Meiobenthos

Meiobenthos, also called meiofauna, are small benthic invertebrates that live in marine or freshwater environments, or both.

In marine environments there can be thousands of individuals in 10 cubic centimeters of sediment, and counts animals like nematodes, copepods, rotifers, tardigrades and ostracods, but protists like ciliates and foraminifers within the size range of the meiobethos are also often included.

The term meiobenthos was first coined in 1942 by marine biologist Molly Mare, but organisms that fit into the modern meiofauna category have been studied since the 18th century.

They can also be found on hard substrates living on algae, the phytal environment, and sessile animals (barnacles, mussel beds, etc.).

The simplest is a plastic syringe with the end cut off to form a piston corer which can be deployed in the littoral zone, or in the sub-littoral using SCUBA gear.

There are a wide variety of methods for extracting meiofauna from the samples of their habitat depending upon whether live or fixed specimens are required.

For extracting live meiofauna, one has to contend with the large number of species that cling or attach themselves to the substrate when disturbed.