Records of ctenophores from South Africa

Gibbons, Mark J.; Haddock, S. H. D.; Matsumoto, George I.; Foster, Craig

doi:10.7717/peerj.10697

Cited by 14 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Currently, this genus only comprises two species: Lyrocteis flavopallidus Robilliard & Dayton, 1972 and Lyrocteis imperatoris Komai, 1941, the first originally described from the Antarctic, the latter described and observed multiple times in the Pacific Ocean. Recently, an unknown species of Lyrocteis that resembles the present observations from Seychelles was recorded in canyons off northern KwaZulu Natal, in the Western Indian Ocean ( Gibbons et al 2021 ). However, it was not possible to identify these ctenophores to species level from underwater images alone without further microscopic examination (Fig.…”

Section: Checklistssupporting

confidence: 71%

Reef benthos of Seychelles - A field guide

Fassbender¹,

Stefanoudis²,

Filander³

et al. 2021

BDJ

633

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During the 2019 First Descent: Seychelles Expedition, shallow and deep reef ecosystems of the Seychelles Outer Islands were studied by deploying a variety of underwater technologies to survey their benthic flora and fauna. Submersibles, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and SCUBA diving teams used stereo-video camera systems to record benthic communities during transect surveys conducted at 10 m, 30 m, 60 m, 120 m, 250 m and 350 m depths. In total, ~ 45 h of video footage was collected during benthic transect surveys, which was subsequently processed using annotation software in order to assess reef biodiversity and community composition. Here, we present a photographic guide for the visual identification of the marine macrophytes, corals, sponges and other common invertebrates that inhabit Seychelles’ reefs. It is hoped that the resulting guide will aid marine biologists, conservationists, managers, divers and naturalists with the coarse identification of organisms as seen in underwater footage or live in the field. A total of 184 morphotypes (= morphologically similar individuals) were identified belonging to Octocorallia (47), Porifera (35), Scleractinia (32), Asteroidea (19), Echinoidea (10), Actiniaria (9), Chlorophyta (8), Antipatharia (6), Hydrozoa (6), Holothuroidea (5), Mollusca (2), Rhodophyta (2), Tracheophyta (2), Annelida (1), Crinoidea (1), Ctenophora (1), Ochrophyta (1) and Zoantharia (1). Out of these, we identified one to phylum level, eight to class, 14 to order, 27 to family, 110 to genus and 24 to species. This represents the first attempt to catalogue the benthic diversity from shallow reefs and up to 350 m depth in Seychelles.

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Section: Checklistssupporting

confidence: 71%

Reef benthos of Seychelles - A field guide

Fassbender¹,

Stefanoudis²,

Filander³

et al. 2021

BDJ

633

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…While we can speculate as to its origin, it is clear that Lilyopsis is not resident in False Bay because it has only been observed once during the many years that one of us (CF) has been snorkeling daily at the site in False Bay. Neither has it been observed by another frequent community scientist, Peter Southward (see Gibbons et al 2021).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Traditionally, the reporting of new species in areas outside known distributional ranges has been the purview of professional scientists, but this is rapidly changing as we harness the interest, enthusiasm and effort of community scientists (e.g. Gibbons et al 2021). Here, we report on a genus of siphonophore not previously recorded from the South Atlantic from an image taken by one such community scientist.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First occurrence of the rare siphonophore Lilyopsis Chun, 1885 (Hydrozoa, Siphonophora, Prayinae) in South Africa

Mapstone¹,

Foster²,

Gibbons³

2022

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A colony of the rare hydrozoan siphonophore Lilyopsis Chun, 1885, was observed for the first time in shallow water in False Bay, South Africa, swimming amongst kelp. A study of a high-quality image of this individual found it to share some characters with the prayine prayid L. fluoracantha Haddock, Dunn & Pugh, 2005, so far known only from Monterey Bay, California, in the eastern Pacific. No Lilyopsis species has previously been reliably identified from either the South Atlantic or the Indian Ocean, so this record represents an expansion of the known worldwide distribution for this genus.

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“…Most oceanic ctenophores are from the orders Lobata (or lobate ctenophores) or Cydippida (Gibbons et al 2021; Schiariti et al 2021). Lobate ctenophores have large oral lobes, reduced tentillae, and use fused cilia (or ctenes) arranged along four auricles to generate a feeding current.…”

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oceanic lobate ctenophores possess feeding mechanics similar to the impactful coastal species Mnemiopsis leidyi

Cordeiro

Costello

Gemmell

et al. 2022

Limnology & Oceanography

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Lobate ctenophores are often numerically dominant members of oceanic epipelagic and midwater ecosystems. Despite this, little is known about their trophic ecology. Multiple, co-occurring species are often found in these ecosystems and appear to feed similarly via feeding currents that entrain prey. We quantified the hydrodynamics, morphology, and behavior of four co-occurring, cosmopolitan lobate species (Eurhamphaea vexilligera, Ocyropsis crystallina, Bolinopsis vitrea, and Leucothea multicornis) to evaluate whether their feeding mechanics lead to differential feeding rates and prey selection. We compared the feeding characteristics of these four oceanic species to the coastal lobate ctenophore, Mnemiopsis leidyi, which is known as a voracious zooplanktivore. We found that despite their morphological diversity, the five lobate species used the same mechanism to generate their feeding current-the hydrodynamics of their feeding currents were similarly laminar and with very low fluid deformation rates. Despite having similar feeding current traits, the species had different in situ swimming behaviors and feeding postures. We show that these different behaviors and postures lead to different prey encounter rates and that several of the oceanic species have the potential to feed at rates similar to or greater than M. leidyi. As such, the individual and combined trophic impact of oceanic lobate ctenophores is likely to be much greater than previously predicted.

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Records of ctenophores from South Africa

Cited by 14 publications

References 52 publications

Reef benthos of Seychelles - A field guide

Reef benthos of Seychelles - A field guide

First occurrence of the rare siphonophore Lilyopsis Chun, 1885 (Hydrozoa, Siphonophora, Prayinae) in South Africa

Oceanic lobate ctenophores possess feeding mechanics similar to the impactful coastal species Mnemiopsis leidyi

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Records of ctenophores from South Africa

Cited by 14 publications

References 52 publications

Reef benthos of Seychelles - A field guide

Reef benthos of Seychelles - A field guide

﻿First occurrence of the rare siphonophore Lilyopsis Chun, 1885 (Hydrozoa, Siphonophora, Prayinae) in South Africa

Oceanic lobate ctenophores possess feeding mechanics similar to the impactful coastal species Mnemiopsis leidyi

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First occurrence of the rare siphonophore Lilyopsis Chun, 1885 (Hydrozoa, Siphonophora, Prayinae) in South Africa