Résultats des campagnes MUSORSTOM

29 - Tropical deep-sea benthos

The deep benthos of tropical seas is one of the last frontiers of biodiversity exploration, and a major reservoir of species still unknown to science. The French National Museum of Natural History (MNHN) and Institute for Research for Development (IRD) are conducting an unprecedented series of research cruises in the South and West Pacific, totalling so far over 5,000 deep-water sampling stations in remote and seldom-visited island groups. The Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos series, a continuation of the former Résultats des Campagnes Musorstom, showcases some of the biodiversity discovered through contributions from experts worldwide. The present volume includes six major taxonomic papers from experts of polyplacophoran, bivalve and gastropod molluscs, together documenting 213 species – 137 of which are new to science –, highlighting the extraordinary biodiversity of the South and West Pacific, in particular the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia. An introductory chapter highlights the role of citizen scientists in describing the molluscan diversity of the world, who are responsible for 57% of the new species descriptions, and the present volume is no exception.