A new species of Hormathia (Actiniaria, Hormathiidae) from the eastern Weddell Sea, Antarctica

A new species of sea anemone in the genus Hormathia, is described and illustrated based on fortytwo specimens collected during the Polarstern cruises ANT XV/3 and ANT XVII/3 in the Weddell Sea. The main features of the new taxon are the crown of flattened and hooked tubercles at the distal end of the scapus, the regular arrangement of pointed tubercles along the column and the cnidom. The new species shares the pointed tubercles, at least in the upper part of the scapus, with two other species of Hormathia in the southern hemisphere: Hormathia spinosa Hertwig 1882 and H. pectinata Hertwig 188

Diversity and biogeography of deep-ocean sea anemones (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Actiniaria)

The National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program has provided funding that made this project possible.The College of Biological Science’s Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fund also extended generous support.The Pressey Honors Endowment Grant afforded funding for travel to the Evolution 2008 Meeting to present this research in July 2008.The deep sea and its fauna have been surveyed for over a century, but the ecosystems within had not been explored until the recent advent of maneuverable submersible vessels capable of deep diving. Historically, deep sea animals were blindly collected, poorly preserved, and under-described, leaving modern scientists little information on their attributes or ecology. We wanted to examine the relationship between deep ocean sea anemones and sites of hydrothermal activity. Specifically, we sought to identify taxa as potential vent fauna based on their geographic location, especially those collected without knowledge of their benthic environment. Using modern information on benthic topography and geology, we identify eight confirmed vent species and seven potential vent species from among forty-seven species of sea anemones in the deep Pacific Ocean. All of the confirmed vent species are known from a single vent or vent system, and all belong to different genera. Given this striking degree of endemicity, exploration of the vents and vent systems from which sea anemone diversity is undocumented is likely to be fruitful in terms of the discovery of new species and genera of Actiniaria. Alvinactis reu gen., sp. nov is a sea anemone which exemplifies the wealth of deep-ocean species to be discovered. We describe this novel genus and species from recent collections that targeted the diversity of fauna at the deep sea hydrothermal vents of the eastern North Pacific Ocean. The combination of characters in Alvinactis reu is unique among currently known genera of Mesomyaria; most notable among its external features is a belt of verrucae and cinclides in the distal column. We assess the placement of Alvinactis and evaluate taxonomic features used to distinguish groups within Actinostolidae Carlgren, 1893 and Actinoscyphiidae Stephenson, 1920 with a cladistic analysis of morphological characters. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that Alvinactis and several genera previously ascribed to Actinostolidae belong in Actinoscyphiidae. Morphological evidence fails to support monophyly of Actinostolidae, but does support monophyly of the previously proposed subfamily Actinostolinae.The National Science FoundationAssembling the Tree of Life: CnidariaA three-year embargo was granted for this item

Screening and cDNA Cloning of Kv1 Potassium Channel Toxins in Sea Anemones

When 21 species of sea anemones were screened for Kv1 potassium channel toxins by competitive inhibition of the binding of 125I-α-dendrotoxin to rat synaptosomal membranes, 11 species (two species of Actiniidae, one species of Hormathiidae, five species of Stichodactylidae and three species of Thalassianthidae) were found to be positive. Furthermore, full-length cDNAs encoding type 1 potassium channel toxins from three species of Stichodactylidae and three species of Thalassianthidae were cloned by a combination of RT-PCR, 3′RACE and 5′RACE. The precursors of these six toxins are commonly composed of signal peptide, propart and mature peptide portions. As for the mature peptide (35 amino acid residues), the six toxins share more than 90% sequence identities with one another and with κ1.3-SHTX-She1a (Shk) from Stichodactyla helianthus but only 34–63% identities with the other type 1 potassium channel toxins

Invertebrate communities on historical shipwrecks in the western Atlantic : relation to islands

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2017. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here under a nonexclusive, irrevocable, paid-up, worldwide license granted to WHOI. It is made available for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Marine Ecology Progress Series 566 (2017): 17-29, doi:10.3354/meps12058.Shipwrecks can be considered island-like habitats on the seafloor. We investigated the fauna of eight historical shipwrecks off the east coast of the U.S. to assess whether species distribution patterns on the shipwrecks fit models from classical island theory. Invertebrates on the shipwrecks included both sessile (sponges, anemones, hydroids) and motile (crustaceans, echinoderms) species. Invertebrate communities were significantly different among wrecks. The size and distance between wrecks influenced the biotic communities, much like on terrestrial islands. However, while wreck size influenced species richness (alpha diversity), distance to the nearest wreck influenced community composition (beta diversity). Alpha and beta diversity on the shipwrecks were thus influenced by different abiotic factors. We found no evidence of either nested patterns or non-random co-occurrence of morphotypes, suggesting that the taxa on a given shipwreck were randomly selected from the available taxon pool. Species present on the shipwrecks generally had one of two reproductive modes: most motile or solitary sessile species had long-duration planktotrophic larvae, while most encrusting or colonial sessile species had short-duration lecithotrophic larvae and underwent asexual reproduction by budding as adults. Short-duration larvae may recruit to their natal shipwreck, allowing them to build up dense populations and dominate the wreck surfaces. A high degree of dominance was indeed observed on the wrecks, with up to 80% of the fauna being accounted for by the most common species alone. By comparing the shipwreck communities to known patterns of succession in shallow water, we hypothesize that the shipwrecks are in a stage of mid-succession.This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant No. DGE-0829517. Funding for this project was supplied by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), under contract to CSA Ocean Sciences, Inc. (contract M10PC00100) in partnership with the National Oceanographic 377 Partnership Program

A new species, *Adamsia obvolva* (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Actiniaria), from the Gulf of Mexico, and a discussion of the taxonomy of carcinoecium-forming sea anemones

Asterisks (*...*) surround words or phrases that are to be italicized.*Adamsia obvolva* is a new species of sea anemone (order Actiniaria, family Hormathiidae) from the Gulf of Mexico, symbiotic with the hermit crab *Parapagurus pictus* (Smith, 1883). The pedal disc of the anemone enwraps the gastropod shell in which the hermit crab lives, and secretes a thin, chitinous carcinoecium that lies between the pedal disc ectoderm of the anemone and the gastropod shell. The description of *A. obvolva* n. sp. highlights many of the problems confounding the systematics of actiniarians symbiotic with hermit crabs. *Adamsia obvolva*, which has been misidentified as *Paracalliactis involvens* (McMurrich, 1893), presents a suite of attributes that blur the distinction between the genera *Adamsia* Forbes, 1840, and *Calliactis Verrill*, 1869. We review definitions of these genera and emend *Adamsia* to include only those species that form a carcinoecium and have a lobed pedal disc. To better differentiate between *A. obvolva* and *P. involvens*, we investigate the syntypes of *Adamsia involvens* McMurrich, 1893, which had been transferred to *Paracalliactis*, and of its putative synonym *Urticina consors* Verrill, 1882; we redescribe the species as *Paracalliactis consors* (Verrill, 1882). *Adamsia obvolva* and *P. consors* can be distinguished by tentacle number, the cinclides on the lower column of specimens of *A. obvolva*, and cnidae distribution and size. The taxonomic changes we propose are summarized in a diagnostic key to actiniarian families and genera that live attached to gastropod shells

Overview of the conservation status of Mediterranean anthozoans

The IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM – Regional AssessmentThis report presents the conservation status of the anthozoans occurring in the Mediterranean Sea, based on the assessment of 136 species using the IUCN Red List methodology. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level to guide appropriate conservation actions in order to improve their statusVersión del edito

First record of Calliactis tricolor (Le Sueur, 1817) (Cnidaria, Actiniaria, Hormathiidae) in the Veracruz reef system, southwestern Gulf of Mexico

The sea anemone Calliactis tricolor (Le Sueur, 1817) is an ecologically important member of the benthic community in coastal and coral reefs of the tropical Atlantic, particularly by their propensity to establish mutualistic symbiotic relationships with hermit crabs. This species is presumably distributed throughout the Gulf of Mexico; however, it had never been registered in the southwestern part of the Gulf. Here we document the first record of C. tricolor in two coral reef localities of the Veracruz Reef System, Mexico, and update the number of species of sea anemones known for the region.Fil: Tello Musi, José Luis. Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Facultad de Estudios Superiores de Iztacala; MéxicoFil: González Muñoz, Ricardo Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Acuña, Fabian Horacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Simoes, Nuno. Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Facultad de Ciencias; Méxic

Taxonomy and distribution of sea anemones (Cnidaria: Actiniaria and Corallimorpharia) from deep water of the northeastern Pacific

Sea anemones sensu lato (members of cnidarian orders Actiniaria and Corallimorpharia) occurring in water of the northeastern Pacific Ocean greater than 1,000 m (to the abyssal plain) are poorly known. Based on the literature and specimens we examined in the four largest collections of animals from this area, we estimate that approximately 35 species occur in these deep-water habitats and fewer than half have been documented there. Of the largest and most abundant epibenthic species, based on morphology, we identified two species of Corallimorpharia (both previously known) and 12 of Actiniaria (three new). Half the sea anemone species are widely distributed: Actinauge verrillii McMurrich, 1893, Actinoscyphia groendyki n. sp., Actinostola faeculenta (McMurrich, 1893), Bathyphellia australis Dunn, 1983, Liponema brevicorne (McMurrich, 1893), Metridium farcimen (Brandt, 1835), and Monactis vestita (Gravier, 1918). The others are known only from the northeastern Pacific Ocean: Corallimorphus pilatus Fautin, White, and Pearson, 2002, Corallimorphus denhartogi Fautin, White, and Pearson, 2002, Anthosactis nomados White, Wakefield Pagels, and Fautin, 1999, Bolocera kensmithi n. sp., Paraphelliactis pabista Dunn, 1982, Sagartiogeton californicus (Carlgren, 1940) (for which we designate a neotype), and Sicyonis careyi n. sp. A naturally occurring oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) off Oregon is expanding, and the marine life living within its virtually anoxic areas is threatened. Nine of the species we examined occur within the current depth range of the OMZ and may be threatened if the OMZ continues to strengthen and expand

The taxonomic position of the pelagic 'staurozoan' Tessera gemmaria as a ceriantharian larva

Based on 16 specimens from the Southwestern Atlantic coast (Argentina and Brazil) we reinterpret the taxonomic position of Tessera gemmaria Goy, 1979, a stauromedusa considered as incertae sedis for a long time. Using external morphology histological preparations and molecular data (16S and COI) we conclude that T. gemmaria is an early stage of a cerinula,the long-lived planktonic larval stage of the Ceriantharia (Anthozoa).Tessera gemmaria Goy, 1979, a stauromedusa considered as incertae sedis for a long time. Using external morphology histological preparations and molecular data (16S and COI) we conclude that T. gemmaria is an early stage of a cerinula,the long-lived planktonic larval stage of the Ceriantharia (Anthozoa).Fil: Rodriguez, Carolina Soledad. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata; ArgentinaFil: Marques, Antonio C.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Stampar, Sérgio N.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Morandini, André C.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Christiansen, Ernesto. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones y Desarrollo Pesquero; ArgentinaFil: Genzano, Gabriel Nestor. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Mianzan, Hermes Walter. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones y Desarrollo Pesquero; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata; Argentin

Discards of the Algarve (southern Portugal) crustacean trawl fishery

The crustacean trawl fishery off the Algarve coast (southern Portugal) takes place on the lower continental shelf and upper continental slope at depths between 150 and 600 m. This is a multi-species fishery targeting the shrimps Parapenaeus longirostris and Aristeus antennatus and the Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus, with the latter two species the most important in the landings. The fishery is characterised by significant by-catch and discarding of a large number of species. As part of a study on the fate of trawl fishery discards, this component of the study focused on the quantification of the by-catch and discards of crustacean trawlers. Sampling took place on board seven commercial trawlers from June 1998 to October 1999. Data was collected from 48 tows in 22 fishing trips. The observers collected all of the catch that was discarded by the crew during the sorting operation and samples were taken to the laboratory for identification, weighing and measuring. The quantities of target species were recorded along with the presence of retained by-catch. Commercially valuable species that were retained included Plesiopenaeus edwardsianus, Aristeomorpha foliacea, Plesionika sp., and the fishes Lophius piscatorius and Merluccius merluccius. However, most of the species had no or little commercial value and were almost always discarded to the sea (90%). A total of 91 species were identified, 47 vertebrates and 44 invertebrates corresponding to 65 families. The Teleostei (78% and 68%) were the dominant group, both in number and weight. The species Micromesistius poutassou (34%), Gadiculus argenteus (10%) and Hoplostethus mediterraneus (8%) were the most important in weight. Ten species represented more than 82% of all discards in weight. Gadiculus argenteus (29%), Hoplostethus mediterraneus (21%) and Nezumia sclerorhynchus (10%) accounted for 60% of all discards in numbers. Data on the landed species composition is also presented