Benthos, also known as benthon, is the community of organisms that live on, in, or near the bottom of a sea, river, lake, or stream, also known as the benthic zone. This community lives in or near marine or freshwater sedimentary environments, from tidal pools along the foreshore, out to the continental shelf, and then down to the abyssal depths.
The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth. The word pelagic is derived from Ancient Greek πέλαγος (pélagos) 'open sea'. The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or water column between the surface of the sea and the bottom. Conditions in the water column change with depth: pressure increases; temperature and light decrease; salinity, oxygen, micronutrients all change.
Pelagic fish live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters – being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore – in contrast with demersal fish that do live on or near the bottom, and reef fish that are associated with coral reefs.
Eunicella verrucosa, the broad sea fan, pink sea fan or warty gorgonian, is a species of colonial Gorgonian "soft coral" in the family Gorgoniidae. It is native to the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Mediterranean Sea.
The Triton epaulette shark is a species of bamboo shark in the genus Hemiscyllium, that is composed of nine morphologically similar, yet distinct sharks that are geographically restricted to New Guinea and northern Australia. Hemiscylliidae are small nocturnal sharks aptly named "walking sharks" who exhibit a "crawling" movement while foraging on the ocean floor for fish and benthic invertebrates.
Goniobranchus fidelis, also commonly known as the faithful sea slug, is a species of colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.
The piper gurnard, also known as the piper or the lyre gurnard, is a species of marine, demersal ray-finned fish from the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Trigla.
Small red scorpionfish is a venomous Scorpionfish, common in marine subtropical waters. It is widespread in the Eastern Atlantic from the Bay of Biscay to Senegal, Madeira, Azores and the Canary Islands, including the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
The yellow triplefin ,> also known as the Abel's triplefin in South Africa, is a species of triplefin in the genus Enneapterygius. Males in this species can reach a maximum length of 2.5 centimetres. The blennies are generally bright yellow in colour, and males have black heads. They feed mostly on benthic invertebrates.
The red gurnard, also known as the East Atlantic red gurnard or soldier, is a benthic species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This fish is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.
Brachysomophis cirrocheilos, also known as the stargazer snake eel, is a benthic marine fish belonging to the family Ophichthidae. The stargazer snake eel is a large fish which grows up to 159 cm (63 in) long.
The longfin gurnard, the long-finned gurnard or shining gurnard, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This fish is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. This species is of commercial importance as a food fish.
Scarus frenatus is a species of parrotfish. Common names include bridled parrotfish, sixband or six-banded parrotfish or vermiculate parrotfish.
Coeloplana is a genus of ctenophores. Species include:
Coeloplana loyai is a species of benthic comb jelly. It is known from the Red Sea and lives as an episymbiont on the mushroom corals Herpolitha limax and Ctenactis echinata. It can be differentiated from congeneric species by their host, colour, and colour pattern.
Coeloplana yulianicorum is a species of benthic comb jelly. It is known from the Red Sea and lives as an episymbiont on the soft coral Sarcophyton yulianicorum. It can be differentiated from congeneric species by their host, colour, and colour pattern.
Coeloplana fishelsoni is a species of benthic comb jelly. It is known from the Red Sea and lives as an episymbiont on colonies of Xenia umbellata and Paralemnalia species. It can be differentiated from its congeneric species by their host, colour, and colour pattern.
Upeneus moluccensis, the goldband goatfish, golden-banded goatfish or Moluccan goatfish, is a species of Indo-Pacific goatfish from the red mullet and goatfish family, the Mullidae. It is widespread in the warmer waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans as far east as New Caledonia and has colonised the eastern Mediterranean Sea from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal, making it a Lessepsian migrant.
Nemipterus randalli, or Randall's threadfin bream, is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Nemipteridae, the threadfin breams, which is native to the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, it has invaded the eastern Mediterranean by Lessepsian migration through the Suez Canal.
Helicolenus barathri, the bigeye sea perch, bigeye ocean perch, coral cod, coral perch, red gurnard perch, red perch or red rock perch, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
