Hydrozoan colonization and succession in the tidal and subtidal zones in Surtsey during the period 1967 to 1984

This article reports on results of investigations of hydrozoans collected in Surtsey, Iceland in the period 1967 – 1984. Samples were collected in the intertidal zone and by divers in the subtidal zone down to 40 m. A list and illustrations of hydrozoan species found in the intertidal and subtidal rocky bottom in Surtsey are presented. Species numbers increased steadily during the study period and in 1984 a total of 37 species were recorded in Surtsey making hydrozoans one of the most diverse marine invertebrate groups in Surtsey.  Among hydrozoans found during the study are 8 species not previously recorded in Iceland. Apart from dispersal by planktonic medusa, rafting of polyps on floating objects drifting to Surtsey is thought to be important for colonisation of hydrozoan fauna in Surtsey. At the end of the investigations period, 20 years after formation of rocky shores on the island, number of species seemed to be continually increasing.