Ocean Species Discoveries 1-12 - A primer for accelerating marine invertebrate taxonomy.

Background: Discoveries of new species often depend on one or a few specimens, leading to delays as researchers wait for additional context, sometimes for decades. There is currently little professional incentive for a single expert to publish a stand-alone species description. Additionally, while many journals accept taxonomic descriptions, even specialist journals expect insights beyond the descriptive work itself.

Multi-ocean distribution of a brooding predator in the abyssal benthos.

How far are species distributed on the abyssal plains? Spanning from 3000 to 6000 m below sea level, abyssal plains cover three-quarters of the ocean floor and are the largest but also least explored habitat on Earth. The question of vertical and horizontal distribution is central to understanding biogeographic and population genetic processes within species inhabiting the deep-sea benthos. Amphipod crustaceans are an important and dominant taxon in this ecosystem.

Habitat variability and faunal zonation at the Ægir Ridge, a canyon-like structure in the deep Norwegian Sea.

The Ægir Ridge System (ARS) is an ancient extinct spreading axis in the Nordic seas extending from the upper slope east of Iceland (∼550 m depth), as part of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), to a depth of ∼3,800 m in the Norwegian basin. Geomorphologically a rift valley, the ARS has a canyon-like structure that may promote increased diversity and faunal density. The main objective of this study was to characterize benthic habitats and related macro- and megabenthic communities along the ARS, and the influence of water mass variables and depth on them.

Niche breadth and biodiversity change derived from marine Amphipoda species off Iceland.

Understanding the ecological requirements and thresholds of individual species is crucial to better predict potential outcomes of climate change on species distribution. In particular, species optima and lower and upper limits along resource gradients require attention. Based on Huisman-Olff-Fresco (HOF) models, we determined species-specific responses along gradients of nine environmental parameters including depth in order to estimate niche attributes of 30 deep-sea benthic amphipods occurring around Iceland.

Adding pieces to the puzzle: insights into diversity and distribution patterns of Cumacea (Crustacea: Peracarida) from the deep North Atlantic to the Arctic Ocean.

The Nordic Seas have one of the highest water-mass diversities in the world, yet large knowledge gaps exist in biodiversity structure and biogeographical distribution patterns of the deep macrobenthic fauna. This study focuses on the marine bottom-dwelling peracarid crustacean taxon Cumacea from northern waters, using a combined approach of morphological and molecular techniques to present one of the first insights into genetic variability of this taxon. In total, 947 specimens were assigned to 77 morphologically differing species, representing all seven known families from the North Atlantic.

Biogeography, diversity and environmental relationships of shelf and deep-sea benthic Amphipoda around Iceland.

The waters around Iceland, bounding the Northern North Atlantic and the Nordic seas, are a region characterized by complex hydrography and seabed topography. This and the presence of the Greenland-Iceland-Faroe-Scotland ridge (GIFR) are likely to have a major impact on the diversity and distribution of the benthic fauna there. Biodiversity in this region is also under increasing threat from climate-induced changes, ocean warming and acidification in particular, affecting the marine realm.

Investigation of the Amathillopsidae (Amphipoda, Crustacea), including the description of a new species, reveals a clinging lifestyle in the deep sea worldwide.

Amathillopsidae is a widely distributed, but rarely sampled family of deep-sea amphipods. During a recent expedition to the North Atlantic, specimens were filmed clinging to a polychaete tube in situ at abyssal depths by a Remote Operated Vehicle and then sampled for further study. The species was new to science and is described in detail herein.

Testing the impact of non-destructive DNA extraction on setae structure of Amphipoda (Crustacea).

Intact voucher specimens are essential to allow detailed morphological observations on specimens that are used in molecular genetic studies. This can be achieved either by dissection of small, taxonomically uninformative parts of the body for DNA extraction or by employing non-destructive DNA extraction methods. The latter is particularly important for small-bodied animals.

A new predator connecting the abyssal with the hadal in the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, NW Pacific.

The bathyal to hadal deep sea of north-west Pacific Ocean was recently intensively sampled during four international expeditions (KuramBio I and II, SoJaBio and SokhoBio). A large amphipod, n. sp.

Epimeria cleo sp. nov., a new crested amphipod from the Ross Sea, Antarctica, with notes on its phylogenetic affinities (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Eusiroidea, Epimeriidae).

A new crested amphipod, Epimeria cleo sp. nov., is described after specimens collected in the western Ross Sea, Southern Ocean, at 151-409 m depth.

(Eusiroidea, Amphipoda) from the North East Atlantic.

The genus has the widest geographic and bathymetric distribution of all amphipod genera worldwide. Molecular and morphological investigations of specimens sampled around Iceland and off the Norwegian coast allow the first insights into the relationships of North East Atlantic . The 31 cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences generated for this study were assigned 13 Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) in the Barcode of Life database (BOLD), of which 12 are new to the database.

A genetic fingerprint of Amphipoda from Icelandic waters - the baseline for further biodiversity and biogeography studies.

Amphipods constitute an abundant part of Icelandic deep-sea zoobenthos yet knowledge of the diversity of this fauna, particularly at the molecular level, is scarce. The present work aims to use molecular methods to investigate genetic variation of the Amphipoda sampled during two IceAGE collecting expeditions. The mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) of 167 individuals originally assigned to 75 morphospecies was analysed.

Amphipod family distributions around Iceland.

Amphipod crustaceans were collected at all 55 stations sampled with an epibenthic sledge during two IceAGE expeditions (Icelandic marine Animals: Genetics and Ecology) in 2011 and 2013. In total, 34 amphipod families and three superfamilies were recorded in the samples. Distribution maps are presented for each taxon along with a summary of the regional taxonomy for the group.

Ampithoidae (Crustacea, Amphipoda) from New Zealand.

Ampithoidae is a family of marine Amphipoda with approximately 230 species, belonging to 16 genera. The family has a worldwide distribution as algal dwellers. So far only five species are known from New Zealand.

An enigmatic Rhachotropis (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Eusiridae) from New Zealand.

The eusirid genus Rhachotropis S.I. Smith, 1883 has a worldwide distribution and the largest bathymetric range known from any amphipod genus.

A new amphipod Nicippe rogeri sp. nov. (Crustacea, Pardaliscidae) from New Zealand's deep sea.

The amphipod family Pardaliscidae has a worldwide distribution and is considered to be especially common in the deep sea. This is the first record of the genus Nicippe in New Zealand waters and a new species, N. rogeri sp.

Amazing new Amphipoda (Crustacea, Epimeriidae) from New Zealand's deep-sea.

Epimeriidae is an amphipod family with a worldwide distribution. Two new species have been discovered off New Zealand; Epimeria sophie sp. nov.

Family placement of the enigmatic Otagia neozelanica (Chilton, 1897) Haustorioidea: Otagiidae fam. nov. (Amphipoda: Crustacea).

A neotype is designated for Otagia neozelanica (Chilton, 1897) and the new family Otagiidae is established for the monotypic genus Otagia. An assessment of the relationship of Otagiidae fam. nov.

Mitochondrial DNA (COI) analyses reveal that amphipod diversity is associated with environmental heterogeneity in deep-sea habitats.

The relationship between species diversity and environmental parameters is poorly understood for the mobile macrofauna of deep-sea habitats due to under-sampling and subsequent lack of accurate taxonomic information. To redress this, cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI) DNA sequences were used to estimate species diversity and to compare phoxocephalid amphipod assemblages among 20 stations encompassing a range of environmental conditions. Two regions, east (Chatham Rise) and west (Challenger Plateau) of New Zealand were sampled to depths of 200-1200 m with an epibenthic sled.

First molecular evidence for underestimated biodiversity of Rhachotropis (Crustacea, Amphipoda), with description of a new species.

The crustacean genus Rhachotropis has a worldwide distribution and amongst the largest bathymetric range known from any amphipod genus. DNA barcoding of new material from around New Zealand and the Ross Sea indicated depth-related biogeographic patterns. New Zealand Rhachotropis do not form a monophyletic clade.

A preliminary molecular and morphological phylogeny of the Antarctic Epimeriidae and Iphimediidae (Crustacea, Amphipoda).

The phylogenetic relationships of 14 species of the Antarctic amphipod families Epimeriidae and Iphimediidae were investigated using 553bp of the gene for the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and 98 morphological characters. Both families are dominant members of the Antarctic benthic amphipod community. In contrast to previous studies, our molecular and morphological data suggest that the families Epimeriidae and Iphimediidae may not be sister taxa.