Abstract

Eighteen species of the genus Oncaea , four of them polymorphic, have been collected from the inshore and offshore waters of the Lebanon. Three species are new additions to the Mediterranean faunal list, O.shmelevi , O.pumilis and O.rufa . The males of three poorly described species, O.bathyalis , O.ovalis and O.similis , the female of O.shmelevi and both sexes of O.tenella are redescribed. Oncaea media and O.mediterranea were the two most common representatives of the genus in the study area. Oncaea were most abundant in December and January and between March and May; they were mainly mesopelagic and oceanic. Many of the species recorded here have cosmopolitan distributions; some of the smaller ones are less well-known, but may prove in time to be as widespread as the larger taxa.

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