Marine benthic community in Shirahama, southwestern Kii Peninsula, central Japan

We herein present the results of a survey which assessed the benthic fauna from subtidal to continental shelf depth in the Shirahama area from 2012 to 2016.Our research resulted in the identification of 132 species from 75 families in seven phyla, Cnidaria, Annelida, Tardigrada, Arthropoda, Mollusca, Echinodermata and Chordata.This includes 24 newly recorded species to Shirahama.Two species were also new records for Japanese waters.Furthermore, six undescribed species and five potentially undescribed species were recorded.We provide a selection of relevant photos for future taxonomic studies and monitoring of environmental changes.