Amphipod Fauna Enhances Understanding of Eastern Mediterranean Deep-Sea Biodiversity

Knowledge of deep-sea amphipods remains much more limited compared to that of shallow-water or more accessible marine habitats, although there has been an increasing scientific interest in recent decades. Deep-sea amphipods are mainly scavengers and detritivores, playing a role in organic matter recycling; however, their species richness may be underestimated, especially in understudied realms like the deep Mediterranean Sea. Long-term monitoring data are limited, hindering understanding of trends or human impacts. The present work aims to address this gap. In a previous study (1993–1996), twenty-two species of amphipods were identified from samples collected at depths between 734 and 1558 m along the Israeli coast. After twenty years, 16 sites were sampled in 2013 at depths ranging from 198 to 1812 m. Amphipod assemblage and its bathymetric distribution were analyzed to enhance knowledge of the taxon’s occurrence.