Recovery of deep-sea meiofauna community in Kaikōura Canyon following an earthquake-triggered turbidity flow.

Turbidity flows can transport massive amounts of sediment across large distances with dramatic, long-lasting impacts on deep-sea benthic communities. The 2016 M 7.8 Kaikōura Earthquake triggered a canyon-flushing event in Kaikōura Canyon, New Zealand, which included significant submarine mass wasting, debris, and turbidity flows.

Guidelines for species descriptions of free-living aquatic nematodes: characters, measurements and their presentation in taxonomic publications.

Free-living aquatic nematodes are abundant, diverse and of general environmental importance. However, knowledge of species distributions of both marine and freshwater nematodes is sparse. Species distribution data are crucial for evaluating environmental impacts from human activities and to conduct integrated nematode community assessments.

Probabilistic ecological risk assessment for deep-sea mining: A Bayesian network for Chatham Rise, Pacific Ocean.

Increasing interest in seabed resource use in the ocean is introducing new pressures on deep-sea environments, the ecological impacts of which need to be evaluated carefully. The complexity of these ecosystems and the lack of comprehensive data pose significant challenges to predicting potential impacts. In this study, we demonstrate the use of Bayesian networks (BNs) as a modeling framework to address these challenges and enhance the development of robust quantitative predictions concerning the effects of human activities on deep-seafloor ecosystems.

Two new species of Sabatieria de Rouville, 1903 (Nematoda: Araeolaimida: Comesomatidae) from the Southern Ocean.

Two new free-living marine nematode species of the genus Sabatieria de Rouville, 1903 are described from the Southern Ocean using morphological and molecular data. Sabatieria brevicaudata sp. nov.

Six new species of free-living nematodes (Nematoda: Enoplida) from deep-sea cold seeps on Hikurangi Margin, New Zealand.

Little is known about the taxonomy of deep-sea nematode species inhabiting cold seep habitats. An opportunity to characterize the nematode species communities of New Zealand cold seeps was provided by a 2019 research voyage to New Zealand's Hikurangi Margin, during which macrofauna cores were obtained at two seeps at approximately 1,250 and 2,000 m water depth. Here, six new species of the orderEnoplida are described.

New free-living nematode species and records (Chromadorea: Plectida and Desmodorida) from the edge and axis of Kermadec Trench, Southwest Pacific Ocean.

One new nematode species is described and two new species records are provided from the edge (6,080 m depth) and axis (7,132 m) of Kermadec Trench, Southwest Pacific. sp. nov.

Molecular characterization of free-living nematodes from Kermadec Trench (Nematoda: Aegialoalaimidae, Xyalidae) with description of emAegialoalaimus/em emtereticauda/em n. sp.

The Kermadec Trench is the world's fifth deepest trench and extends from approximately 26 to 36°S near the northeastern tip of New Zealand's North Island. Here, we describe a new species of Aegialoalaimus, a nematode genus with unusual buccal cavity and pharynx morphology, from a site at 9540 metres water depth in Kermadec Trench, and provide the first SSU and D2-D3 of LSU sequences for Aegialoalaimus, Manganonema, Metasphaerolaimus constrictus and Daptonema amphorum. Aegialoalaimus tereticauda n.

Two new nematode species (Plectida: Leptolaimidae, Rhadinematidae) from Chatham Rise, New Zealand.

Two new species of the order Plectida are described from Chatham Rise, New Zealand. sp. nov.

A new nematode species, sp. nov. (Chromadorida: Chromadoridae) from the hull of a research vessel, New Zealand.

is a globally distributed, largely marine nematode genus frequently found on a variety of organisms, including macro- and microalgae and crustaceans, as well as artificial substrates such as settlement plates and ship hulls. Here, sp. nov.

Three new free-living marine nematode species of Dorylaimopsis (Nematoda: Araeolaimida: Comesomatidae) from the South China Sea and the Chukchi Sea.

Three new species of the free-living marine nematode genus Dorylaimopsis are described from the South China Sea and the Chukchi Sea. Dorylaimopsis longispicula sp. n.

Phylogenetic position of the parasitic nematode Trophomera (Nematoda, Benthimermithidae): A molecular analysis.

Benthimermithid nematodes are parasites of invertebrates currently classified within their own order. Relationships between the Benthimermithida and other nematode orders, however, remain unclear due to their relatively simple morphology, their rarity, and paucity of molecular sequence data. Here, we combine molecular sequences obtained from Trophomera cf.

Phylogenetic position of the enigmatic deep-sea nematode order Rhaptothyreida: A molecular analysis.

The placement of the rare deep-sea nematode order Rhaptothyreida remains unclear due to the unique morphology of this group, an unknown life cycle with morphologically distinct juvenile stages which may or may not be parasitic, and lack of molecular sequences. Here, we investigate the phylogenetic placement and status of the Rhaptothyreida based on SSU and D2-D3 of LSU rDNA sequences of Rhaptothyerus typicus specimens obtained from the continental slope of New Zealand. Molecular sequences of three adults and a late stage juvenile were identical, confirming that they belong to the same species despite pronounced morphological differences.

Estimating the effect of burrowing shrimp on deep-sea sediment community oxygen consumption.

Sediment community oxygen consumption (SCOC) is a proxy for organic matter processing and thus provides a useful proxy of benthic ecosystem function. Oxygen uptake in deep-sea sediments is mainly driven by bacteria, and the direct contribution of benthic macro- and mega-infauna respiration is thought to be relatively modest. However, the main contribution of infaunal organisms to benthic respiration, particularly large burrowing organisms, is likely to be indirect and mainly driven by processes such as feeding and bioturbation that stimulate bacterial metabolism and promote the chemical oxidation of reduced solutes.

Four new nematode species (Araeolaimida: Comesomatidae, Diplopeltidae) from the New Zealand continental slope.

Four new nematode species of the order Araeolaimida are described from the continental slope of New Zealand: Sabatieria megadena sp. n., Pararaeolaimus tetradenus sp.

Differences in meiofauna communities with sediment depth are greater than habitat effects on the New Zealand continental margin: implications for vulnerability to anthropogenic disturbance.

Studies of deep-sea benthic communities have largely focused on particular (macro) habitats in isolation, with few studies considering multiple habitats simultaneously in a comparable manner. Compared to mega-epifauna and macrofauna, much less is known about habitat-related variation in meiofaunal community attributes (abundance, diversity and community structure). Here, we investigated meiofaunal community attributes in slope, canyon, seamount, and seep habitats in two regions on the continental slope of New Zealand (Hikurangi Margin and Bay of Plenty) at four water depths (700, 1,000, 1,200 and 1,500 m).

One new genus and three new species of deep-sea nematodes (Nematoda: Microlaimidae) from the Southwest Pacific Ocean and Ross Sea.

New deep-sea nematodes of the family Microlaimidae are described from the Southwest Pacific Ocean and Ross Sea. Microlaimus korari n. sp.

Molecular characterisation of five nematode species (Chromadorida, Selachinematidae) from shelf and upper slope sediments off New Zealand, with description of three new species.

Limited molecular sequence data are available for selachinematid nematodes, with little or no data from the Southern Hemisphere or habitats beyond the subtidal zone. Here, we provide molecular sequence data for the small subunit (SSU) 18S rDNA gene and D2-D3 region of large subunit (LSU) 28S rDNA gene of three new (Cheironchus haurakiensis n. sp.

Benthimermithid nematode parasites of the amphipod Hirondellea dubia in the Kermadec Trench.

Parasitic nematodes have evolved to exploit a wide variety of hosts living in a range of marine environments. Benthimermithid nematodes occur deeper than any other nematode parasites (down to 5880 m depth) but are mostly known from free-living adult stages living in the sediments, and parasitic juveniles are seldom encountered. In the present study, the benthimermithid Trophomera cf.

One new genus and five new nematode species (Monhysterida, Xyalidae) from Tonga and Kermadec Trenches, Southwest Pacific.

Little is known about the diversity and systematics of nematodes in hadal trenches (>6000 m depth). The analysis of core samples recently obtained from Tonga (10810 m) and Kermadec Trenches (8081 m) reveals the presence of a diverse nematode community in these extreme environments, and provides the deepest record for the phylum. Here, one new genus and five new species of the family Xyalidae are described.

Two new species and a new record of Comesomatidae (Nematoda, Araeolaimida) from Southern Hikurangi Margin, New Zealand.

We describe two new species and provide one new species record of the family Comesomatidae from a submarine canyon habitat on the Southern Hikurangi margin, New Zealand. Vasostoma hexodontium n. sp.

Four new Paramphimonhystrella species (Nematoda: Xyalidae) from the continental slope of New Zealand.

Four new Paramphimonhystrella species are described from the continental slope of New Zealand. P. glossalga n.

Seven new species and one new species record of Sabatieria (Nematoda: Comesomatidae) from the continental slope of New Zealand.

Sabatieria is the most abundant nematode genus on the upper continental slope of New Zealand but no Sabatieria species have yet been recorded/described from the region's deep-sea habitats. The present study describes seven new and one known species of this genus from the continental margin of New Zealand. S.

Deontostoma tridentum n. sp. (Nematoda, Leptosomatidae) from the continental slope of New Zealand.

Deontostoma tridentum n. sp. is described from epibenthic (Brenke) sledge samples obtained from the continental slope of New Zealand at 570 and 1007 m water depths, and details of the ultrastructure are investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Mudwigglus gen. n. (Nematoda: Diplopeltidae) from the continental slope of New Zealand, with description of three new species and notes on their distribution.

Three new free-living nematode species belonging to the genus Mudwigglus gen. n. are described from the continental slope of New Zealand.