First Record of Brachiopods from the Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia, South Central Pacific

Two species of Recent brachiopods, Eucalathis cf. murrayi and Frenulina sanguinolenta, have been identified in the collection from the Musorstom 9 Expedition to the Marquesas Islands in 1997. They represent the first record of brachiopods from the Marquesas Islands. Both species previously have been reported from the western Pacific, and F. sanguinolenta is also known from Hawai'i in the North Central Pacific. Presence of these species in the Marquesas extends the eastern boundary of their biogeographic range. The brachiopods from the Marquesas show very low diversity when compared with the fauna from the western Pacific, as well as with that from the Hawaiian Islands. This decrease in number of species in the Pacific from west to east is also observed in other benthic invertebrate groups.