Black coral diversity
Description: Almost completely dead antipatharian black coral (possibly Leiopathes sp.) host to a wide variety of invertebrates, photographed in 604 m, west of Little Bahama Bank from submersible Johnson Sea-Link II, 29 July 2009, during NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research cruise Bioluminescence 2009 (Tamara Frank, HBOI/FAU, principal investigator).
Organisms include numerous Venus’ flytrap anemones (Actinoscyphiidae), two large red brisingid asteroids (Novodinia antillensis), two large gorgonocephalid basketstars (Ophiuroidea); ophiacanthid and asteroschematid ophiuroids; chyrostylid squat lobster (Crustacea: Anomura); scalpelliform barnacles (Cirripedia); colonial anemones (Zoantharia); several unidentified hydroids, and (near far right) a small cusk eel (Teleostei: Ophidiidae). Organisms on the sea floor include primnoid octocorals (Plumarella sp. and possibly Candidella sp.), coiled eunicid polychaete tubes covered with Parazoanthidae, and (left rear) a white sponge (Porifera: Demospongiae: Pachastrellidae).
© Johnsen S, Frank TM, Haddock SHD, Widder EA, Messing CG (2012). J. Exp. Biol. 215, 3335-3343.
Author: Johnsen S, Frank TM, Haddock SHD, Widder EA, Messing CG
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added on 2013-01-10 - 425 views
WoRMS Taxa on this image:
Cirripedia
Hexacorallia
Actinoscyphiidae Stephenson, 1920
Parazoanthidae Delage & Herouard, 1901 - checked by Sinniger, Frederic on 2013-01-12 06:55:29
Leiopathes Haime, 1849 - checked by Molodtsova, Tina on 2013-06-14 08:43:11
Anomura
Ophiuroidea - checked by Stöhr, Sabine on 2013-01-11 17:37:52
Candidella Bayer, 1954
Ophidiidae
Pachastrellidae Carter, 1875
Plumarella Gray, 1870
Novodinia antillensis (A.H.Clark, 1934)
© 2013 Johnsen S, Frank TM, Haddock SHD, Widder EA, Messing CG