membrane filters (47mm diameter) and preserved at -20\u0026deg;C, and analysed using standard spectrophotometric methods. Dissolved oxygen was analysed by the Winkler method (Strickland and Parsons \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1972\u003c/span\u003e). Chlorophyll \u003cem\u003ea\u003c/em\u003e (phytoplankton biomass indicator) was analysed by filtering one litter of seawater and using a spectrophotometer (Parsons et al. 1984). Macrobenthic fauna were sampled from surface sediments with a van veen grab (0.1m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e bite area), sieved through a 0.05mm mesh and preserved in 5% neutralized formalin. Identification of macrofauna was carried out with the guidelines of Jones (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1986\u003c/span\u003e), Vine (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1986\u003c/span\u003e), Bosch and Bosch (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1989\u003c/span\u003e), Oliver (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1992\u003c/span\u003e) and Bosch et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1995\u003c/span\u003e). Species composition, diversity, richness and evenness were calculated according to Shannon-Wiener function (Shannon-Wiener 1963). Physicochemical parameters were also recorded, while sampling at the stations.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results and discussion","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eMacrobenthos abundance\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA total of 108 invertebrate taxa belonging to 9 phyla were identified from 8 stations in 4 seasons (spring, winter, summer and autumn). The highest abundance of macrofauna was recorded in winter (1774 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) followed by 1438 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e in spring, and 1080 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e in autumn, and the lowest abundance in summer (703 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e, Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). These benthic macrofauna belong to eight groups namely, demospongia, polychaeta, gastropoda, bivalvia, scaphypoda, crustacean, stelleroidae and ascidiacea. Among all the macrofauna, polychaetes were the most abundant taxa in all the seasons. The highest abundance of polychaetes was recorded in winter (1700 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e), followed by spring (1353 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) and the lowest in summer (559 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e). Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e presents the seasonwise abundance of 10 polychaetes. In Polychaeta, \u003cem\u003eNephtys\u003c/em\u003e sp. was highly abundant in spring (500 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) followed by winter and summer (350 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) and lowest in autumn (153 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e). \u003cem\u003eEulalia viridis\u003c/em\u003e was second dominant species in spring and autumn (300 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) followed by winter (233 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) and lowest in summer (97 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e). \u003cem\u003eHarmothoe dictyophora\u003c/em\u003e was also found abundantly in winter (275 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) and almost absent in summer (1 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e). \u003cem\u003eSyllis\u003c/em\u003e sp. and \u003cem\u003eOnuphis eremita\u003c/em\u003e were found only in winter season (235 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) and (300 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) respectively. \u003cem\u003eLysidice\u003c/em\u003e sp. was the highly abundant species in the winter season (150 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e), and it was not recorded in the spring season. \u003cem\u003eNeries\u003c/em\u003e sp. was the second dominant species in spring (114 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) followed by autumn season (112 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) and was also recorded in summer and winter in ample amount. \u003cem\u003ePrionospio\u003c/em\u003e sp. was also found in the winter season (30 no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) along with \u003cem\u003eLeocrates\u003c/em\u003e sp. and \u003cem\u003eEunice\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe seasonal abundance of polychaetes is influenced by sediment composition, food availability and physicochemical parameters. Fine sediments rich in organic matter favoured deposit feeders like \u003cem\u003ePrionospio\u003c/em\u003e sp. and \u003cem\u003eNephtys\u003c/em\u003e sp. (Pearson and Rosenberg \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1978\u003c/span\u003e), leading to higher abundances in winter and spring. In contrast, coarse sediments with higher oxygen penetration supported suspension feeders such as \u003cem\u003eHarmothoe dictyophora\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eOnuphis eremita\u003c/em\u003e (Rhoads and Young \u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1970\u003c/span\u003e), which declined in summer due to sediment disturbances. Salinity and dissolved oxygen fluctuations also played their roles with species like \u003cem\u003eEulalia viridis\u003c/em\u003e and Neries sp. (Alongi, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1990\u003c/span\u003e) showing year-round presence, and indicating tolerance to environmental changes. Winter conditions, characterized by lower temperatures, stable sediments and higher organic matter, supported the highest polychaete abundance (Fauchald and Jumars \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1979\u003c/span\u003e), while summer due to increased temperature, oxygen depletion and sediment disturbances led to decline. The dominance of deposit feeders in winter and spring highlights the role of organic accumulation (Gray \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e), whereas carnivorous and suspension-feeding species depend on prey availability and oxygen levels. These findings underscore the seasonal variability in benthic macrofaunal communities and their strong dependence on environmental factors (Smith et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Brown et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe composition of macrofaunal communities provides valuable insight into the health of marine environment as these organisms are sensitive to environmental changes and pollution. The Polychaetes were highly abundant (88%), followed by bivalvia 6%, gastropoda 4% and the remaining are demospongia, crustacea, scaphopoda, etc (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). The dominance of polychaetes shared \u003cem\u003eNephtys\u003c/em\u003e sp. (30%) \u003cem\u003eEulalia viridis\u003c/em\u003e (20%), \u003cem\u003eHarmothoe dictyophora\u003c/em\u003e (16%), \u003cem\u003eSyllis\u003c/em\u003e sp. (13%) and the remaining 21% were represented by \u003cem\u003eNereis\u003c/em\u003e sp., \u003cem\u003eEunice\u003c/em\u003e sp., \u003cem\u003eOwenia\u003c/em\u003e sp., \u003cem\u003ePrionospio\u003c/em\u003e sp. etc. (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). The presence of suspension feeders such as \u003cem\u003eHarmothoe dictyophora\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eSyllis\u003c/em\u003e sp. suggests oxygenated sediment conditions that facilitate their survival (Rhoads and Young \u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1970\u003c/span\u003e). The relatively lower abundance of bivalves and gastropods indicates that factors such as sediment characteristics or anthropogenic impacts might be limiting their distribution. Bivalves, known for their filter-feeding mechanisms, rely on stable sediment and water quality conditions, whereas gastropods are often influenced by substrate composition and food availability (Gray \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e). Macrobenthic communities, being largely sedentary in nature, are excellent bio-indicators for the health of marine ecosystem. They are directly affected by pollution, and oxygen depletion (Jewett et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1999\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAbundance of macrofauna (no/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) from Khor-Al-Adaid, off Qatar\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTaxa\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAbundance of species\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpring\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWinter\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSummer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAutumn\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAxinella\u003c/em\u003e sp\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChalinidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHaliclona fascigera\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHalicolona\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIotrochota\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSpongia ceylonensis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSponge sp.\u003c/em\u003e 1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEunice\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLysidice\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e150\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLeocrates\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNereis\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e115\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e93\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e113\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNephtys\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e500\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e350\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e350\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e153\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOnuphis eremita\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e300\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOwenia\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEulalia viridis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e300\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e233\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e97\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e300\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHarmothoe dictyophora\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e206\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e276\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e250\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSabella fusca\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNeodexiospira kayi\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHydroides elegans\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePrionospio\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSyllis\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e211\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e235\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e123\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBulla ampulla\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCerithum scabridum\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCerithidea cingulata\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCerithium rueppelli\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCerithum\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eClypeomorus bifasciata persica\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRhinoclavis\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMitrella blanda\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDiodora\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAliculastrum cylindricum\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAtys\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHexaplex kuesterianus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThais tissoti\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAncill farsiana\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAncilla\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePirenella conica\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePriotrochus obscurus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eClanculus scabrosus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOsilinus\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePriotrochus obscurus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePseudominolia gradata\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePriotrochus kotschyi\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePseudominolian edyma\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePseudominolia\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePagodatrochu svariabilis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTrochus radiatus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eUmbonium vestiarium\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAcar plicata\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBrabatia\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAcrosterigma maculosa\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAcrosterigma\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAfrocardium\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFragum sueziense\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFulvia australis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFulvia fragilis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFulvia\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eParvicardium\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlagiocardium\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eChama asperella\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eChama reflexa\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eChama\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDosinia alta\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDosinia\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIsognomon\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLimatulella\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBellucian\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePillucina angela\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePillucina\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eScabrilucina victorialis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMalleus regula\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMalvufundus\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHexaplex kuesterianus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSemiricinulatis soti\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBrachyodontes variabilis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLioberus ligneus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNucula consentanea\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIsognomon nucleus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePterelectroma physoides\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePteria\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePinctada radiata\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eErvilia\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSpondylus\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEurytellina nitens\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNitidotellina unifasciata\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTellidora pellyana\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTellina\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTranskeiara vayensis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDiplodonta\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCallista florida\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGafrarium pectinatum\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMarcia\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTimoclea arakana\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePelecyora ceylonica\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDentalium\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLaevidentalium curvotracheatum\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLaevidentaliumlongitrorsum\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDiogenes avarus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDiogenes\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGonodactylus\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eElasmopus pectenicrus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eElasmopus pectenicrus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGammaropsis\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePilumnus\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAsterina burtoni\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAstropecten polyacanthus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOphiothela venusta\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePhallusia nigra\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbundance (no/m\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cb\u003e)\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1438\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1774\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e703\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1080\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003ePhysicochemical parameters and macro faunal diversity\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe seasonal variation in physicochemical parameters significantly influenced the composition and abundance of benthic macro-fauna in Khor Al Adaid. The observed fluctuations in sea surface temperature (SST), ranging from 20.9\u0026deg;C in winter to 33.9\u0026deg;C in summer, played a crucial role in shaping macrofaunal distribution. The highest macrofaunal abundance recorded in winter (1774 no/m\u0026sup2;) corresponded with lower temperatures, which provided a more stable environment with reduced metabolic stress and enhanced oxygen solubility (Gray \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e). In contrast, the extreme summer temperatures, coupled with increased evaporation, resulted in hypersaline conditions (salinity reaching 54.8), leading to a significant decline in macrofaunal abundance (703 no/m\u0026sup2;). Such conditions are known to create physiological stress, limiting the survival of many benthic species except for highly tolerant organisms like \u003cem\u003eEulalia viridis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eNereis\u003c/em\u003e sp., which exhibited year-round presence (Alongi \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1990\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDissolved oxygen (DO) levels were observed to be higher in winter, with a maximum value of 6.73 mg/L at station 1, corresponding to increased macrofaunal abundance, particularly deposit-feeding polychaetes such as \u003cem\u003ePrionospio\u003c/em\u003e sp. and \u003cem\u003eNephtys\u003c/em\u003e sp. Higher oxygen levels are likely to facilitate better respiration and organic matter decomposition, promoting benthic productivity (Fauchald and Jumars \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1979\u003c/span\u003e). In contrast, summer conditions, characterized by lower oxygen levels due to high temperatures and increased microbial activity, negatively impacted suspension feeders such as \u003cem\u003eHarmothoe dictyophora\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eOnuphis eremita\u003c/em\u003e, which require well-oxygenated sediments (Rhoads and Young \u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1970\u003c/span\u003e). The role of organic matter was evident in winter and spring when fine sediments enriched with organic detritus favoured deposit feeders, while the prevalence of coarser sediments in summer reduced their abundance (Pearson and Rosenberg \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1978\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNutrient concentrations remained consistently low, with phosphate often below detection limits and nitrate never exceeding 1 \u0026micro;m/L, classifying the study area as oligotrophic (Yigiterhan et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). The slightly elevated nitrate levels observed at stations 2, 4 and 5 in November (0.96\u0026ndash;0.99 \u0026micro;m/L) may have contributed to localized organic matter enrichment, supporting benthic communities in these areas. Similarly, silicate concentrations showed seasonal variation, with higher values at stations 1 and 2 during summer and autumn, potentially influencing diatom availability, an important food source for some benthic species (Rakib et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). However, chlorophyll-a concentrations rarely exceeded 1 \u0026micro;g/L, confirming the low primary productivity of the region. As a result, the macrofaunal community was more dependent on organic detritus accumulation rather than direct phytoplankton production (Smith et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). The interaction between temperature, salinity, DO levels, and sediment composition recorded seasonal shifts in macrofaunal abundance. The highest diversity and abundance in winter and spring were attributed to favourable environmental conditions, while the summer decline was driven by temperature-induced stress, hyper salinity and reduced oxygen availability. These findings underscore the strong influence of physicochemical parameters on benthic community dynamics and highlight the adaptive strategies of macrofaunal species in response to extreme environmental fluctuations characteristic of the Arabian Gulf region (Brown et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eDiversity Indices\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe macrofaunal diversity is explained in terms of number of species (S), number of individuals (N), Shannon-Wiener index (\u003cem\u003eH'\u003c/em\u003e), Margalef\u0026rsquo;s species richness (d) and Pielou\u0026rsquo;s evenness (J'). Seasonwise analysis shows that the number of species was maximum at station 3 (33) and minimum at station 7 (15) in winter season. However, species richness (d) was maximum at station 2 (4.766) and minimum at station 7 (2.17). Evenness was recorded the highest at station 4 (0.53) and the lowest at station 6 (0.340). Similarly, the Shannon index was maximum at station 4 (1.73) and minimum at station 6 (1.09). In spring, the number of species was maximum at station 3 (32) and minimum at station 7 (9). Species richness (d) was the highest at station 6 (1.74) and the lowest at station 7 (1.69). Evenness was recorded the highest at station 8 (0.55) and the lowest at station 7 (0.25). The Shannon index was maximum at station 6 (1.74) and minimum at station at 7 (0.46). In summer, the number of species was maximum at station 4 (47) and minimum at station 7 (13). Species richness (d) was the highest at station 4 (7.39) and lowest at station 7 (3.00). Evenness was recorded the highest at station 6 (0.52) and the lowest at station 3 (0.40). The Shannon index was maximum at station 5 (1.8) and minimum at station 7 (1.20). In autumn, the number of species was maximum at station 5 (44) and minimum at station 8 (15). Species richness (d) was the highest at station 5 (5.97) and the lowest at station 8 (2.76). Evenness was recorded the highest at station 7 (0.64) and the lowest at station 1 (0.32). The Shannon index was maximum at station 7 (1.78) and minimum at station 1 (0.92). Season-wise diversity indices are shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e. Number of species (S) is the highest in summer (31) and the lowest in spring (25). Number of individuals (N) was the highest in winter (795) and was the lowest in summer (335). The Shannon index (\u003cem\u003eH'\u003c/em\u003e) was the highest in winter, summer and autumn (1.5) and the lowest in spring (1.2). Species richness (d) was recorded the highest in summer (5.3) and the lowest in winter (3.7). Evenness was recorded the highest in winter, summer and autumn (0.5) and the lowest in spring (0.4). A total of 14 polychaete species -were recorded in the four seasons. The highest abundance of individuals was found in the winter season and the lowest in summer. Among the recorded species, polychaete Nephtys sp. is dominant in three seasons, except in autumn. Temperature and salinity have increased in the summer season (Rakib et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e), significantly influencing the macrofaunal abundance. However, the polychaete diversity in the study area was significantly lower than that found from other regions of the Arabian Gulf (Mohammad \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1980\u003c/span\u003e; Joydas 2017; Saleh \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe cluster analysis shows that species present in the winter and spring seasons share a 75% similarity. Species present in autumn exhibit a 68% similarity to those in winter and spring, while species from the summer season show a 59% similarity to all these seasons (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSIMPER analysis measures dissimilarity by considering the contribution of species between two groups. Between winter and spring seasons, \u003cem\u003eOnuphis eremita\u003c/em\u003e contributes 19.02% and \u003cem\u003eLysidice\u003c/em\u003e sp. contributes 15.08% dissimilarities and average dissimilarity is 24.20. In comparison between winter and summer seasons, \u003cem\u003eOnuphis eremita\u003c/em\u003e contributes 10.82% and \u003cem\u003eHarmothoe dictyophora\u003c/em\u003e contributes 10.34% dissimilarity, with an average dissimilarity of 46.89. Between spring and summer seasons, \u003cem\u003eHarmothoe dictyophora\u003c/em\u003e contributes 12.37% and \u003cem\u003eSyllis\u003c/em\u003e sp. contributes 11.95% and an average dissimilarity of 37.65 (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSIMPER analysis of dissimilarity of polychaetes at Khor-Al-Adaid\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGroups: Winter and Spring\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAverage dissimilarity\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;24.20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpecies\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAvg. Abundance (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAvg. Abundance (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eContribution %\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCumulative %\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOnuphis eremita\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLysidice\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHydroides elegans\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39.18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNereis\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.98\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.72\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43.78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNephtys\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.71\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48.28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGroups: Winter and Summer\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAverage dissimilarity\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;46.89\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOnuphis eremita\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.82\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.82\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHarmothoedictyophora\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSyllis\u003c/em\u003esp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.61\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLysidice\u003c/em\u003esp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37.71\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEulaliaviridis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.84\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41.31\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGroups Spring and Summer\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAverage dissimilarity\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;37.65\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHarmothoe dictyophora\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSyllis\u003c/em\u003esp\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.61\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.95\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEulaliaviridis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.84\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.93\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNephtys\u003c/em\u003esp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.71\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34.63\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePterelectromaphysoides\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.61\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37.97\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe spring season shows the highest dominance of 55%, with (species rank 5), winter season shows the dominance upto 50% (rank 6), autumn season at 38% and species (rank 5) and summer with the lowest dominance of 25% (rank 3) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpecies diversity was nearly constant across all four seasons, with summer having the highest species richness. Redundancy Analysis (RDA) showed winter season largely contributing to maximum macrofaunal diversity. Among all the macrofauna, Asteroidae showed significant contribution in winter. Environmental parameters such as pH, Chl-a and DO showed a strong correlation with benthic diversity, whereas temperature and salinity showed a weak correlation to the benthic diversity (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig12\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e). Polychaete diversity was the highest in winter with Eunice sp. showing significant dominance. RDA indicated that temperature and salinity had a strong influence on \u003cem\u003eEulalia viridis\u003c/em\u003e, while pH and DO showed strong correlation with Eunice sp., \u003cem\u003ePrionospio\u003c/em\u003e sp. and \u003cem\u003eOwenia\u003c/em\u003e sp. Other polychaete species such as \u003cem\u003eNeries\u003c/em\u003e sp., \u003cem\u003eNephtys\u003c/em\u003e sp. and \u003cem\u003eSyllis\u003c/em\u003e sp. did not show significant correlations with any of the environmental factors (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig11\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e). The study area Khor-Al-Adaid is a sandy beach with a dynamic and high energy environment, which limits macrofaunal settlement, particularly for polychaetes. The relatively large grain size and low organic matter content make it difficult for sedentary or tubicolous polychaetes to construct tubes or burrows, favouring errant species instead. According to Rivers et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e), Khor-Al-Adaid has a distinctive ecosystem characterized by aeolian dunes, siliciclastic sand and shallow water, creating a challenging habitat for macrofauna. This fine to medium-grained sand supports errant (sessile) polychaetes, which move across the sediment to capture prey. However, sedentary or tubicolous polychaetes struggle to construct tubes or dig burrows due to the relatively large grain size and low organic matter, which affects feeding and survival. Despite these conditions, organisms such as gastropods, bivalvia, crustaceans and echinoderms were found to thrive in the sandy habitat.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study evaluated the macrobenthic communities of an inland sea (khor) of Qatar. While several other Khors exist along the Qatar coast, they remain unexplored for similar work. Despite waters of extreme temperatures and hypersaline, Khor-Al-Adaid showed considerable diversity and abundance of benthic organisms, indicating their adaptation to harsh environmental conditions. The findings of this study highlight the ecological significance of the region, and emphasize the need for further studies on the macro-benthic communities in other khors of Qatar.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgement\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe thank the Directors of ESC, Qatar University and National Institute of Oceanography, India for providing facilities to carry out this work. This work was carried out under the program \u0026ldquo;UNESCO Chair in Marine Sciences at Qatar University\u0026rdquo;.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAl-Ansari EMA, Abdu U, Abdel-Moati MA, Badran MI, Al-Yafei MA, Al-Shaikh I, Mahmoud HA (2015) Water quality assessment of the nearshore marine environment of Qatar. Marine Pollu Bulle. 100:741\u0026ndash;750. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.09.005\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAl-Khayat JA (1997) The marine Mollusca of the Qatari waters, Arabian Gulf. Qatar Univ Sci J 17: 479\u0026ndash;491 http://hdl.handle.net/10576/9753 \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAl-Khayat JA (2005) Some macrobenthic invertebrates in the Qatari waters, Arabian Gulf. Qatar Univ Sci J 25:126\u0026ndash;136. http://hdl.handle.net/10576/10054\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAl-Khayat JA (2005) Ecological characterization of the marine biodiversity of the western coast of Qatar. Environ Foren 6:331\u0026ndash;341. https://doi.org/10.1080/15275920500194273\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAl-Khayat JA, Al-Mohannadi M (2006) Ecology and biology of the benthic bivalve Amiantis umbonella (Lamarck) in Khor Al-Adaid. Qatar. Egypt J Aqua Res 32:419\u0026ndash;430.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAl-Khayat JA, Abdulla MA, Alatalo JM (2019) Diversity of benthic macrofauna and physical parameters of sediments in natural mangroves and in afforested mangroves three decades after compensatory planting. Aqua Sci. 81:4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-018-0599-7\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAl-Khayat JA, Vethamony P, Nanajkar M (2021) Molluscan diversity influenced by mangrove habitat in the khors of Qatar. Wetl 41(4):45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-021-01441-6\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAl-Khayat JA, Al-Mohannadi MS (2006)\u003c/strong\u003e Ecology and biology of the benthic bivalve \u003cem\u003eAmiantis umbonella\u003c/em\u003e (Lamarck) in Khor Al-Adaid, Qatar. \u003cem\u003eEgypt J Aqua Res\u003c/em\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e32\u003c/strong\u003e(1):419\u0026ndash;430\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAl-Khayat JA, Jones DA (1999)\u003c/strong\u003e A comparison of the macrofauna of natural and replanted mangroves in Qatar. \u003cem\u003eEstuar Coas Shelf Sci\u003c/em\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e49\u003c/strong\u003e(1):55\u0026ndash;63. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-7714(99)80009-2\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAl-Khayat JA, Abdulla MA, Alatalo JM (2019) Diversity of benthic macrofauna and physical parameters of sediments in natural mangroves and in afforested mangroves three decades after compensatory planting. Aqua Sci 81(1):4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-018-0599-7\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlongi DM (1990) The ecology of tropical soft-bottom benthic ecosystems. Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review 28:381\u0026ndash;496\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAl-Yamani FY, Bishop JM, Al-Husaini M, Al-Ghadban AN, Al-Ablani S (2009)\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe Arabian Gulf: Marine biodiversity, fisheries and the environment\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e.\u003c/em\u003e Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR). Kuwait \u003cstrong\u003e10152:\u003c/strong\u003e203\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBasson PW, Burchard JE, Hardy JT, Price ARG (1977) Biotopes of the Western Arabian Gulf: Marine Life and Environments of Saudi Arabia. ARAMCO Dhahran Saudi Arabia\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBeltagy AI (1983) Marine ecology of the Arabian Gulf: A review. 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Estua, Coas Shelf Sci 210:1\u0026ndash;12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2018.06.001\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eColes SL, McCain JC (1990) Environmental factors affecting benthic infaunal communities of the western Arabian Gulf. Marine Environ Res 29(4):289\u0026ndash;330. https://doi.org/10.1016/0141-1136(90)90004-X\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFauchald K, Jumars PA (1979) The diet of worms: A study of polychaete feeding guilds. Oceanogra Marine Bio: An Annual Review 17:193\u0026ndash;284\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGray JS (2002) Species richness of marine soft sediments. Marine Ecol Prog Series 244:285\u0026ndash;297. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps244285\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJewett SC, Dean TA, Smith RO, Blanchard A (1999) Exxon Valdez\u0026apos; oil spill: impacts and recovery in the soft-bottom benthic community in and adjacent to eelgrass beds. 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Biogeosciences 17:381\u0026mdash;404 2020. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-381-2020\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Benthic macrofauna, Community structure, Species richness, Shannon Index, Khor-Al-Adaid in Qatar, Arabian Gulf","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6463394/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6463394/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eArabian Gulf is characterized by hyper saline waters with high temperature levels, which fluctuate seasonally, creating natural stress for marine benthic communities. A study on benthic macrofaunal was conducted at Khor-Al-Adaid, an ‘Inland Sea’. \u0026nbsp;The substratum of the study area is primarily sandy, and supports a macrofaunal community dominated by polychaetes, followed by gastropods and other group of macrofauna such as Demospongia, Stelleroidae, Scaphypoda, Crustacea, Bivalvia as and Ascidiacea in all four seasons (winter, summer, spring and autumn). A total of 108 macrobenthic species from 9 phyla were observed. The polychaetes were dominated by \u003cem\u003eNephtys\u003c/em\u003esp., \u003cem\u003eEulalia viridis\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eHormothoe dictyophora\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eSyllis\u003c/em\u003e sp. The highest species richness was observed in summer (47) and autumn (44). The diversity indices and statistical analyses including cluster analysis, simper analysis, \u003cem\u003ek\u003c/em\u003e- dominance curve and redundancy analysis (RDA) showed significant variations in the community structure.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Macrofauna community structure in extreme temperature and hypersaline waters: Khor Al-Adaid, Arabian Gulf","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-05-06 08:53:16","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6463394/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"510af721-7034-4110-a9ca-38ff35531586","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 6th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-11-20T00:08:12+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-05-06 08:53:16","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6463394","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6463394","identity":"rs-6463394","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}