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http://hdl.handle.net/10553/134417
Title: | “Hidden” biodiversity: a new amphipod genus dominates epifauna in association with a mesophotic black coral forest | Authors: | Navarro Mayoral, Sandra Gouillieux, Benoit Fernandez-Gonzalez, Victoria Tuya Cortés, Fernando José Lecoquierre, Ninon Bramanti, Lorenzo Terrana, Lucas Espino, Fernando Flot, Jean François Haroun Tabraue, Ricardo Jesús Otero Ferrer, Francisco José |
UNESCO Clasification: | 251001 Oceanografía biológica 241705 Biología marina 251006 Procesos del fondo marino 251005 Zoología marina 251004 Botánica marina |
Keywords: | Antipathella wollastoni Epifauna Key to species Marine animal forests Stenothoidae |
Issue Date: | 2024 | Journal: | Coral Reefs | Abstract: | 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. | URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10553/134417 | ISSN: | 0722-4028 | DOI: | 10.1007/s00338-024-02491-y | Source: | Coral Reefs [ISSN 0722-4028], v. 43, n. 3, p. 655–672, (Junio 2024) |
Appears in Collections: | Artículos |
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