Vasopora ceramica n. gen., n. sp.—a new abyssal cyclostome bryozoan from polymetallic nodules in the Russian exploration area, Clarion–Clipperton Fracture Zone, eastern Pacific Ocean

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5047 (4) ◽  
pp. 444-452
Author(s):  
ANDREI V. GRISCHENKO ◽  
DENNIS P. GORDON ◽  
VIACHESLAV P. MELNIK
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Fracture Zone ◽  
Sharp Boundary ◽  
Eastern Pacific Ocean ◽  
Exterior Wall ◽  
Polymetallic Nodules ◽  
Clipperton Fracture Zone ◽  
Distinct Boundary ◽  
Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone ◽  
Exploration Area

A new abyssal cyclostome bryozoan genus and species, Vasopora ceramica n. gen., n. sp., is described from the eastern Russian exploration area of the Clarion–Clipperton Fracture Zone based on newly collected material from Yuzhmorgeologiya GLD4–19 station 421 (13.23408° N, 134.22180° W, 4809 m depth). Generic characters include an erect pedunculate colony with a distinct boundary between column and flared capitulum, short autozooidal peristomes in a single whorl, numerous alveoli, a central unidirectional sac-like gonozooid covered by a surficial network of crossed ridges continuous with adjacent rims of alveoli, a laterally opening ooeciopore, and the entire capitulum surface being minutely densely granular to subspinulate. Whereas the skeletal microstructure of the capitulum surface comprises irregular imbricated crystallites, the column has a planar-spherulitic fabric of acicular crystallites in fan-like arrays, and there are no pseudopores. The sharp boundary between capitulum and column, with their different microstructure separates Vasopora n. gen. from the two existing genera of Alyonushkidae that are found in the same environment. Vasopora n. gen. has a stalk formed of calcified exterior wall, whereas it is interior-walled in Alyonushka and Calyssopora.  

New Hexactinellid Sponge Chaunoplectella megapora sp. nov. (Lyssacinosida: Leucopsacidae) from Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone, Eastern Pacific Ocean

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4375 (1) ◽  
pp. 136
Author(s):  
CHUNSHENG WANG ◽  
YUAN ZHANG ◽  
BO LU ◽  
DEXIANG WANG
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Fracture Zone ◽  
First Record ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Eastern Pacific Ocean ◽  
Hexactinellid Sponge ◽  
Clipperton Fracture Zone ◽  
Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone ◽  
A New Species

The new Hexactinellid sponge Chaunoplectella megapora sp. nov. reported in this study was collected from the COMRA contract area, the western part of Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCFZ) in the eastern Pacific Ocean at a depth of 5258 m. This sponge’s extraordinary multiporous body with the presence of unique codonhexasters, sigmatocomes, toothed discohexasters and hemidiscohexasters, as well as stellate disocohexasters, characterizes it as a new species in the genus Chaunoplectella. This report presents the first record of family Leucopsacidae at this site in the eastern Pacific Ocean. 

Bryozoa (Cyclostomata and Ctenostomata) from polymetallic nodules in the Russian exploration area, Clarion–Clipperton Fracture Zone, eastern Pacific Ocean—taxon novelty and implications of mining

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4484 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANDREI V. GRISCHENKO ◽  
DENNIS P. GORDON ◽  
VIACHESLAV P. MELNIK
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Fracture Zone ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Additional Species ◽  
Polymetallic Nodules ◽  
Clipperton Fracture Zone ◽  
Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone ◽  
Taxonomic Novelty ◽  
Exploration Area

This work describes Bryozoa of the orders Cyclostomata and Ctenostomata found associated with polymetallic nodules collected by box-coring in the eastern part of the Russian exploration area of the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCFZ) under contract to Yuzhmorgeologiya. Scanning electron microscopic study of 358 cyclostome colonies and 14 ctenostome colonies from 4510–5280 m depth has resulted in the recognition of two new species of Ctenostomata, and 14 new species, nine new genera and two new families of Cyclostomata; three additional species of Cyclostomata are left in open nomenclature pending the discovery of missing reproductive characters. The taxonomic novelty is thus notable. One of the new Ctenostomata represents the first living example of the previously monotypic Late Cretaceous genus Pierrella. Twelve of the new cyclostome taxa have well-developed gonozooids, indicating that embryonic cloning (polyembryony) is normal in this deep-sea environment. On the other hand, one indeterminate tubuliporine and two rectangulates have dimorphic peristomes. In the latter two cases, enough mature colonies were found to suggest that this feature is normal, and that the dimorphic zooids are possibly female—in other words, capacious incubation chambers are apparently lacking, and therefore polyembryony would also be lacking or reduced. In one of these species, evidence is presented to suggest that the ancestrular zooid can reproduce precociously. Of the species reported here, only one has previously been found outside the exploration area, highlighting both the limited knowledge we have of bryozoans in the deep Pacific and/or a fauna that is largely endemic to the nodule environment. An additional 31 species of Cheilostomata have also been discovered that will be described in a subsequent publication. Most bryozoans are macrofaunal-sized, so are both inadequately determinable and overlooked in images obtained by remotely operated vehicles; yet, with 50 species, Bryozoa is the most speciose sessile macrofaunal phylum on the nodules. Nodules constitute hard substrata in an area otherwise mostly inhospitable for Bryozoa, hence mining would lead to loss of critical habitat. Further, as suspension-feeders, bryozoans are highly susceptible to smothering by suspended sediment, and non-mined areas closely adjacent to extraction zones would likely also be affected and their associated bryozoan fauna obliterated. More data are required on the distribution of the CCFZ bryozoan species elsewhere in the east Central Pacific to determine if mining would lead to local taxon extirpation or global extinction at both low and high taxonomic levels. 

Description of two new species of munnopsid isopods (Crustacea: Isopoda: Asellota) from manganese nodules area of the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone, Pacific Ocean

Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2783 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARINA V. MALYUTINA
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Fracture Zone ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Manganese Nodules ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Clipperton Fracture Zone ◽  
Two New Species ◽  
The Pacific Ocean ◽  
Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone

Two new species of deep sea asellotes of the family Munnopsidae, Rectisura slavai sp. nov. and Storthyngura yuzhmorgeo sp. nov. are described from the manganese nodules area in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone of the Pacific Ocean. The discovery of these new species allowed re-examination of the taxonomic position of two similar species, Storthyngura ? intermedia (Beddard, 1885) from the Northeastern Basin of the Pacific Ocean and Ilyarachna defecta Menzies & George, 1972 from the Peru-Chile Trench, eastern Pacific Ocean. The species are moved to the genera Rectisura Malyutina, 2003 and Storthyngura Vanhöffen, 1914, respectively. Additional composition and distribution of the species of the genera are presented.

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