Browse
Submit Data
Databases
API
Help

Dataset Information

0 Views

0 Connections

0 Citations

0 Reanalyses

0 Downloads

Omics score: 0

New taxa and revisionary systematics of alcyonacean octocorals from the Pacific coast of North America (Cnidaria, Anthozoa).

ABSTRACT: A taxonomic assessment of four species of octocorals from the northeastern Pacific Ocean (British Columbia to California) is provided. Included here are a new species of clavulariid stolonifieran Cryptophyton, a new species of the nephtheid soft coral Gersemia, an undetermined species of soft coral in the genus Alcyonium that has been referred in the literature by several other names, and a new genus is named for a plexaurid sea fan originally described in the Indo-Pacific genus Euplexaura. Discussions are included that compare the species to related taxa, or provide revisionary assessments.

SUBMITTER: Williams GC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3677362 | biostudies-other | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

ACCESS DATA

Json Xml

Publications

New taxa and revisionary systematics of alcyonacean octocorals from the Pacific coast of North America (Cnidaria, Anthozoa).

Williams Gary C GC

ZooKeys 20130403 283

A taxonomic assessment of four species of octocorals from the northeastern Pacific Ocean (British Columbia to California) is provided. Included here are a new species of clavulariid stolonifieran Cryptophyton, a new species of the nephtheid soft coral Gersemia, an undetermined species of soft coral in the genus Alcyonium that has been referred in the literature by several other names, and a new genus is named for a plexaurid sea fan originally described in the Indo-Pacific genus Euplexaura. Disc ...[more]

PMID: 23794840

Similar Datasets

A new <i>Muricea</i> species (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Octocorallia) from the eastern tropical Pacific.

Project description:The genus Muricea is considered abundant and widely distributed along the eastern Pacific. Its occurrence in shallow waters has been recognised; however species from deeper than 30 m have been rarely recorded. During the 2005 R/V Urracá expedition along the north and central Pacific coast of Costa Rica several octocoral specimens were collected by bottom trawling from 30 to 150 m yielding new species and new records. Herein we describe a new species of Muricea from deeper than 30 m. The morphological characters of the species were analysed and illustrated by optic and scanning electron microscopy. Muricea subtilissp. n. can be distinguished from the other species in the genus by its thin spiny branches, non-imbricate calyces, white colony and sclerites, and the size and composition of sclerites. Comparative character tables are provided for the closest Muricea species-group. This new species increases the number in the genus to 26, and contributes to the knowledge on the diversity and distribution of mesophotic soft corals in the eastern Pacific.

| S-EPMC5126536 | biostudies-literature

Two new species of gorgonian octocorals from the Tropical Eastern Pacific Biogeographic Region (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Gorgoniidae).

Project description:The gorgoniid Eugorgia is exclusively an eastern Pacific genus. It has a wide geographic and bathymetric range of distribution, found from California to Perú and extends down to 65 m deep. Two new species are herein described. The morphological characters were analyzed and illustrated by light and scanning electron microscopy. Eugorgia beebei sp. n. can be distinguished by its white, ascending, sparse colony growth. Eugorgia mutabilis sp. n. can be distinguished by its white colony that changes color after collection, and the conspicuous sharp-crested disc sclerites. From a morphological point of view the new species are related to the daniana-group, the rubens-group and the siedenburgae-group of Eugorgia; their affiliations, and the proposal of a new group are discussed. These new species increases the number of species in the genus to 15, and contribute to the knowledge of the eastern Pacific octocoral biodiversity.

| S-EPMC3837499 | biostudies-literature

Ice and ocean constraints on early human migrations into North America along the Pacific coast.

Project description:Founding populations of the first Americans likely occupied parts of Beringia during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The timing, pathways, and modes of their southward transit remain unknown, but blockage of the interior route by North American ice sheets between ~26 and 14 cal kyr BP (ka) favors a coastal route during this period. Using models and paleoceanographic data from the North Pacific, we identify climatically favorable intervals when humans could have plausibly traversed the Cordilleran coastal corridor during the terminal Pleistocene. Model simulations suggest that northward coastal currents strengthened during the LGM and at times of enhanced freshwater input, making southward transit by boat more difficult. Repeated Cordilleran glacial-calving events would have further challenged coastal transit on land and at sea. Following these events, ice-free coastal areas opened and seasonal sea ice was present along the Alaskan margin until at least 15 ka. Given evidence for humans south of the ice sheets by 16 ka and possibly earlier, we posit that early people may have taken advantage of winter sea ice that connected islands and coastal refugia. Marine ice-edge habitats offer a rich food supply and traversing coastal sea ice could have mitigated the difficulty of traveling southward in watercraft or on land over glaciers. We identify 24.5 to 22 ka and 16.4 to 14.8 ka as environmentally favorable time periods for coastal migration, when climate conditions provided both winter sea ice and ice-free summer conditions that facilitated year-round marine resource diversity and multiple modes of mobility along the North Pacific coast.

| S-EPMC9963817 | biostudies-literature

Azooxanthellate Scleractinia (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) from South Africa.

Project description:Globally, South Africa ranks in the top five countries regarding marine species richness per unit area. Given the high diversity, it is not surprising that many invertebrate taxa in the region are poorly characterised. The South African azooxanthellate Scleractinia (Anthozoa) is one such taxonomic group, and was last reviewed by Boshoff in 1980. Although more recent regional publications have reported on some species, there has not been a faunistic review that accounts for the country's species diversity since then. Moreover, numerous unidentified specimens representing more than three decades of sampling effort have accumulated. In this study the authors update the state of knowledge of South African azooxanthellate coral species. Specimens, particularly those within the extensive collections of the Iziko South African and Smithsonian museums, were morphologically examined and identified. Other data considered included historic data represented as imagery data, associated species data from recent research surveys, and the scientific literature. To date, the study has increased the total number of known species from 77 to 108 across eleven families, 28 new South African records, and three are new species with one new genus.

| S-EPMC9633978 | biostudies-literature

Low genetic diversity contrasts with high phenotypic variability in heptaploid Spartina densiflora populations invading the Pacific coast of North America.

Project description:Species can respond to environmental pressures through genetic and epigenetic changes and through phenotypic plasticity, but few studies have evaluated the relationships between genetic differentiation and phenotypic plasticity of plant species along changing environmental conditions throughout wide latitudinal ranges. We studied inter- and intrapopulation genetic diversity (using simple sequence repeats and chloroplast DNA sequencing) and inter- and intrapopulation phenotypic variability of 33 plant traits (using field and common-garden measurements) for five populations of the invasive cordgrass Spartina densiflora Brongn. along the Pacific coast of North America from San Francisco Bay to Vancouver Island. Studied populations showed very low genetic diversity, high levels of phenotypic variability when growing in contrasted environments and high intrapopulation phenotypic variability for many plant traits. This intrapopulation phenotypic variability was especially high, irrespective of environmental conditions, for those traits showing also high phenotypic plasticity. Within-population variation represented 84% of the total genetic variation coinciding with certain individual plants keeping consistent responses for three plant traits (chlorophyll b and carotenoid contents, and dead shoot biomass) in the field and in common-garden conditions. These populations have most likely undergone genetic bottleneck since their introduction from South America; multiple introductions are unknown but possible as the population from Vancouver Island was the most recent and one of the most genetically diverse. S. densiflora appears as a species that would not be very affected itself by climate change and sea-level rise as it can disperse, establish, and acclimate to contrasted environments along wide latitudinal ranges.

| S-EPMC5980529 | biostudies-literature

Using traditional ecological knowledge to understand and adapt to climate and biodiversity change on the Pacific coast of North America.

Project description:We investigate the perceptions and impacts of climate change on 11 Indigenous communities in Northern British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. This coastal region constitutes an extremely dynamic and resilient social-ecological system where Indigenous Peoples have been adjusting to changing climate and biodiversity for millennia. The region is a bellwether for biodiversity changes in coastal, forest, and montane environments that link the arctic to more southerly latitudes on the Pacific coast. Ninety-six Elders and resource users were interviewed to record Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and observations regarding weather, landscape, and resource changes, especially as concerns what we term Cultural Keystone Indicator Species (CKIS), which provide a unique lens into the effects of environmental change. Our findings show that Indigenous residents of these communities are aware of significant environmental changes over their lifetimes, and an acceleration in changes over the last 15-20 years, not only in weather patterns, but also in the behaviour, distributions, and availability of important plants and animals. Within a broader ecological and social context of dwelling, we suggest ways this knowledge can assist communities in responding to future environmental changes using a range of place-based adaptation modes.

| S-EPMC6882747 | biostudies-literature

Geographic origin and timing of colonization of the Pacific Coast of North America by the rocky shore gastropod Littorina sitkana.

Project description:The demographic history of a species can have a lasting impact on its contemporary population genetic structure. Northeastern Pacific (NEP) populations of the rocky shore gastropod Littorina sitkana have very little mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence diversity and show no significant population structure despite lacking dispersive planktonic larvae. A contrasting pattern of high mtDNA diversity in the northwestern Pacific (NWP) suggests that L. sitkana may have recently colonized the NEP from the NWP via stepping-stone colonization through the Aleutian-Commander Archipelago (ACA) following the end of the last glacial 20,000 years ago. Here, we use multi-locus sequence data to test that hypothesis using a combination of descriptive statistics and population divergence modeling aimed at resolving the timing and the geographic origin of NEP populations. Our results show that NEP populations share a common ancestor with a population of L. sitkana on the Kamchatka Peninsula ∼46,900 years ago and that NEP populations diverged from each other ∼21,400 years ago. A more recent population divergence between Kamchatka and NEP populations, than between Kamchatka and other populations in the NWP, suggests that the ACA was the most probable dispersal route. Taking into account the confidence intervals for the estimates, we conservatively estimate that L. sitkana arrived in the NEP between 107,400 and 4,100 years ago, a range of dates that is compatible with post-glacial colonization of the NEP. Unlike other congeners that are relatively abundant in the Pleistocene fossil record of the NEP, only one report of L. sitkana exists from the NEP fossil record. Although broadly consistent with the molecular data, the biogeographic significance of these fossils is difficult to evaluate, as the shells cannot be distinguished from the closely-related congener L. subrotundata.

| S-EPMC6836758 | biostudies-literature

Systematics of testudacarine torrent mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia, Torrenticolidae) with descriptions of 13 new species from North America.

Project description:Thirteen new species of North American Testudacarus (Torrenticolidae: Testudacarinae) are described: Testudacarus deceptivus O'Neill & Dowling, sp. n., Testudacarus hitchensi O'Neill & Dowling, sp. n., Testudacarus harrisi O'Neill & Dowling, sp. n., Testudacarus dennetti O'Neill & Dowling, sp. n., Testudacarus dawkinsi O'Neill & Dowling, sp. n., Testudacarus radwellae O'Neill & Dowling, sp. n., Testudacarus kirkwoodae O'Neill & Dowling, sp. n., Testudacarus hyporhynchus O'Neill & Dowling, sp. n., Testudacarus smithi O'Neill & Dowling, sp. n., Testudacarus rollerae O'Neill & Dowling, sp. n., Testudacarus elongatus O'Neill & Dowling, sp. n., Testudacarus rectangulatus O'Neill & Dowling, sp. n., and Testudacarus oblongatus O'Neill & Dowling, sp. n. Testudacarus vulgaris Habeeb, 1954 is resurrected from synonymy with Testudacarus minimus and redescribed. Debsacarus (Habeeb, 1961), Testudacarus americanus Marshall, 1943, and Testudacarus minimus Marshall, 1943 are redescribed. All redescriptions are from original types. Species delimination was accomplished through examination of morphology, biogeography, and molecular phylogenetics of the barcoding region of COI. Other species are addressed and a key to world species is presented. For Testudacarinae, this represents the first published: 1) descriptions from multiple specimens (i.e. intraspecific variation); 2) colored photographs; 3) explicit illustrations and discussion of sexual dimorphism within the subfamily; 4) genetic data. A comprehensive testudacarine reference list is also included.

| S-EPMC4857046 | biostudies-literature

Sea anemone (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Actiniaria) toxins: an overview.

Project description:The Cnidaria phylum includes organisms that are among the most venomous animals. The Anthozoa class includes sea anemones, hard corals, soft corals and sea pens. The composition of cnidarian venoms is not known in detail, but they appear to contain a variety of compounds. Currently around 250 of those compounds have been identified (peptides, proteins, enzymes and proteinase inhibitors) and non-proteinaceous substances (purines, quaternary ammonium compounds, biogenic amines and betaines), but very few genes encoding toxins were described and only a few related protein three-dimensional structures are available. Toxins are used for prey acquisition, but also to deter potential predators (with neurotoxicity and cardiotoxicity effects) and even to fight territorial disputes. Cnidaria toxins have been identified on the nematocysts located on the tentacles, acrorhagi and acontia, and in the mucous coat that covers the animal body. Sea anemone toxins comprise mainly proteins and peptides that are cytolytic or neurotoxic with its potency varying with the structure and site of action and are efficient in targeting different animals, such as insects, crustaceans and vertebrates. Sea anemones toxins include voltage-gated Na⁺ and K⁺ channels toxins, acid-sensing ion channel toxins, Cytolysins, toxins with Kunitz-type protease inhibitors activity and toxins with Phospholipase A2 activity. In this review we assessed the phylogentic relationships of sea anemone toxins, characterized such toxins, the genes encoding them and the toxins three-dimensional structures, further providing a state-of-the-art description of the procedures involved in the isolation and purification of bioactive toxins.

| S-EPMC3447340 | biostudies-literature

Systematics of stalked jellyfishes (Cnidaria: Staurozoa).

Project description:Staurozoan classification is highly subjective, based on phylogeny-free inferences, and suborders, families, and genera are commonly defined by homoplasies. Additionally, many characters used in the taxonomy of the group have ontogenetic and intraspecific variation, and demand new and consistent assessments to establish their correct homologies. Consequently, Staurozoa is in need of a thorough systematic revision. The aim of this study is to propose a comprehensive phylogenetic hypothesis for Staurozoa, providing the first phylogenetic classification for the group. According to our working hypothesis based on a combined set of molecular data (mitochondrial markers COI and 16S, and nuclear markers ITS, 18S, and 28S), the traditional suborders Cleistocarpida (animals with claustrum) and Eleutherocarpida (animals without claustrum) are not monophyletic. Instead, our results show that staurozoans are divided into two groups, herein named Amyostaurida and Myostaurida, which can be distinguished by the absence/presence of interradial longitudinal muscles in the peduncle, respectively. We propose a taxonomic revision at the family and genus levels that preserves the monophyly of taxa. We provide a key for staurozoan genera and discuss the evolution of the main characters used in staurozoan taxonomy.

| S-EPMC4860332 | biostudies-literature

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

OmicsDI is an Elixir interoperability service. Learn more ›

Tweets

OmicsDI Databases

PRIDE
PeptideAtlas
MassIVE
JPOST Repository
Physiome Model Repository

EGA
EVA
ENA
LINCS
PAXDB
Cell Collective

MetaboLights
Metabolomics Workbench
MetabolomeExpress
GNPS
BioModels
FAIRDOMHub

ArrayExpress
dbGaP
ExpressionAtlas
GEO
NODE

Information

Databases
Help
API
Contact us
Code on GitHub
Terms of use
Submit Data