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Trachymedusae: Rhopalonematidae! CUIRR-R-93-0 12 C2 S April 1993 PROC. BIOL. SOC. WASH, 106!, 1993, pp. 190-194 VAMPYROCROSSOTA CHILDRESSI, A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF BLACK MEDUSA FROM THE BATHYPELAGIC ZONE OFF CALIFORNIA CNIDARIA: TRACHYMEDUSAE: RHOPALONEMATIDAE! Erik V. Thuesen Abstract, A new genusand speciesof deep-seamedusa, Vampyvocrossota childressi, is described from the eastern North Pacific. It has been found in San Clemente Basin off Baja California, Mexico, and from the waters off Point Conception, California, U.S.A., at depths between 600 and 1475 meters. This genus is allied to the cosmopolitan rhopalonematid genus Crossota, but differs notably in the shapeand position of the gonads,It is the only describedspecies of hydromedusa with black pigmentation. During the course of an ongoing project longitudinally to the eight radial canals in on the physiology and biochemistry of mid- all the specimens observed; exumbrellar water gelatinous organisms off California, a furrows present; with tentacles all of one distinctive black medusa was commonly re- kind. covered in trawls taken deeper than 600 m. Type species. Vampyvocrossota chil- The animals were collected by a 10 m' dressi, new species, Mother Tucker trawl using a specially de- Etymology. From Serbian vampira, a signed 30 1 insulated cod end to protect the nocturnal demon supposed to eat the heart, animals from heat and light as they are blood and soul of its victim, with reference brought to the surface Childress et al. 1978!. to Vampyroteuthis i nfernalis, the black me- Medusae were captured in very good con- sopelagic squid often captured in the same dition, and fragile hydromedusae of the trawls as this animal, and Crossota the families Halicreatidae and Rhopalonema- closely allied rhopalonematid genus. tidae were often brought aboard ship with Relationships. Both Bigelow 913! and tentacles several body heights in length. The Kramp 947! discuss the genus Crossota black medusa is not included in reports of Vanhoffen, 1902 in some detail and are ex- Pacific Ocean hydromedusae Alvarino plicit that the pendant nature of the gonads 1967, Kramp 1968, Segura-Puertas 1984!, is an important characteristic distinguishing and it is not one of the several new species this genus from other related genera. Given of mesopelagic rhopalonematid medusae the importance that this characteristic has currently being described by Mills &, Larson had in conserving the genus Crossota, I have C, E, Mills, pers. comm.!. erected the genus Vampyrocrossota in this paper. This genus is closely related to Cros- Vampyrocrdssota, new genus sota in general appearance,lack of a pedun- ' cle, the large number of tentacles and rib- Figs. 1, 2 bon-like nature of the radial canals. Diagnosis. Rhopalonematidae without Recently, Larson & Harbison 990! es- gastric peduncle; stomach with four oral lips, tablished the new rhopalonernatid genus extending to or just past the velum when Benthocodon which also differs from Cros- empty; with eight tubular gonads attached sota by having gonads attached to the radial VOLUME t06, NUMBER i l9 i canals. They reported that the gonads in B. less active after capture and has a lower met- hyalinus are ribbon-like and run along most abolic rate than many other rhopalonema- of the length of the eight gastric canals with tids which have been captured in the same the most distal portions hanging free. Vam- trawls. These other species include Crossota pyrocrossota is also different from Bentho- alba, C. rufobrunnea, Pantachogon sp., codon in that it lacks a gastric peduncle and Smi nthea eurygaster, and Colobonema seri- has numerous exumbrellar furrows. ceum Thuesen & Childress, unpublished!. Etymology. Named in honor of James J. Childress of the Marine Science Institute, Vampyrocrossota childressi, new species University of California at Santa Barbara Figs, 1, 2 who has devoted a considerable part of his Types. Holotype: a 12 mm tall speci- life to the study of midwater organisms off men USNM 91883! taken from 777 in the California coast and is in part respon- depth on 31 July 1991 off Point Conception sible for the discovery of this medusa. from the RV Point Sur. Paratypes; two spec- Distribution. This animal has been re- imens, 11 mm Paratype A: USNM 91884! covered in trawls from San Clemente Basin, and 6 mm Paratype B: USNM 91885! from off Baja California, Mexico where the bot- 984 m depth, captured on 30 July 1991 off tom depth can be greater than 2000 m to Point Conception, California. All types are northwest of Point Conception, California, deposited in the National Museuin of Nat- U.S.A. where the bottom depth is over 4000 ural History, Smithsonian Institution, m. The shallowest discrete depth tow in Description. This description is based which it has been taken was 600 m and it upon observations of -20 living animals has been taken in discrete depth trawls ranging in size from 6 to 14 mm in height reaching to 1475 m. We have not routinely and up to 475 mg wet weight. Up to 14 mm fished at depths greater than this and it is tall; up to 10 mm in diameter; velum up to not known how deep V. childressi occurs. 3 mm; jelly fairly thin, especially at apex; Although not abundant never more than mesoglea colorless; numerous exumbrellar three specimens in a trawl!, it is routinely furrows; inner surface of bell is black with taken in the above region all four seasons pigment fading out posteriorly towards the of the year, velum particularly in immature animals!; Coloration. The pigmentation of V. velum is black in soine specimens; up to childressi is neither a dark blue nor deep 400 tentacles, all the same kind; tentacles burgundy but is truly black. The color does and radial canals reddish-orange; eight not fade in specimens preserved in 10 /0 for- cream-colored tubular gonads attached one- inalin in filtered seawater after storage in eighth from the top to five-eighths the length the dark for two years. Other bathypelagic of the radial canal; stomach without pedun- organisms including fish, crustaceans and cle, reaching past the velum when extended; molluscs are known to have black pigmen- stomach cream colored with a wide hori- tation Wimpenny 1966, color frontispiece!, zontal black pigmented band located half however no other species of hydromedusa way to the four oral lips. The immature with black pigmentation is recorded in the paratype specimen had a completely orange literature. Kramp 961! describes the gut manubrium when it was collected before of the coronate scyphozoan Nausithoe glo- preservation in formalin. Upon first in- bifera as being black, however the guts of spection with the naked eye, this species other coronates, such as N. rubra, Periphylla looks remarkably like Crossota rufobrunnea periphylla, Atolla wyvillei and A. vanhoef- with black rather than burgundy pigmen- feni, are not black but rather a densely-pig- tation. Vampyrocrossota childressi is much mented deep burgundy in living specimens, I92 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON Fig. 1. Side view of Vampyrocrossota childressi, new genus, new species, holotype, collected from 777 m depth off Point Conception, California. Inner-bell pigmentation and velum pigmentation is black. Bell is 12 mm in height. Anecdotal accounts reporting large nuin- chardi has black endodermal pigmentation bers of a black medusa Semaeostoineae; which is thought to be acquired by feeding Chrysaora sp.?! in the Los Angeles, Cali- on black midwater fishes Totton 1965!. The fornia, area were prevalent during July Au- small size of V. childressi suggests that me- gust of 1989, however the organistn has yet sopelagic fishes are not the source of its black to be described in the scientific literature. pigmentation. Some of the burgundy-col- Other Cnidaria with black pigmentation are ored deep-sea medusae, including Crossota known. The anemone Metridium senile has rufObrurtnea, COntain pOrphyrin piginentS a black endodermal melanin Fox & Pantin Herring 1972, Bonnett et al. 1979!. The 1941!, and the siphonophore Erenna ri- exact nature of the piginent in V, childressi VOLUME 106, NUMBER l l93 Fig. 2. Side view of Vampyrocrossorachildressi, new genus, new species,drawn with inner-bell pigmentation "removed" to reveal the gonads and manubrium. The manubrium can reach past the velum when extended in living individuals, is not known, although spectrophotometric the Research Vessels Point Sur and New analysis of pigment extracted in ethanol re- Horizon for their assistance at sea. Research veals an absorption peak at 479 nm indi- cruises were supported through National cating that it has blue-light absorbing com- Science Foundation grants OCE 85-00237 ponent Thuesen, unpublished data!. to J. J. Childress and OCE 89-22620 to K, L. Smith. I thank C. E. Mills for informative discussion of mesopelagic medusae and for Acknowledgments comments on the manuscript. The figures I am grateful to J. J. Childress, K. L. Sinith were drawn by P. Schalk of Stichting ter and the captains, crews and scientists aboard Bevordering van de Nederlandse Oceano- GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOW 194 F THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON grafie. I was supported in part by a Califor- Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Soci- nia Sea Grant Fellowship through NOAA, ety, Series B 230:415-450. Herring, P.J. 1972. Poiphyrinpigmentationindeep- National Sea Grant College Program, De- sea medusae. Nature 238:276-277. partment of Commerce, under grant num- Kramp, P. L, 1947. Medusa.'. Part III. Trachylina ber NA89AA-D-SG138, project nutnber and scyphozoa.-Danish Ingolf-Expedition Re- USDC EG-10-8B, through the California ports 5;1 66, 6 pls. Sea Grant College, and in part by the Cal- 1961. Synopsisof the medusaeof the world. ifornia State Resources Agency. The U.S. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 40:1-469, Government is authorized to reproduce and 1968.
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