Twenty six species of brachiopods were dredged in the bathyal area surrounding New-Caledonia and the Chesterfield Islands, from 1985 to 1989, during the cruises BIOCAL, BIOGEOCAL, CALSUB, CHALCAL2, MUSORSTOM 4,5,6, SMIB 1,4, and VOLSMAR. That fauna shows a broad diversity, including 19 genera belonging to 14 families. A new genus (Kanakythyris) and four new species are described (K.pachyrhynchos, Stenosarina globoas, S.lata, Fallax neocaledonensis). Several species are strongly sulcate (Neorhynchia strebeli, Abyssothyris wyvillei, K. pachyrhynchos, Nipponithyris afra), a feature that is usually considered as typical of deep-sea brachiopods. nevertheless, this feature also occurs in New-Caledonian species at lesser depths. Moreover, in several taxa, size differences between populations or species seem to be related to depth. |