Re-evaluation of Graneledone setebos (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) and allocation to the genus Megaleledone

Author(s):  
A.L. Allcock ◽  
F.G. Hochberg ◽  
T.N. Stranks

The holotype of the Antarctic octopodid Graneledone setebos was re-examined and found to lack the epidermal warts characteristic of the genus Graneledone. It is similar in its large size to another Southern Ocean species, Megaleledonesenoi. A comparative study of G. setebos and specimens attributed to M. senoi led us to conclude that M. senoi is a junior synonym of G. setebos. Although M. senoi is not valid, the genus Megaleledone can be separated from other genera by the structure of the radula (which lacks marginal plates) and we therefore consider the genus to be valid. We propose the new combination of Megaleledone setebos and have refigured the beaks and radula of the holotype herein and expanded the description. A search of museum specimens and the literature shows that Megaleledone setebos is more common in Antarctic waters than previously supposed.

Zootaxa ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1866 (1) ◽  
pp. 373 ◽  
Author(s):  
SIMONE N. BRANDÃO

Only a few bairdioid species were reported from the high Antarctic region of the Southern Ocean. One of these species is the supposedly widely distributed Bairdoppilata simplex (Brady, 1880). The re-study of material previously identified as Bairdoppilata simplex (Brady, 1880) indicates that these specimens should be assigned to several different species. On the basis of the specimens studied herein and of published illustrations it is possible to conclude that more than ten species are represented in the material that has been misidentified under this name, seven of these species were re-studied and are illustrated herein. One of them, Bairdoppilata labiata (Müller, 1908), previously considered a junior synonym of B. simplex, is herein considered a valid taxon and its lectotype is designated. Additionally, in the present publication 82 bairdioid live specimens and 585 valves collected from depths of 1123 to 4932m during the ANDEEP Project in the Atlantic Sector of the Southern Ocean were studied. Seven new species are described—?Neonesidea keyseri sp. nov., Bythocypris praerenis sp. nov., Bythocypris malyutinae sp. nov., Bythocypris polarsterni sp. nov., Bythocypris richarddinglei sp. nov., Bythocypris weddellensis sp. nov., Bythopussella brandtae sp. nov. A new combination is suggested to the bathyal species Bythopussella microguttata (Whatley et al., 1998b) n. comb. (previously described in the genus Bairdoppilata). Statistical analyses (MDS, ANOSIM, BEST_BIOENV, and Cluster) show clear relationships among the bairdioid assemblages and the depth and geographical locality where samples were collected.


1998 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.A. Jonkers

Antarctic late Cenozoic pectinid-bearing sedimentary strata are chiefly confined to localities in the northern part of the Antarctic Peninsula, in the McMurdo Sound area, and Marine Plain, East Antarctica. Ages of these deposits range from Oligocene to Holocene. Chlamys-like scallops, which are absent from today's Southern Ocean, thrived in Antarctic waters during both glacial and interglacial episodes, but disappeared during the Late Pliocene. Their extinction is believed to result from the combined effects of increased carbonate solubility, habitat loss and limitations in food availability, associated with major cooling.


Polar Record ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Ruoppolo ◽  
Eric J. Woehler ◽  
Kerri Morgan ◽  
Curtiss J. Clumpner

ABSTRACTThe increasing rate of incidents involving vessels in the Southern Ocean (including vessels sinking) has highlighted the potential for substantial fuel spills into the Antarctic environment. An increasing number of tourist and fishing vessels, often without ice strengthened hulls, are penetrating farther into, and staying longer in, Antarctic waters, with a focus for destinations of wildlife concentrations. Based on a survey of national operators in the Antarctic, there is little preparation for an oil spill event that involves Antarctic wildlife. This is a recipe for a catastrophic spill event, with the potential for high numbers of oiled wildlife in a remote part of the world where there are major logistical constraints on the provision of equipment and skilled response personnel. Here we chronicle shipping incidents that have led to oil spills in the Southern Ocean, the current legislation and contingency plans currently in place by national Antarctic operators, and examine their preparedness and expertise for an oiled wildlife event response. It is clear that national, fishing and tourism operators are manifestly unprepared for an oiled wildlife event in the Southern Ocean. We identify five critical constraints to any response and provide recommendations that address these constraints.


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 20140175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Risch ◽  
Nicholas J. Gales ◽  
Jason Gedamke ◽  
Lars Kindermann ◽  
Douglas P. Nowacek ◽  
...  

For decades, the bio-duck sound has been recorded in the Southern Ocean, but the animal producing it has remained a mystery. Heard mainly during austral winter in the Southern Ocean, this ubiquitous sound has been recorded in Antarctic waters and contemporaneously off the Australian west coast. Here, we present conclusive evidence that the bio-duck sound is produced by Antarctic minke whales ( Balaenoptera bonaerensis ). We analysed data from multi-sensor acoustic recording tags that included intense bio-duck sounds as well as singular downsweeps that have previously been attributed to this species. This finding allows the interpretation of a wealth of long-term acoustic recordings for this previously acoustically concealed species, which will improve our understanding of the distribution, abundance and behaviour of Antarctic minke whales. This is critical information for a species that inhabits a difficult to access sea-ice environment that is changing rapidly in some regions and has been the subject of contentious lethal sampling efforts and ongoing international legal action.


Polar Record ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 21 (132) ◽  
pp. 215-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morton J. Rubin

Following Cook's historic circumnavigation (1772–75) of the globe in Antarctic waters and his reports of great numbers of seals on South Georgia, considerable numbers of commercial sealing expeditions had made new discoveries of islands in the vicinity of the Antarctic Peninsula. However, not until 1819 was another government-sponsored exploring and scientific expedition organized to continue the search for the then still-unknown southern continent. This time the expedition was a Russian one, and in command of the two-ship squadron was Thaddeus Bellingshausen, then a lieutenant in the Black Sea Fleet; previously he had sailed around the world in an expedition under Kruzenstern in 1803–06. He also gained much experience in coastal surveying and charting in the Black Sea. The two ships in the squadron were Vostok (985 tonne, 117 men) under Bellingshausen's command, and Mirnyy (884 tonne, 73 men) under Lt Mikhail Lazarev, who had served for several years in the British Navy. Bellingshausen, in the opinion of some, merits equal consideration as a navigator and seaman with Cook (Debenham, 1945, p xi, xiii; Barratt, 1981, p 202). He, himself, had a high admiration for Cook and drew heavily upon Cook's narratives for guidance in sailing the. Southern Ocean. The aim of the expedition, according to a letter by the Minister of Marine to Bellingshausen, was ‘to carry out a voyage of discovery in the high southern latitudes, and to circumnavigate the ice-belt of the southern Polar Circle.’ (Debenham, 1945, p 6). The two ships sailed from Kronshtadt on 14 July 1819f and returned to that port on 5 August 1821 having achieved the aim of the expedition, spending two summer seasons in Antarctic waters and one season exploring the South Pacific islands. They called at Rio de Janeiro on the outward and homeward sailings.


Author(s):  
Rui Rosa ◽  
Brad A. Seibel

The colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) is the world's largest invertebrate and its large size and some unique morphological characters have fuelled speculation that it is an aggressive top predator in the circum-Antarctic Southern Ocean. Here, we present estimates on the metabolic and energetic demands of this cold-water deep-sea giant. The estimated mass-specific routine metabolic rate for the colossal squid at 1.5°C was 0.036 µmol O2h−1g−1and the projected daily energy consumption (45.1 kcal day−1) was almost constant as a function of depth in the nearly isothermal Antarctic waters. Our findings also indicate the squid shows a slow pace of life linked with very low prey requirements (only 0.03 kg of prey per day). We argue that the colossal squid is not a voracious predator capable of high-speed predator–prey interactions. It is, rather, an ambush or sit-and-float predator that uses the hooks on its arms and tentacles to ensnare prey that unwittingly approach.


Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 93
Author(s):  
Anna J. Olesen ◽  
Anneliese Leithoff ◽  
Andreas Altenburger ◽  
Bernd Krock ◽  
Bánk Beszteri ◽  
...  

The Southern Ocean is one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. It is an area heavily dependent on marine primary production and serving as a feeding ground for numerous seabirds and marine mammals. Therefore, the phytoplankton composition and presence of toxic species are of crucial importance. Fifteen monoclonal strains of Pseudo-nitzschia subcurvata, a diatom species endemic to the Southern Ocean, were established, which were characterized by morphological and molecular data and then analysed for toxin content. The neurotoxins domoic acid and iso-domoic acid C were present in three of the strains, which is a finding that represents the first evidence of these toxins in strains from Antarctic waters. Toxic phytoplankton in Antarctic waters are still largely unexplored, and their effects on the ecosystem are not well understood. Considering P. subcurvata’s prevalence throughout the Southern Ocean, these results highlight the need for further investigations of the harmful properties on the Antarctic phytoplankton community as well as the presence of the toxins in the Antarctic food web, especially in the light of a changing climate.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (1) ◽  
pp. 300266
Author(s):  
Valeria Ruoppolo ◽  
Eric Woehler ◽  
Kerri Morgan ◽  
Curt Clumpner

The increasing rate of vessel incidents in the Southern Ocean (including an ever-increasing number of vessels sinking) has highlighted the potential for substantial fuel spills into the Antarctic environment. The increasing number of tourist and fishing vessels, often without ice strengthened hulls, are penetrating farther into, and staying longer in, Antarctic waters, with a focus for destinations of substantial wildlife concentrations. Based on a questionnaire comprising six questions submitted to 33 national operators in the Antarctic, there is currently little preparation for an oil spill event involving wildlife. This is a recipe for a catastrophic spill event, with the potential for high numbers of oiled wildlife in a remote part of the world where there are major logistical constraints on the provision of equipment and skilled response personnel. We chronicle shipping incidents that have led to oil spills in the Southern Ocean, the existing legislation and contingency plans currently in place by national Antarctic operators, and examine their preparedness and expertise for an oiled wildlife response. It is very clear that national, fishing and tourism operators are manifestly unprepared for an oiled wildlife event in the Southern Ocean. We identify five critical constraints to any response and provide recommendations that address these constraints.


2012 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. L. Zinchenko ◽  
V. P. Gerasimyuk

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