A new species of Polymastia (Porifera, Hadromerida, Polymastiidae) from the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA

Polymastia fluegeli n. sp. is described from deep water off the Aleutian Islands (Alaska, USA). P. fluegeli is disc-shaped and lives partly buried in the sediment, with only the papillae protruding above the surface. This new species has a basal layer of agglutinated sediment particles occurring between the choanosome and the ectosomal lower layer. This conspicuous sediment layer is not described for other species of Polymastia. Occurring spicule types and sizes are different from known species of the area.     

CHLOROPLAST-DNA VARIATION IN TELLIMA GRANDIFLORA (SAXIFRAGACEAE)

Tellima grandiflora, a herbaceous, diploid (2n = 14) perennial, is distributed from the peninsula and panhandle of Alaska to central California. Restriction site variation of chloroplast DNA was surveyed in 51 populations representing the geographic range of T. grandiflora using 20 endonucleases. Two well-differentiated clades of populations differing by 19 restriction site mutations and several length mutations are geographically structured. A northern group comprises populations from Alaska to central Oregon; populations from central Oregon to San Francisco, California, form a southern group. The southern lineage of the monotypic Tellima appears to have obtained its chloroplast genome via ancient hybridization with a species of Mitella. Although northern and southern lineages have well-differentiated chloroplast genomes, populations of T. grandiflora show a high degree of genetic similarity of nuclear-encoded allozymes; furthermore, no apparent morphological differences characterize the lineages. Significantly, several populations of T. grandiflora that possess the typical southern chloroplast genome also occur disjunctly on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, and the Olympic Peninsula, Washington. Because both areas are proposed glacial refugia, we suggest that past glaciation may have created discontinuities in the geographic distribution of T. grandiflora. Following glaciation, migration of once-isolated populations possessing different chloroplast genomes resulted in the formation of a continuous geographic distribution with a major organellar discontinuity. Additional support for this hypothesis is provided by the presence of well-differentiated northern and southern chloroplast DNA lineages in Tolmiea menziesii, a species having a geographic distribution and life history traits similar to those of Tellima.     

Geographic structuring of chloroplast DNA genotypes inTiarella trifoliata (Saxifragaceae)

Tiarella trifoliata comprises varietieslaciniata, trifoliata, andunifoliata, and is distributed from southeastern Alaska to northern California. We analyzed restriction site variation of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) using 23 endonucleases in 76 populations representing the entire geographic range of the species and the three recognized varieties. We also employed comparative restriction site mapping of PCR-amplified chloroplast DNA fragments using 16 restriction endonucleases. This species exhibits low cpDNA restriction site variation. No differentiation is evident among varieties of this species based on cpDNA data; some plants of each variety were characterized by each of the two major cpDNA types detected. The two major cpDNA clades, which differ by only a single restriction site mutation, are geographically structured. A northern clade comprises populations from Alaska to central Oregon; most populations analyzed from southern Oregon and California form a southern clade. Populations that possess the typical northern cpDNA type also occur disjunctly to the south at high elevations in the Siskiyou—Klamath Mountain area of southern Oregon and northern California. Conversely, the southern cpDNA type is found disjunctly to the north in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. Both geographic areas characterized by disjunct cytoplasms are considered glacial refugia.Tiarella trifoliata joins two other species,Tolmiea menziesii andTellima grandiflora, in having well-demarcated northern and southern cpDNA lineages. All three species have similar life-history traits and geographic distributions. We suggest that glaciation may have played a major role in the formation of the cpDNA discontinuities present in these three taxa. The pronounced relationship between cpDNA variation and geographic distribution suggests the potential applicability of intraspecific phylogeography to plants via the analysis of intraspecific cpDNA variation. These three examples also join a rapidly growing data base which indicates that cytoplasms are often geographically structured within species and species complexes.     

Genetic diversity,endemism and phylogeny of lampreys within the genus Lampetra sensu stricto (Petromyzontiformes: Petromyzontidae) in western North America

Phylogenetic structure of four Lampetra species from the Pacific drainage of North America (western brook lamprey Lampetra richardsoni, Pacific brook lamprey Lampetra pacifica, river lamprey Lampetra ayresii and Kern brook lamprey Lampetra hubbsi) and unidentified Lampetra specimens (referred to as Lampetra sp.) from 36 locations was estimated using the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Maximum parsimony and Bayesian inferences did not correspond with any taxonomic scheme proposed to date. Rather, although L. richardsoni (from Alaska to California) and L. ayresii (from British Columbia to California) together constituted a well‐supported clade distinct from several genetically divergent Lampetra populations in Oregon and California, these two species were not reciprocally monophyletic. The genetically divergent populations included L. pacifica (from the Columbia River basin) and L. hubbsi (from the Kern River basin) and four Lampetra sp. populations in Oregon (Siuslaw River and Fourmile Creek) and California (Kelsey and Mark West Creeks). These four Lampetra sp. populations showed genetic divergence between 2·3 and 5·7% from any known species (and up to 8·0% from each other), and may represent morphologically cryptic and thus previously undescribed species. A fifth population (from Paynes Creek, California) may represent a range extension of L. hubbsi into the Upper Sacramento River.     

Six new deep-water sternaspid species (Annelida,Sternaspidae) from the Pacific Ocean

Most sternaspid species have been described from shallow water, and Caulleryaspis Sendall & Salazar-Vallejo, 2013 includes one deep water species: C. gudmundssoni Sendall & Salazar-Vallejo, 2013 from Iceland. In Sternaspis Otto, 1821, the most speciose genus, most species were described from shallow water and only three thrive in deep water: S. maior Chamberlin, 1919 from the Gulf of California, S. princeps Selenka, 1885 from New Zealand, and S. riestchi Caullery, 1944 from Indonesia. The study of some deep sea sternaspids from the Pacific Ocean in the collections of six research institutions resulted in the discovery of six undescribed species, and for three of them there were abundant materials showing ventro-caudal shield development. Caulleryaspis fauchaldi sp. n. is described based on specimens from Oregon and California; it differs from the known species because it has a shield with rounded anterior margins and its peg chaetae form thin, small spines. Caulleryaspis nuda sp. n. was collected off Oregon; it is unique because its shield lacks a layer of sediment particles firmly attached, but has instead a thin layer of small particles loosely attached. Four other species are newly described in Sternaspis: S. annenkovae sp. n. was collected east off the northern Kurile Islands in about 4,000 m depth; it differs from other species by having a bicolored body, with the introvert darker than the abdomen, and its ventro-caudal shield plates are divergent resulting in a divided fan. The second species, S. maureri sp. n. was found off Peru in 1296–6489 m water depths and in the Southwestern Pacific in 795–3830 m; it resembles S. williamsae sp. n. but differs because its shield has better-developed ribs, the fan has a shallow or indistinct median notch and has lateral notches well-developed. The third species, S. uschakovi sp. n., was found in the Okhotsk Sea in 592–1366 m, off California in 1585 m, Gulf of California in 1200–1274 m, and Western Mexico in 2548 m; it resembles S. africana Augener, 1918 and S. andamanensis Sendall & Salazar-Vallejo, 2013 in having shields with a denticulate posterior margin; the latter two species live in shallow water and they differ from each other and from the new species by a combination of shield and papillae features. The fourth species, S. williamsae sp. n., was found off Oregon in 1000–2400 m, and off California in 878–1246 m; it resembles S. annenkovae because both species have shields with fans narrower than the anterior margin width, but differ in the relative development of shield features and in the relative size of prostomium and mouth; as stated above it also resembles S. maureri sp. n. but its shield has poorly-developed ribs, its median notch is distinct, and the lateral notches are poorly developed or indistinct. Keys to identify all species of Caulleryaspis and Sternaspis are also included.     

DISCORDANT DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATIONS AND GENETIC VARIATION IN A SEA STAR WITH HIGH DISPERSAL POTENTIAL

Patiria miniata, a broadcast‐spawning sea star species with high dispersal potential, has a geographic range in the intertidal zone of the northeast Pacific Ocean from Alaska to California that is characterized by a large range gap in Washington and Oregon. We analyzed spatial genetic variation across the P. miniata range using multilocus sequence data (mtDNA, nuclear introns) and multilocus genotype data (microsatellites). We found a strong phylogeographic break at Queen Charlotte Sound in British Columbia that was not in the location predicted by the geographical distribution of the populations. However, this population genetic discontinuity does correspond to previously described phylogeographic breaks in other species. Northern populations from Alaska and Haida Gwaii were strongly differentiated from all southern populations from Vancouver Island and California. Populations from Vancouver Island and California were undifferentiated with evidence of high gene flow or very recent separation across the range disjunction between them. The surprising and discordant spatial distribution of populations and alleles suggests that historical vicariance (possibly caused by glaciations) and contemporary dispersal barriers (possibly caused by oceanographic conditions) both shape population genetic structure in this species.     

Water balance of conifer logs in early stages of decomposition

Seasonal and long-term changes in the water balance of conifer logs during the first 8 years of decomposition were studied in an old-growth Pseudotsuga/Tsuga forest in the Oregon Cascade Mountains. Measurements were made of the moisture content of outer bark, inner bark, sapwood, and heartwood and of the flow of water into and out of logs of four species (Abies amabilis, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Thuja plicata, and Tsuga heterophylla). After the logs had decomposed from 1 to 2 years, 38–47% of the canopy throughfall landing upon them ran off the surface, 29–34% leached from the bottom, and 21–30% was absorbed and evaporated. After 8 years of decomposition, water entering and then leaching from logs increased 1.3 times while runoff decreased a similar amount. The proportion of water stored by and evaporated from logs in this study indicates that in old growth forests they may intercept 2–5% of the canopy throughfall to the forest floor and that, even in early stages of decomposition, they may affect the hydrological cycle of Pacific Northwest old-growth forests.This is paper 2945 of the Forest Research Laboratory, Oregon State University, Corvallis     

Crucisoma bernardi n.g., n.sp. (Crustacea: Copepoda) parasitic in a deep-sea mollusc Cuspidaria filatovae Bernard, 1979 (Bivalvia: Anomalodesmata)

Summary Crucisoma bernardi, a copepod parasitizing a deepsea mollusc, Cuspidaria filatovae (Bivalvia: Anomalodesmata) off the coast of Oregon, is described and illustrated. A definitely poecilostomatoid copepod, belonging to a new genus, this species is treated by the author as incertae sedis, although there are many reasons why it should provide grounds for the erection of a new family. ac]19810127     

Out of Alaska: morphological diversity within the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eurytemora</Emphasis> from its ancestral Alaskan range (Crustacea,Copepoda)

The copepod genus Eurytemora occupies a wide range of habitat types throughout the Northern Hemisphere, with among the broadest salinity ranges of any known copepod. The epicenter of diversity for this genus lies along coastal Alaska, where several species are endemic. Systematic analysis has been difficult, however, because of a tendency toward morphological stasis in this genus, despite large genetic divergences among populations and species. The goals of this study were to (1) analyze patterns of morphological variation and divergence within this genus, focusing on Eurytemora species that occur in North America, and (2) determine patterns of geographic and salinity distribution of Eurytemora species within the ancestral range in Alaska. We applied a comparative multivariate morphological analysis using 16–26 characters from 125 specimens from 20 newly collected sites in Alaska and 15 existing samples predominantly from North America. Results from principal component and hierarchical cluster analyses identified seven distinct morphological species of Eurytemora in North America (E. affinis, E. americana, E. canadensis, E. composita, E. herdmani, E. pacifica, and E. raboti), and identified diagnostic characters that distinguish the species (forming the basis for a new identification key). Several previously named species were regarded as synonyms. The sites we sampled in Alaska were remarkable in the high levels of sympatry of Eurytemora species, to a degree not seen outside of Alaska. Future studies of Eurytemora should shed light on patterns of habitat invasions and physiological evolution within the genus, and yield insights into mechanisms leading to its remarkably broad geographic and habitat range.     

The peculiar nemertean larva pilidium recurvatum belongs to Riserius sp., a basal heteronemertean that eats Carcinonemertes errans,a hoplonemertean parasite of Dungeness crab

A typical nemertean pilidium larva resembles a hat with ear flaps. But one type, called pilidium recurvatum, looks more like a sock, swimming heel first. This distinctive larva was discovered in 1883 off the coast of Rhode Island and subsequently found in plankton samples from other parts of the world. Despite the long time since discovery, and its significance in discussions of larval evolution, this larva remained unidentified even to the family level. We collected pilidium recurvatum larvae from plankton samples in Coos Bay, OR, and identified them as belonging to the heteronemertean genus Riserius based on juvenile morphology and DNA sequence data. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that two distinct types of pilidium recurvatum from Oregon represent two new species within this currently monotypic genus. We describe the morphology of pilidium recurvatum using confocal microscopy and compare it to that of the typical pilidium, discussing possible implications for larval feeding. We also report our surprising discovery that juveniles of Riserius sp. from Oregon prey on another nemertean, Carcinonemertes errans, an egg predator of Cancer magister (Dungeness crab), a commercially important species. We speculate that the species‐level diversity and geographic distribution of Riserius may be much greater than currently appreciated.     

Ben Franklin temperate reef and deep sea `Agassiz Coral Hills' in the Blake Plateau off North Carolina

This paper deals with two deep water coral ecosystems off the North Carolina coast, both under the depositional, erosional, and biological influence of the Gulf Stream and its eddies and episodic upwelling processes. The first coral community, Ben Franklin temperate reef, is located at 20 meters in Onslow Bay and is characterized by the ahermatypic coral Oculina arbuscula Verrill and unusually high abundance of the small predatory isopod Eurydice bowmani George and Longerbeam. The deep sea coral community, Agassiz Coral Hills, is located over the Blake Plateau at 650 meters, dominated by the fossilized, dead and living coral Bathypsammia tintinnabulum, with rare occurrence of the deep sea solitary coral Flabellum goodei. The deep sea coral sites were sampled with an otter trawl, outfitted with `Benthos' flotation spheres. The results suggest that the fish and shrimp fauna exhibits high species richness in the Agassiz Coral Hills off North Carolina in comparison with a control site over the Blake Plateau off Florida. Species richness may be linked to episodic upwelling events along the Gulf Stream meanders. The fish fauna in the Agassiz Coral Hills includes the following two commercially important deep sea fish species: the wreck fish Polyprion americanus and the eel Synaphobranchus koupi. The Ben Franklin reef and the Agassiz Coral Hills are recommended as Marine Protected Areas.     

Description of Caurinus tlagu,new species,from Prince of Wales Island,Alaska (Mecoptera,Boreidae, Caurininae)

A new species of the cryptic, minute, wingless, and enigmatic taxon Caurinus, and the second for the subfamily Caurininae,is described from Prince of Wales Island in the Alexander Archipelago, Alaska. It is distinguished from its only congener, Caurinus dectes Russell, 1979b, which occurs 1,059 km southeast in Oregon and Washington, based on external morphology and sequences of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase II. These two species are probably evolutionary relicts – the only known members of a clade dating to the Late Jurassic or older.     

MARIPELTA ATLANTICA SP. NOV. (RHODOPHYTA,RHODYMENIALES) A NEW DEEP-WATER ALGA FROM FLORIDA1

A red alga with a cylindrical stipe bearing a single deciduous blade was collected in deep water off the east coast of Florida. It is described as Maripelta atlantica sp. nov., differing from M. rotata (Dawson) Dawson (the type of the genus, from deep water off California and Baja California) chiefly by having an annular tetrasporangial nemathecium on the lower surface of the blade rather than scattered nemathecia on the upper surface. Both species are vegetatively and reproductively distinct from M. thivyae Dawson, which is transferred to Halichrysis. New information is given regarding the reproduction and distribution of M. rotata.     

Phytophthora species in forest streams in Oregon and Alaska

Eighteen Phytophthora species and one species of Halophytophthora were identified in 113 forest streams in Alaska, western Oregon and southwestern Oregon that were sampled by baiting or filtration of stream water with isolation on selective media. Species were identified by morphology and DNA characterization with single strand conformational polymorphism, COX spacer sequence and ITS sequence. ITS Clade 6 species were most abundant overall, but only four species, P. gonapodyides (37% of all isolates), P. taxon Salixsoil, P. taxon Oaksoil and P. pseudosyringae, were found in all three regions. The species assemblages were similar in the two Oregon regions, but P. taxon Pgchlamydo was absent in Alaska and one new species present in Alaska was absent in Oregon streams. The number of Phytophthora propagules in Oregon streams varied by season and in SW Oregon, where sampling continued year round, P. taxon Salixsoil, P. nemorosa and P. siskiyouensis were recovered only in some seasons.     

An unusual bloom of the dinoflagellate Akashiwo sanguinea off the central Oregon, USA, coast in autumn 2009

An algal bloom caused by the dinoflagellate Akashiwo sanguinea was observed in October–November 2009 along the central Oregon coast (44.6°N), off Newport, Oregon, U.S.A. In this paper, the conditions are described which led to the development and demise of this bloom. The bloom was observed for 1 month from 5-October until 4-November with the peak of abundance on 19-October (347,615 cells L⁻¹). The A. sanguinea bloom followed September blooms of the diatoms Pseudo-nitzschia spp, Chaetoceros debilis, and the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum gracile. The bloom occurred when nitrate and silicate concentrations were <2 μM and <8 μM, respectively, and when the water column was stratified. This A. sanguinea dinoflagellate bloom event was closely related to the anomalous upwelling conditions in 2009: upwelling ceased early, at the end of August, whereas a normal upwelling continues into early October. This relaxation extended to near the end of September as a prolonged downwelling event, but then active upwelling reappeared in October and November. The explanation for the occurrence of the A. sanguinea bloom in October may be related to a combination of a prior diatom bloom, a stratified water column with low nutrient concentration in September, and an active upwelling event in October. As for the ultimate source of the cells, the hypothesis is that the seed stock for the A sanguinea bloom off Oregon was southward transport of cells from the Washington coast where a massive bloom of A. sanguinea was first observed in September 2009.     

Assemblages of sea stars (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) and brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) in the Weddell Sea (Antarctica) and off Northeast Greenland (Arctic): a comparison of diversity and abundance

Composition and distribution of asteroid and ophiuroid assemblages were investigated by means of Agassiz trawl catches at 34 stations in 220- to 1,200-m depth in the Weddell Sea and at 17 stations in 90- and 830-m depth off Northeast Greenland. A total of 86 species (48 sea stars, 38 brittle stars) were identified in the Weddell Sea whereas off Northeast Greenland a total of 26 species (16 sea stars, 10 brittle stars) were recorded. In both study areas, brittle stars were numerically more important than sea stars, and abundances generally decreased with water depths. Multivariate analyses revealed a conspicuous depth zonation of sea and brittle stars off Greenland. Very high abundances of Ophiocten sericeum and Ophiura robusta characterized the assemblages on shallow shelf banks whereas in greater depths Ophiopleura borealis, Ophioscolex glacialis and Ophiacantha bidentata became dominant, albeit at significantly lower densities. Mass occurrences of brittle stars, such as those recorded on Greenlandic shelf banks, have not been discovered in the Weddell Sea, where distinct assemblages were discriminated in deep shelf trenches as well as on the eastern and southern shelf. Ophioplocus incipiens, Ophiurolepis martensi and Ophiurolepis brevirima were the most prominent species on the eastern shelf. Ophiacantha antarctica, Ophiurolepis gelida and Ophionotus victoriae on the southern shelf, and Ophiosparte gigas as well as the asteriod Hymenaster sp., in the shelf trenches. Overall, the Weddell Sea housed conspicuously more asterozoan species than the waters off Greenland. Higher species diversity was also evident at both a regional and local scale, especially for the eastern Weddell Sea shelf. However, because many species from the Weddell Sea are closely related, the Weddell Sea assemblages were not significantly different from the Greenland ones in terms of taxonomic diversity and distinctness. Received: 29 April 1996/Accepted: 10 June 1996     

A new species of deepwater snake-eel,ophichthus aphotistos, with comments onneenchelys retropinna (anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from taiwan

Ophichthus aphotistos, a new species of snake-eel, subfamily Ophichthinae, is described from three specimens trapped in deep water (700–800 m) off southwestern Taiwan. It is most similar toO. cruentifer but differes from it and other elongate, deep water species ofOphichthus in its vertebral number (158–162), posterior dorsal-fin origin, biserial dentition, and dark coloration. A poorly known species,Neenchelys retropinna Smith &; Böhlke, is reported from the South China Sea for the first time.     

Diversification of chemosymbiotic bivalves: origins and relationships of deeper water Lucinidae

Although species of the chemosymbiotic bivalve family Lucinidae are often diverse and abundant in shallow water habitats such as seagrass beds, new discoveries show that the family is equally speciose at slope and bathyal depths, particularly in the tropics, with records down to 2500 m. New molecular analyses including species from habitats down to 2000 m indicate that these cluster in four of seven recognized subfamilies: Leucosphaerinae, Myrteinae, Codakiinae, and Lucininae, with none of these comprising exclusively deep‐water species. Amongst the Leucosphaerinae, Alucinoma, Epidulcina, Dulcina, and Myrtina live mainly at depths greater than 200 m. Most Myrteinae inhabit water depths below 100 m, including Myrtea, Notomyrtea, Gloverina, and Elliptiolucina species. In the Codakinae, only the Lucinoma clade live in deep water; Codakia and Ctena clades are largely restricted to shallow water. Lucininae are the most speciose of the subfamilies but only four species analyzed, Troendleina sp., ‘Epicodakia’ falkandica, Bathyaustriella thionipta, and Cardiolucina quadrata, occur at depths greater than 200 m. Our results indicate that slope and bathyal lucinids have several and independent originations from different clades with a notable increased diversity in Leucosphaerinae and Myrteinae. Some of the deep‐water lucinids (e.g. Elliptiolucina, Dulcina, and Gloverina) have morphologies not seen in shallow water species, strongly suggesting speciation and radiation in these environments. By contrast, C. quadrata clusters with a group of shallow water congenors. Although not well investigated, offshore lucinids are usually found at sites of organic enrichment, including sunken vegetation, oxygen minimum zones, hydrocarbon seeps, and sedimented hydrothermal vents. The association of lucinids with hydrocarbon seeps is better understood and has been traced in the fossil record to the late Jurassic with successions of genera recognized; Lucinoma species are particularly prominent from the Oligocene to present day. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 111 , 401–420.     

INTERCHANGE AND ISOLATION OF HUMPBACK WHALES OFF CALIFORNIA AND OTHER NORTH PACIFIC FEEDING GROUNDS

Humpback whales feed in several high-latitude areas of the North Pacific. We examined the interchange of humpback whales between one of these areas, off California, and those in other feeding grounds in the eastern North Pacific:. Fluke photographs of 597 humpback whales identified off California between 1986 and 1992 were compared with those off Oregon and Washington (29); British Columbia (81); southeastern Alaska (343); Prince William Sound, Alaska (141); Kodiak Island, Alaska (104); Shumagin Islands, Alaska (22); and in the Bering Sea (7). A high degree of interchange, both inter-and intrayear, was found among humpback whales seen off California, Oregon, and Washington., A low rate of interchange was found between British Columbia and California.: two whales seen near the British Columbia/Washington border were photographed off California in a different year, No interchange was found between California and the three feeding areas in Alaska. Humpback whales off California, Oregon, and Washington form a single intermixing feeding aggregation with only limited interchange with areas farther north. These findings are consistent with photographic identification studies in the North Atlantic and with genetic studies in both the North Atlantic and North Pacific.     

Applied zooarchaeology and Oregon Coast sea otters (Enhydra lutris)

The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) was nearly driven to extinction on the Pacific Coast in the 19th century due to intensive commercial hunting and the maritime fur trade. Despite successful reintroduction efforts elsewhere in North America, the Oregon sea otter population remains locally extirpated and listed as endangered. Prior study addressed precontact sea otter teeth from Oregon and found they were not significantly different in absolute size from modern California sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) teeth, and smaller than modern Alaska sea otter (Enhydra lutris lutris) teeth. These geographic groupings were later confirmed by an ancient DNA study. The conclusion that distinct geographic populations exist based on tooth size was founded on small samples. Larger samples of teeth, as well as new data on humeri and femora, indicate dimensions vary significantly along a latitudinal cline from California to Alaska. Morphometric analyses of ancient animal remains can be used to examine spatial relationships of phenotypic features and inform conservation biology decisions.