Meiobenthos of a sublittoral sandbank in the Southern Bight of the North Sea

The meiofauna of a subtidal linear sandbank, the Kwinte Bank, in the Belgian coastal waters of the North Sea was analysed, with particular reference to the nematodes and harpacticoids. Nematodes are evenly spread over the whole sandbank but species differ. Diversity is very high (on average 3.8 bit /ind.) and 136 species were identified. Density on the contrary is low (on average 384 ind./10 cm²). Three species groups can be distinguished which are correlated with sediment characteristics. All trophic groups of nematodes are equally distributed within the sediment. Copepods are both more numerous and more diverse in the coarser sediments of the northern side of the sandbank. One cyclopoid and 65 harpacticoid species were identified with an average diversity of 2.3 bits/ind. and an average density of 162 ind./10cm². Two species groups can be distinguished, again correlated with sediment characteristics. It is suggested that stable fine and coarse sand associations occur in the North Sea, similar to other coastal and offshore sublittoral sand associations in the European seas