The macro- and megabenthic fauna on the continental shelf of the eastern Amundsen Sea, Antarctica

In 2008 the BIOPEARL II expedition on board of RRS James Clark Ross sailed to the eastern Amundsen Sea Embayment and Pine Island Bay, one of the least studied Antarctic continental shelf regions due to its remoteness and ice cover. A total of 37 Agassiz trawls were deployed at depth transects along the continental and trough slopes. A total of 5,469 specimens, belonging to 32 higher taxonomic groups and more than 270 species, were collected. Species richness per station varied from 1–55. The benthic assemblages were dominated by echinoderms and clearly different to those in the Ross, Scotia and Weddell seas. Here we present the macro- and megafaunal assemblage structure, its species richness and the presence of several undescribed species

Developing priority variables ("ecosystem Essential Ocean Variables" — eEOVs) for observing dynamics and change in Southern Ocean ecosystems

Reliable statements about variability and change in marine ecosystems and their underlying causes are needed to report on their status and to guide management. Here we use the Framework on Ocean Observing (FOO) to begin developing ecosystem Essential Ocean Variables (eEOVs) for the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS). An eEOV is a defined biological or ecological quantity, which is derived from field observations, and which contributes significantly to assessments of Southern Ocean ecosystems. Here, assessments are concerned with estimating status and trends in ecosystem properties, attribution of trends to causes, and predicting future trajectories. eEOVs should be feasible to collect at appropriate spatial and temporal scales and are useful to the extent that they contribute to direct estimation of trends and/or attribution, and/or development of ecological (statistical or simulation) models to support assessments. In this paper we outline the rationale, including establishing a set of criteria, for selecting eEOVs for the SOOS and develop a list of candidate eEOVs for further evaluation. Other than habitat variables, nine types of eEOVs for Southern Ocean taxa are identified within three classes: state (magnitude, genetic/species, size spectrum), predator–prey (diet, foraging range), and autecology (phenology, reproductive rate, individual growth rate, detritus). Most candidates for the suite of Southern Ocean taxa relate to state or diet. Candidate autecological eEOVs have not been developed other than for marine mammals and birds. We consider some of the spatial and temporal issues that will influence the adoption and use of eEOVs in an observing system in the Southern Ocean, noting that existing operations and platforms potentially provide coverage of the four main sectors of the region — the East and West Pacific, Atlantic and Indian. Lastly, we discuss the importance of simulation modelling in helping with the design of the observing system in the long term. Regional boundary: south of 30°S

Benthic megafauna of the western Clarion-Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean

There is a growing interest in the exploitation of deep-sea mineral deposits, particularly on the abyssal seafloor of the central Pacific Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), which is rich in polymetallic nodules. In order to effectively manage potential exploitation activities, a thorough understanding of the biodiversity, community structure, species ranges, connectivity, and ecosystem functions across a range of scales is needed. The benthic megafauna plays an important role in the functioning of deep-sea ecosystems and represents an important component of the biodiversity. While megafaunal surveys using video and still images have provided insight into CCZ biodiversity, the collection of faunal samples is needed to confirm species identifications to accurately estimate species richness and species ranges, but faunal collections are very rarely carried out. Using a Remotely Operated Vehicle, 55 specimens of benthic megafauna were collected from seamounts and abyssal plains in three Areas of Particular Environmental Interest (APEI 1, APEI 4, and APEI 7) at 3100–5100 m depth in the western CCZ. Using both morphological and molecular evidence, 48 different morphotypes belonging to five phyla were found, only nine referrable to known species, and 39 species potentially new to science. This work highlights the need for detailed taxonomic studies incorporating genetic data, not only within the CCZ, but in other bathyal, abyssal, and hadal regions, as representative genetic reference libraries that could facilitate the generation of species inventories

Discometra luberonensis sp. nov. (Crinoidea, Himerometridae), a new feather star from the Late Burdigalian

Most fossil feather stars are known only from the centrodorsal often connected to the radial circlet. This is the case for Discometra rhodanica (Fontannes, 1877), the type species of the genus Discometra, collected from the Late Burdigalian of the Miocene Rhône-Provence basin (southeastern France). The quarries operating in this area have exposed layers from the Late Burdigalian on the northern fl ank of the Lubéron anticline near Ménerbes (basin of Apt, Vaucluse, southeastern France). These layers contain exceptionally well-preserved echinoderms, among which are three specimens of a feather star with cirri and arms still connected to the centrodorsal. They are attributed to a new species: Discometraluberonensis sp. nov. (Himerometridae). The number of arms can reach 60, as in extant species of the genus Himerometra, but the pattern of arm divisions is closer to that of the genus Heterometra, which has no more than 45 arms in extant species. Discometra luberonensis sp. nov. diff ers from D. rhodanica by the characters of its centrodorsal. Here we redescribe the centrodorsal and radial circlets of D. rhodanica based on previously and newly collected specimens. We designate a neotype for D. rhodanica, because the holotype is considered lost. Affi nities between Discometra, Himerometraand Heterometra are discussed

A revision of the genus Conocrinus d'Orbigny, 1850 (Echinodermata, Crinoidea, Rhizocrinidae) and its place among extant and fossil crinoids with a xenomorphic stalk

Roux, Michel, Eléaume, Marc, Améziane, Nadia (2019): A revision of the genus Conocrinus d'Orbigny, 1850 (Echinodermata, Crinoidea, Rhizocrinidae) and its place among extant and fossil crinoids with a xenomorphic stalk. Zootaxa 4560 (1): 51-84, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4560.1.

FIGURE 10 in A revision of the genus Conocrinus d'Orbigny, 1850 (Echinodermata, Crinoidea, Rhizocrinidae) and its place among extant and fossil crinoids with a xenomorphic stalk

FIGURE 10. Origin of characters and taxa closely related to Eocene genera. Bathy: presumed bathycrinids, B.: Bourgueticrinus, C: Conocrinus, Ca: Carstenicrinus, De: Democrinus, Pa: Paraconocrinus, Ps: Pseudoconocrinus, *: B. ex gr. fisheri of Zitt & Vodrazka (2008). B-type 1: without or weak ligament depression, B-type 2: with substantial deepening of ligament area, Be: bourgueticrinid cup with markedly erected inner part if muscular areas, R-syzygy: syzygy of radiate crenularium, Tra-syn: transverse synarthry, xxx: presence of the character, ---: presence presumed but not documented. Green box: plesiomorphic character, grey box: unknown, pale-orange box: Carstenicrinus lineage and related genera

The genus Teliocrinus (Crinoidea, Echinodermata): a key taxon among pentacrinid stalked crinoids.

18 pagesInternational audienceThe main characters of the stalked crinoids of the family Pentacrinitidae attributed to the genus Teliocrinus are re-evaluated from a quantitative study of phenotype variation, new observations on arm and stalk articulations, and observation of ontogenetic trends. All of the specimens collected in the northern Indian Ocean belong to the same species, i.e. Teliocrinus springeri (Clark, 1909). However, two phenotypes living at different depths remain valid as subspecies: Teliocrinus springeri springeri (Clark, 1909) and Teliocrinus springeri liliaceus (Clark, 1909). Teliocrinus shares several ontogenetic trends with Endoxocrinus, especially in nonfunctional brachial articulations and stalk symplexies. Its assignment to the Diplocrininae is confirmed. A discussion of its affinities with pentacrinid fossil genera in which the crown is well preserved suggests that Diplocrininae could have first appeared during the Lower Cretaceous. A shortening of brachitaxes and a paedomorphic trend of stalk symplexies are the main other evolutionary traits. Nonfunctional articulations are frequently found at the paedomorphic pole of the heterochronic gradient, without clear derived characters. Classification of pentacrinids mainly based on such symplesiomorphy or paedomorphic characters must be definitively abandoned. However, in post-Palaeozoic stalked crinoids the scarcity of well-preserved fossils, the high frequency of paedomorphy, and convergent adaptive characters makes phylogenetic reconstruction only based on morphological characters very difficult and speculative

Methods for improving species distribution models in data-poor areas: example of sub-Antarctic benthic species on the Kerguelen Plateau.

16 pagesInternational audienceSpecies distribution models (SDMs) are essential tools to aid conservation biologists in evaluating the combined effects of environmental change and human activities on natural habitats and for the development of relevant conservation plans. However, modeling species distributions over vast and remote regions is often challenging due to poor and heterogeneous data sets, and this raises questions regarding the relevance of the modeling procedures. In recent years, there have been many methodological developments in SDM procedures using virtual species and broad data sets, but few solutions have been proposed to deal with poor or heterogeneous data. In the present work, we address this methodological challenge by studying the performance of different modeling procedures based on 4 real species, using presence-only data compiled from various oceanographic surveys on the Kerguelen Plateau (Southern Ocean). We followed a practical protocol to test for the reliability and performance of the models and to correct for limited and aggregated data, as well as accounting for spatial and temporal sampling biases. Our results show that producing reliable SDMs is feasible as long as the amount and quality of available data allow testing and correcting for these biases. However, we found that SDMs could be corrected for spatial and temporal heterogeneities in only 1 of the 4 species we examined, highlighting the need to consider all potential biases when modeling species distributions. Finally, we show that model reliability and performance also depend on the interaction between the incompleteness of the data and species niches, with the distribution of narrow-niche species being less sensitive to data gaps than species occupying wider niches

Inventory of echinoderms in the Iles Eparses (Europa, Glorieuses, Juan de Nova), Mozambique Channel, France

International audienceThe multidisciplinary programme BioReCIE (Biodiversity, Resources and Conservation of coral reefs at Eparses Is.) inventoried multiple marine animal groups in order to provide information on the coral reef health of the Iles Eparses. All five classes of echinoderms were observed by visual census, photographed and later identified. About 100 species are reported, including a few unidentified ones which require further studies. The Holothuroidea and Ophiuroidea are the most diverse. One new species, the asterinid Aquilonastra chantalae O'Loughlin and McKenzie (2013), was discovered in addition to several new records of echinoderms. The illegal fishery targeting holothurians, which are presently highly valuable resources in this zone, is discussed