“Hidden” biodiversity: a new amphipod genus dominates epifauna in association with a mesophotic black coral forest - Faculté des Sciences de Sorbonne Université Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Coral Reefs Année : 2024

“Hidden” biodiversity: a new amphipod genus dominates epifauna in association with a mesophotic black coral forest

Fernando Tuya
  • Fonction : Auteur
  • PersonId : 1376615
Ninon Lecoquierre
  • Fonction : Auteur
  • PersonId : 1376616
Lucas Terrana
  • Fonction : Auteur
  • PersonId : 1376617
Jean-François Flot
  • Fonction : Auteur
  • PersonId : 1376618
Ricardo Haroun
  • Fonction : Auteur
  • PersonId : 1376619
Francisco Otero-Ferrer
  • Fonction : Auteur

Résumé

Black corals are important components of mesophotic and deep-water marine habitats. Their presence at great depths (e.g., 50 to 200 m) makes accessibility difficult, limiting our understanding of the associated biodiversity. Amphipods dominate vagile epifauna in marine habitats around the world, fulfilling important ecosystem functions. However, there are no studies on amphipods exclusively associated with black corals, including relationships between their ecological patterns (e.g., abundances) and the size of coral colonies. We investigated the epifaunal composition and abundance associated with black coral colonies of Antipathella wollastoni in the subtropical eastern Atlantic Ocean. In total, 1,736 epifaunal individuals were identified, of which 1,706 (98.27%) were amphipods, belonging to 6 taxa. We identified and described a new amphipod genus and species within the Stenothoidae family, Wollastenothoe minuta gen. nov., sp. nov., which outnumbered the amphipod assemblage (86.15%) and provided a complete taxonomic key of Stenothoidae family including this new finding. For the first time, the association between an amphipod species and a black coral was described, including a strong correlation between coral colony size and amphipod abundances. This study demonstrates that epifauna associated with mesophotic black corals remains largely undescribed.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
s00338-024-02491-y.pdf (2.09 Mo) Télécharger le fichier
Origine : Publication financée par une institution

Dates et versions

hal-04551803 , version 1 (18-04-2024)

Identifiants

Citer

Sandra Navarro-Mayoral, Benoit Gouillieux, Victoria Fernandez-Gonzalez, Fernando Tuya, Ninon Lecoquierre, et al.. “Hidden” biodiversity: a new amphipod genus dominates epifauna in association with a mesophotic black coral forest. Coral Reefs, In press, ⟨10.1007/s00338-024-02491-y⟩. ⟨hal-04551803⟩
0 Consultations
0 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More