Benthic hydroids (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) from bathyal and abyssal depths of the Northeast Atlantic held in the modern Discovery Collections

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4347 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
ÁLVARO L. PEÑA CANTERO ◽  
TAMMY HORTON
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Abyssal Plain ◽  
Generic Level ◽  
Northeast Atlantic ◽  
Porcupine Seabight ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Rockall Trough ◽  
Mid Atlantic Ridge

The deep-sea benthic hydroid fauna remains poorly known, in part because of less frequent sampling than the shelf fauna, in part owing to the immense study area, and partly also because available samples have been little studied by experts. In order to correct this, deep-sea benthic hydroid material from the modern Discovery Collections has been studied. Samples come from localities in the North-East Atlantic including the Porcupine Seabight, Porcupine Abyssal Plain, Rockall Trough, Rockall Bank, and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Sixteen species belonging to 12 families and 16 genera were found. Leptothecata are clearly dominant, being represented by 14 species; the remaining species belong to Anthoathecata. Lafoeidae and Tiarannidae are the most diverse families with three species each; the remaining families being represented by a single species. The low species diversity is remarkable at the generic level, with each genus being represented by a single species. Hydroid occurrence is low: twelve species were found in ≤ 9% of stations; Amphinema biscayana has the highest occurrence (27% of stations). Fifteen species were recorded in the Porcupine Seabight, two in the Rockall Trough, one at Rockall Bank, one on the Porcupine Abyssal Plain, and two at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The known bathymetric range for a third of the species is extended; the increase is particularly noteworthy in Amphinema biscayana, Acryptolaria crassicaulis, Clytia gigantea and Schizotricha profunda. Two distinct bathymetric groups are recognized: strictly deep-sea inhabitants and eurybathic species. Most species are globally distributed, some are widely distributed in the Atlantic, and others are limited to the North Atlantic or the Northeast Atlantic. 

scholarly journals Hadal Mud Dragons: First Insight Into the Diversity of Kinorhyncha From the Atacama Trench

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Grzelak ◽  
Daniela Zeppilli ◽  
Mauricio Shimabukuro ◽  
Martin V. Sørensen
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Single Species ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Abyssal Plain ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Single Individual ◽  
Large Reservoir ◽  
The North ◽  
Insight Into

Deep-sea trenches are one of the last frontiers for deep-sea exploration and represent a large reservoir of undiscovered biodiversity. This applies in particular to organisms belonging to smaller-size classes, such as meiofauna. Among different meiofauna taxa, kinorhynchs represent a large gap in our knowledge about global marine biodiversity in general, but primarily in extreme deep-sea environments. Out of the more than 300 known mud dragon species, only a single species has ever been described from hadal depths (> 6000 m), i.e., Echinoderes ultraabyssalis from the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench. The results presented in this paper are based on material collected during a research expedition in 2018 investigating the Atacama Trench environment. We provide a first overview and comparison of the diversity and abundance of mud dragons in the Atacama Trench, the adjacent abyssal plain and continental slope off Chile. The study revealed six species of Echinoderes. Of these, Echinoderes mamaqucha sp. nov. is described as a new species and morphological data of three undescribed species are given. Because of the low number of available specimens, we provide only a brief description of these three species and comparison with their morphologically closest congeners, but formal descriptions are not given. Moreover, Echinoderes juliae and Echinoderes pterus were also recovered. Echinoderes juliae was described from the abyssal plain off Oregon and along the continental rise off California, at 2702 to 3679 m depth. Echinoderes pterus is known from the high Arctic, the North Atlantic, and the Mediterranean Sea, and has also been reported to show a wide bathymetric distribution, from 675 to 4403 m. Interestingly, E. mamaqucha sp. nov. dominated at the trench stations and it reached its highest abundance at the deepest station, at 8085 m water depth. The only other single individual that was found in the Atacama Trench was Echinoderes sp.1. The remaining four species were all found at the abyssal and slope stations. The obtained results seem to confirm previous hypotheses about geographic isolation of deep-sea trenches and relatively low connectivity with other habitats, reflected by limited diversity of sediment dwelling fauna, particularly in the deepest parts of trenches.

Deep sea benthic bioluminescence at artificial food falls, 1,000–4,800 m depth, in the Porcupine Seabight and Abyssal Plain, North East Atlantic Ocean

2006 ◽  
Vol 150 (6) ◽  
pp. 1053-1060 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. J. V. Gillibrand ◽  
P. Bagley ◽  
A. Jamieson ◽  
P. J. Herring ◽  
J. C. Partridge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Abyssal Plain ◽  
East Atlantic ◽  
Artificial Food ◽  
Porcupine Seabight ◽  
North East ◽  
Food Falls

Monogenean parasites of deep-sea fishes from the Rockall Trough (N.E. Atlantic) including a new species

1987 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 603-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. L. Pascoe
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
East Atlantic ◽  
North West ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Rockall Trough ◽  
Species Lists ◽  
Considerable Work ◽  
A New Species

Considerable work on deep-sea parasite faunas, including monogeneans, has been carried out in the north-west Atlantic (Suydam, 1971; Campbell, Haedrich & Munroe, 1980; Munroe, Campbell & Zwerner 1981; Zubchenko, 1981) and some in the Pacific (Gusev, 1957; Robinson, 1961), but work of this nature in the north-east Atlantic is limited mainly to species lists and descriptions (Gallien, 1937; Rees & Llewellyn, 1941; Brinkmann, 1952). The present paper presents observations on monogenean parasites of fishes from the Rockall Trough area of the north-east Atlantic.

scholarly journals Consistent microplastic ingestion by deep-sea invertebrates over the last four decades (1976–2015), a study from the North East Atlantic

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Winnie Courtene-Jones ◽  
Brian Quinn ◽  
Ciaran Ewins ◽  
Stefan F. Gary ◽  
Bhavani E. Narayanaswamy
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Monitoring Site ◽  
Benthic Species ◽  
East Atlantic ◽  
Term Study ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Rockall Trough

Although evidence suggests the ubiquity of microplastics in the marine environment, our knowledge of its occurrence within remote habitats, such as the deep sea, is scarce. Furthermore, long term investigations of microplastic abundances are even more limited. Here we present a long-term study of the ingestion of microplastics by two deep-sea benthic invertebrates (Ophiomusium lymani and Hymenaster pellucidus) sampled over four decades. Specimens were collected between the years 1976–2015 from a repeat monitoring site >2000 m deep in the Rockall Trough, North East Atlantic. Microplastics were identified at a relatively consistent level throughout and therefore may have been present at this locality prior to 1976. Considering the mass production of plastics began in the 1940s - 50s our data suggest the relatively rapid occurrence of microplastics within the deep sea. Of the individuals examined (n = 153), 45% had ingested microplastics, of which fibres were most prevalent (95%). A total of eight different polymer types were isolated; polyamide and polyester were found in the highest concentrations and in the majority of years, while low-density polystyrene was only identified in 2015. This study provides an assessment of the historic occurrence of microplastics on the deep seafloor and presents a detailed quantification and characterisation of microplastics ingested by benthic species. Furthermore these data advance our knowledge on the long-term fate of microplastic in marine systems.

Distribution of deep-water benthic and bentho–pelagic cephalopods from the north-east Atlantic

2001 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin A. Collins ◽  
Cynthia Yau ◽  
Louise Allcock ◽  
Michael H. Thurston
Keyword(s):  
Deep Water ◽  
Abyssal Plain ◽  
East Atlantic ◽  
Porcupine Seabight ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Putative Species ◽  
Abundance Estimates ◽  
Loligo Forbesi ◽  
Sepiola Atlantica

The distribution of deep-water (150–4850 m) benthic and bentho–pelagic cephalopods in the north-east Atlantic is described, based on 592 specimens collected from commercial and research trawling. Thirty-six different species of cephalopod belonging to 14 families were identified, though problems remain with the taxonomy of some of the octopod genera. At the shallower depths (150–500 m) sepiolids were the most abundant group with five species identified. Sepiola atlantica, Sepietta oweniana and Rondeletiola minor were restricted to the shallow depths (<300 m), but Neorossia caroli (400–1535 m) and Rossia macrosoma (205–515 m) extended into deeper water. The squids Todaropsis eblanae and Loligo forbesi were also common in shallow areas (<250 m). Among the incirrate octopods, Eledone cirrhosa was found at depths of 208–490 m. Three putative species of Benthoctopus and two of Bathypolypus were identified occupying depths of 250–2700 m. Graneledoneverrucosa was caught at depths of 1785–2095 m. Cirrate octopods dominated the cephalopod catch from the deeper areas, with Opisthoteuthis massyae occurring from 877 to 1398 m, O. grimaldii from 2165 to 2287 m, Stauroteuthissyrtensis from 1425 to 3100 m, Cirroteuthismuelleri from 700 to 4854 m, Cirrothauma murrayi from 2430 to 4850 m and Grimpoteuthis (five putative species) from 1775 to 4877 m. Abundance estimates of the more frequently caught species were calculated from swept areas of trawls and sledges in the Porcupine Seabight and on the Porcupine Abyssal Plain.

Ultrastructural characteristics of spermatogenesis in three species of deep-sea hydrothermal vent mytilids

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 308-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel Le Pennec ◽  
Peter G. Beninger
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vent ◽  
The North ◽  
Male Gametes ◽  
Bathymodiolus Thermophilus ◽  
Nutritional Biology ◽  
Protandric Hermaphroditism ◽  
Mid Atlantic Ridge ◽  
Ultrastructural Characteristics ◽  
Species Specific

To enhance our understanding of the reproductive biology of deep-sea hydrothermal vent mytilids, the histology of the male gonad and the ultrastructure of its gametes were studied in Bathymodiolus thermophilus, B. puteoserpentis, and B. elongatus. Specimens of B. thermophilus were collected at the 13°N site on the East Pacific ridge, while B. puteoserpentis were sampled from the Snake Pit site of the mid-Atlantic ridge and B. elongatus were obtained from the North Fiji Basin. Gonad histology conformed to the typical bivalve profile; the differences in the proportions of acinal and interacinal tissue, as well as differences in acinal fullness in B. puteoserpentis, indicate that gametogenesis is discontinuous in these deep-sea mytilids. Evidence of protandric hermaphroditism was observed in B. elongatus, which exhibited acini containing both maturing and residual male gametes and immature oocytes. The ultrastructural characteristics of the male gametes conform to those described for littoral bivalve species, and the spermatozoon is of the primitive type. No species-specific differences in spermatozoon ultrastructure were discerned. No evidence of bacterial inclusions was found in either the gametes or the associated gonad cells in any of the species examined. The male gametes are thus probably not vectors for the endosymbiotic bacteria that characterize the nutritional biology of the adults in this genus.

Deep-Sea Faunal Zonation of Benthos along Beaufort-Bermuda Transect in the North-western Atlantic

1972 ◽  
Vol 73 ◽  
pp. 183-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Y. George ◽  
Robert J. Menzies
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Red Clay ◽  
Generic Level ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
The North ◽  
Shelf Slope ◽  
Abyssal Zone

SynopsisIn this paper the subject of faunal zonation in the ocean floor from the intertidal, and over the continental shelf, slope and rise and to the abyssal plain is examined on the basis of faunal change at the generic and species level. The region investigated over a period of five years aboard R/V Eastward is a Beaufort-Bermuda transect, approximately 75 kilometres wide and 500 kilometres long and bounded between 32° and 36°N latitude and 64° and 79°W longitude. A new method, involving numerical indices reflecting changes in the composition of taxa, endemism and diversity between adjacent depth levels, was developed for defining faunal boundaries. Isotherms and isobaths utilised by earlier authors for characterising deep-sea boundary on a global scale do not coincide with natural faunal boundaries. This study analyses the vertical distribution of 128 species of isopod crustaceans and 28 species of large epibenthic invertebrates. The zonation patterns seem to correspond with correlations in environmental conditions such as currents, topography and sediments.We suggest four major vertical faunal provinces, characterised at the generic level, namely (1) the Intertidal Faunal Province; (2) the Shelf Faunal Province; (3) the Archibenthal Zone of Transition; and (4) the Abyssal Faunal Province and internal zones within these characterised at the species level. The main aspects of interest include the presence of a narrow ‘meso abyssal zone’ with a species maximum, the demonstration of the true transitional nature of the Archibenthal Zone in biotic and abiotic factors and the characteristic low-biomass Red Clay environment showing definite faunal isolation from the continental margin.

Grenadiers of the World Oceans: Biology, Stock Assessment, and Fisheries

2008 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Total Body Length ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Northwest Atlantic ◽  
Northeast Atlantic ◽  
The North ◽  
Mid Atlantic Ridge ◽  
Total Body

<em>Abstract</em>.—Total body length of roundnose grenadier <em>Coryphaenoides rupestris </em>reaches 123 cm at maximum observed age of 30 years. In the Northwest Atlantic, predominating length is 50–70 cm, in the area of Mid-Atlantic Ridge and off Europe, 50–90 cm. Average length at maturity is 76 cm. Main spawning takes place in the Northeast Atlantic in summer-autumn. Mean fecundity is 30,000 eggs. Grenadier occur mainly near the bottom, but somtimes in the pelagic layer. Vertical migrations are very variable. Long distance horizontal migrations of adults have not been recorded. There is no consensus about population structure. In the Northwest Atlantic the greatest catch (83,700 t) was taken in 1971. Since then the fishery declined until it was stopped completely. On the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the maximum catch (29,900 t) was taken in 1973, after which catches decreased. In the last 15 years, in the European waters, catches increased and reached 28,900 t in 2004. In the majority of the areas the stock size is at the low level. In the Northeast Atlantic (including the Mid-Atlantic Ridge) the fishery is regulated by NEAFC by the restriction of fishing effort and closed areas. In the Northwest Atlantic, directed fishery is banned by NAFO. In the North Atlantic, in the whole fishing period, the international catch amounted to about 1,000,000 t.

scholarly journals Two new frog species (Microhylidae: Cophixalus) from the Australian Wet Tropics region, and redescription of Cophixalus ornatus

Zootaxa ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3271 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
CONRAD J. HOSKIN
Keyword(s):  
Single Species ◽  
Biological Species ◽  
Tropical Rainforests ◽  
Genetic Lineages ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Mating Call ◽  
The Family ◽  
Wet Tropics ◽  
Multiple Species

In Australia the frog family Microhylidae is largely restricted to tropical rainforests of the Wet Tropics region in the north-east of the country, but in that region the family is diverse. Only one species, Cophixalus ornatus, is widespread in the WetTropics but there has been suspicion that it may comprise multiple species. A recent study (Hoskin et al. 2011) assessedgenetic and phenotypic variation across the range of C. ornatus, finding three deeply divergent genetic lineages that differin mating call and some aspects of morphology. Two of these lineages abutt in the central Wet Tropics and in that areahybridization was found to be very limited despite sympatry at high densities. Based on multiple lines of data, Hoskin etal. (2011) concluded that the three genetic lineages represent biological species. The taxonomy of these three lineages isresolved here. I describe two new species, Cophixalus australis sp. nov. and Cophixalus hinchinbrookensis sp. nov., andredescribe C. ornatus. The three species are not distinguishable based on any single morphological or call trait and arebest identified by genetics or locality. The distributions of the three species are largely allopatric. Cophixalus ornatus isfound in rainforest in the northern Wet Tropics, C. australis sp. nov. occurs in rainforest and adjacent wet sclerophyllforests in the central and southern Wet Tropics, and C. hinchinbrookensis sp. nov. inhabits rainforest and montane heathon Hinchinbrook Island. All three species are common. Cophixalus australis sp. nov. contains three genetic subgroupsthat are considered a single species based on phenotypic similarity and high levels of hybridization at contact zones. Thedescription of Cophixalus australis sp. nov. and Cophixalus hinchinbrookensis sp. nov. brings the number of Australian Cophixalus species to 18, 15 of which are restricted to the Wet Tropics region.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document