Abundancia y diversidad de los moluscos en el Canal del Beagle

The malacofauna of the Beagle Channel caught by an epibenthic sledge during the Joint Magellan Victor Hensen Campaign in 1994 was investigated. At 11 locations 16 samples were taken on a transect through the Channel. Species of Aplacophora, Polyplacophora, Gastropoda, Scaphopoda and Bivalvia were identified and quantified. Their horizontal and vertical distribution was described and possible reasons due to their feeding mode discussed. The exact number of specimens collected was 35,084 yielding 107,208 molluscs/ 1000 m2.Se estudió la malacofauna del Canal del Beagle capturada por un trineo epibentónico durante la campaña multidisciplinaria magallánica “Victor Hensen”, en el año 1994. Se tomaron 16 muestras en 11 estaciones mediante un transecto a lo largo del Canal. Se identificaron especies de aplacóforos, polyplacóforos, gasterópodos, escafópodos y bivalvos, y se cuantificó su abundancia. Se describe la distribucion horizontal y vertical, justificando esta, en parte, por su modo de alimentación. Se capturaron 35.084 individuos, lo que correspondería a 107.208 moluscos por 1000 m

Moluscos de la región de Magallanes. Lista de especies y su distribución

The Molluscan species collected during the Victor Hensen Joint Magellan Campaign 1994 served as the basis for this species list. The list was then completed by literature data on the distribution of molluscs around the Falkland Islands, the other Scotia Arc Islands, Antarctica and the Kerguelen Islands. 397 Magellan species are known: 10 species of Aplacophora, 250 species of Gastropoda, 6 species of Scaphopoda and 131 species of Bivalvia. Polyplacophora and Cephalopoda are not included because both taxa need revision.La base para esta lista está formada por las especies de moluscos recolectados durante la campaña internacional multidisciplinaria magallánica “Victor Hensen” en el año 1994. La lista se completó con datos de la literatura y estos se compararon con los datos existentes sobre la distribución en las Islas Malvinas, las Islas del Arco de Escocia, Antártida y las Islas Kerguelen. La lista de moluscos de Magallanes se compone de 397 especies: 10 especies de aplacóforos, 250 especies de gasterópodos, 6 especies de escafópodos y 131 especies de bivalvos. Polyplacóforos y cefalópodos no están incorporados en esta lista porque ambos taxones necesitan revisión

Do circum-Antarctic species exist in peracarid Amphipoda? A case study in the genus Epimeria Costa, 1851 (Crustacea, Peracarida, Epimeriidae)

The amphipod genus Epimeria is species rich in the Southern Ocean and at present eight of its 19 species are reported with circum-Antarctic distributions. For the first time, specimens of epimeriid species from the Antarctic Peninsula, the Weddell Sea and the Ross Sea were analysed using partial COI genes sequences and morphological characters. In total 37 specimens of 14 species of Epimeria and two species of Epimeriella were analysed and the resulting molecular topology checked by critically reviewing taxonomic characters. The genus Epimeriella, genetically grouping within Epimeria is synonymised with the genus Epimeria. Sequences distances between populations of the nominal species Epimeria robusta from the Weddell and Ross Sea led to detailed morphological investigations, resulting in the description of Epimeria robustoides sp. n. from the Weddell Sea. Epimeria robusta Barnard, 1930 from the Ross Sea is redescribed. Sequences of a damaged Epimeria specimen of a species new to science from the lower continental shelf of the eastern Weddell Sea were included. Based on the current study, the hypothesis of circum-Antarctic species' distributions in brooding amphipods proved to be unlikely

La biogeografía de Crustacea y Mollusca de las regiones Subantártica y Antártica

The Joint Magellan Victor Hensen Campaign in 1994 focused on the biogeographic relationships of the Antarctic and Magellan fauna. The Peracarida and Mollusca sampled at 18 stations in the Beagle Channel by means of an epibenthic sledge were compared with the knowledge about the distribution of species data from the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Antarctica and the Kerguelen. Peracarida were an important fraction of the macrobenthos and sampled in high numbers. About 105,000 individuals were collected with the epibenthic sledge. Until now about 40 species of Amphipoda, about 42 species of Isopoda, 24 species of Cumacea, eight species of Mysidacea, and 16 species of Tanaidacea were found. 118 mollusc taxa were identified, nine species of Aplacophora, 52 of Gastropoda, five of Scaphopoda and 52 of Bivalvia. Although the species present different distribution trends, the zoogeographic comparison for six larger taxa (four Mollusca and two Peracarida) showed that the species similarities decreased from the Magellan region towards the Falkland Islands and from South Georgia to Antarctica. The Magellanic Gastropoda showed similarities with the fauna of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia (31-37 %), whereas the Bivalvia were more similar to the Antarctic fauna (29 %). With regard to Crustacea, 10% of Antarctic Isopoda species were also found in the Magellan region; the Weddell Sea and East Antarctica, and South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula shared most species of both Cumacea and Isopoda, whereas the lowest similarities were shown between Bellingshausen and Weddell Sea for the Isopoda, and interestingly between the Magellan region and South Georgia for the Cumacea. The highest degree of endemism of the Isopoda and Cumacea was found in the Magellan region, where as a consequence of the opening of the Drake Passage many new species seem to have evolved in these taxa.La campaña multidisciplinar realizada en el año 1994 a bordo del “Victor Hensen”, se enfocó al estudio de las relaciones biogeográficas entre la fauna de la zona magallánica y la Antártida. Se compararon los datos obtenidos a partir del muestreo de peracáridos y moluscos llevado a cabo en 18 estaciones en el Canal del Beagle mediante un patín epibentónico, con los datos existentes sobre la distribución en las Islas Malvinas, Georgia del Sur, Kerguelen y la Antártida. Los peracáridos representaron una fracción importante del macrobentos y se muestrearon en grandes cantidades. Se colectaron alrededor de 105.000 especímenes con el patín epibentónico. Hasta ahora se han encontrado alrededor de 40 especies de anfípodos, cerca de 42 especies de isópodos, 24 especies de cumáceos, 8 especies de misidáceos y 16 especies de tanaidáceos. Se identificaron 118 taxones de moluscos, 9 especies de aplacóforos, 52 especies de gastrópodos, 5 especies de escafópodos y 52 especies de bivalvos. Aunque las especies presentaron patrones de distribución muy diferentes, la comparación zoogeográfica realizada con 6 taxones (4 moluscos y 2 peracáridos) muestra, en el caso de moluscos, que la similaridad entre especies disminuye desde la región magallánica hasta las Islas Malvinas y desde Georgia del Sur hasta la Antártida. Los gasterópodos magallánicos muestran similaridad con la fauna de las Islas Malvinas y Georgia del Sur (31-37 %), mientras que los bivalvos fueron más similares a los pertenecientes a la fauna antártica (29 %). En relación a Crustacea, 10 % de las especies de isópodos antárticos fueron también encontrados en la región magallánica. El Mar de Weddell, la Antártida oriental, Georgia del Sur y la Península Antártica compartieron la mayoría de las especies de cumáceos e isópodos; similitudes más bajas se mostraron entre los isópodos de Bellinghausen y el Mar de Weddell, e interesantemente para los cumáceos entre la región magallánica y Georgia del Sur. El alto grado de endemismo de los isópodos y cumáceos de la región magallánica señalaría a este taxón como un foco de radiación con especies que evolucionaron in situ despues de la apertura del Paso de Drake

By more ways than one: Rapid convergence at hydrothermal vents shown by 3D anatomical reconstruction of Gigantopelta (Mollusca: Neomphalina)

Background Extreme environments prompt the evolution of characteristic adaptations. Yet questions remain about whether radiations in extreme environments originate from a single lineage that masters a key adaptive pathway, or if the same features can arise in parallel through convergence. Species endemic to deep-sea hydrothermal vents must accommodate high temperature and low pH. The most successful vent species share a constrained pathway to successful energy exploitation: hosting symbionts. The vent-endemic gastropod genus Gigantopelta, from the Southern and Indian Oceans, shares unusual features with a co-occurring peltospirid, the ‘scaly-foot gastropod’ Chrysomallon squamiferum. Both are unusually large for the clade and share other adaptive features such as a prominent enlarged trophosome-like oesophageal gland, not found in any other vent molluscs. Results Transmission electron microscopy confirmed endosymbiont bacteria in the oesophageal gland of Gigantopelta, as also seen in Chrysomallon. They are the only known members of their phylum in vent ecosystems hosting internal endosymbionts; other vent molluscs host endosymbionts in or on their gills, or in the mantle cavity. A five-gene phylogenetic reconstruction demonstrated that Gigantopelta and Chrysomallon are not phylogenetically sister-taxa, despite their superficial similarity. Both genera have specialist adaptations to accommodate internalised endosymbionts, but with anatomical differences that indicate separate evolutionary origins. Hosting endosymbionts in an internal organ within the host means that all resources required by the bacteria must be supplied by the animal, rather than directly by the vent fluid. Unlike Chrysomallon, which has an enlarged oesophageal gland throughout post-settlement life, the oesophageal gland in Gigantopelta is proportionally much smaller in juveniles and the animals likely undergo a trophic shift during ontogeny. The circulatory system is hypertrophied in both but the overall size is smaller in Gigantopelta. In contrast with Chrysomallon, Gigantopelta possesses true ganglia and is gonochoristic. Conclusions Key anatomical differences between Gigantopelta and Chrysomallon demonstrate these two genera acquired a similar way of life through independent and convergent adaptive pathways. What appear to be the holobiont’s adaptations to an extreme environment, are driven by optimising bacteria’s access to vent nutrients. By comparing Gigantopelta and Chrysomallon, we show that metazoans are capable of rapidly and repeatedly evolving equivalent anatomical adaptations and close-knit relationships with chemoautotrophic bacteria, achieving the same end-product through parallel evolutionary trajectories

Diversity of macrofaunal Mollusca of the abyssal Vema Fracture Zone and hadal Puerto Rico Trench, tropical North Atlantic

While biodiversity patterns of Atlantic deep-sea bivalves and gastropods have served as model taxa for setting global latitudinal and bathymetric hypotheses, less is known on abyssal, amphi-Atlantic molluscan assemblage compositions. The Vema-TRANSIT expedition sampled 17 stations in the Vema Fracture Zone (VFZ) and the Puerto Rico Trench (PRT) by epibenthic sledge. These samples comprised a total of 1333 specimens and 64 morphospecies of the classes Caudofoveata (7 species), Solenogastres (7 spp.), Bivalvia (22 spp.), Gastropoda (24 spp.), and Scaphopoda (4 spp.) while Cephalopoda, Monoplacophora and Polyplacophora were absent. The majority of species was rare with 21 uniques (32.8% of all species) and 10 duplicates (15.6% of all species) and of these 15 (48% of rare/23.4% of all species) morphospecies were singletons and 8 (25.8% of rare/12.5% of all species) morphospecies were doubletons. Overall bivalves (686 specimens) were most abundant, followed by scaphopods (314 spec.), while solenogastres (180 spec.), caudofoveates (86 spec.) and gastropods (67 spec.) were less abundant. The abyssal macro-molluscan species composition did not vary significantly between the eastern and western Atlantic sides of the VFZ while abundances standardized to 1000 m2 trawled area were higher on the eastern side. The abyssal PRT stations resembled the VFZ ones in species composition and abundances, in the latter the eastern VFZ. The hadal PRT differed in species composition from the abyssal VFZ and PRT and abundances were similarly low like the western VFZ. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge appeared not to be a barrier for the dispersal of the mostly lecitotrophic or plankotrophic larval stages of the reported molluscan species in this study

First Molecular Evidence for Underestimated Biodiversity of Rhachotropis (Crustacea, Amphipoda), with Description of a New Species

The crustacean genus Rhachotropis has a worldwide distribution and amongst the largest bathymetric range known from any amphipod genus. DNA barcoding of new material from around New Zealand and the Ross Sea indicated depth-related biogeographic patterns. New Zealand Rhachotropis do not form a monophyletic clade. Species from bathyal depths on the Chatham Rise, east of New Zealand, show lower sequence divergence to bathyal species from California and the Arctic than to abyssal New Zealand species. Species sampled in the Kermadec Trench, north of New Zealand below 5000 m, seem to be more closely related to Ross Sea abyssal species than to the New Zealand shelf species. The worldwide geographic and bathymetric distribution for all Rhachotropis species is presented here. Depth may have a greater influence on phylogeny than geographic distance. Molecular and morphological investigations of Rhachotropis specimens from the Chatham Rise, New Zealand revealed a species new to science which is described in detail, including scanning electron microscopy. This increases the number of described species of Rhachotropis to 60 worldwide