Publications

Antipathidae; mapping; Myriopathidae; precious corals; records

The Hawaiian Archipelago contains some of the best surveyed black coral populations on the globe; however, most previous surveys have grouped all black coral species into a single category. This study mapped the spatial distribution of eight antipatharian species (Antipathes griggi, Antipathes grandis, Cirrhipathes cf. anguina, Stichopathes echinulata, Stichopathes? sp., Aphanipathes verticillata, Acanthopathes undulata and Myriopathes cf. ulex) found in shallow-waters (<150 meters) along the Hawaiian Archipelago, and compared data on substrate type, depth, and temperature among species.

The continental margin off the northeastern United States contains numerous, topographically complex features that increase habitat heterogeneity across the region. However, the majority of these rugged features have never been surveyed, particularly using direct observations. During summer 2013, 31 remotely-operated vehicle dives were conducted from 494 to 3271 m depth across a variety of seafloor features to document communities and to infer geological processes that produced such features.

Eastern Bering Sea slope, Canyons, Habitat, Fish, Coral, Sponge

Here, we examine whether 5 large canyons (Bering, Pribilof, Zhemchug, Pervenets and Navarin) are faunally distinct features within the eastern Bering Sea. We compiled data from the eastern Bering Sea that included trawl survey data on fish and invertebrate distributions and observations of ocean conditions and benthic habitat. These data were analyzed using multivariate techniques to determine if the canyons are distinguishable from the adjacent continental slope.

Coelenterata, Anthozoa, black coral, biogeography, cold-water coral, deep-sea, Leiopathes annosa

The biogeographical distribution of species within the monogeneric family Leiopathidae is presented and discussed.

The red tree coral Primnoa pacifica is an important habitat forming octocoral in North Pacific waters. Given the prominence of this species in shelf and upper slope areas of the Gulf of Alaska where fishing disturbance can be high, it may be able to sustain healthy populations through adaptive reproductive processes. This study was designed to test this hypothesis, examining reproductive mode, seasonality and fecundity in both undamaged and simulated damaged colonies over the course of 16 months using a deepwater-emerged population in Tracy Arm Fjord.

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distribution modelling; generalized additive models; deep-sea coral; deep-sea sponge; habitat; spatial management; Alaska

The objective of the present analysis was to construct models that could predict the distribution, abundance and diversity of deep sea corals and sponges in the Aleutian Islands. Generalized additive models were constructed based on bottom trawl survey data collected from 1991 to 2011 and tested on data from 2012.

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new species; Porifera; Demospongiae; Astrophorida; Geodia; Aleutian Islands; North Pacific; Alaska

A new species of Geodia is described from the North Pacific, collected in the summer of 2012 in the western Aleutian Islands. Geodia starki sp. nov. differs from all known species of Geodia by the possession of two categories of sterrasters and exceptionally large megascleres. The new species is compared with congeners of the North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea, Arctic and the North Atlantic Oceans.

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new demosponges; Aleutian Islands; Alaska; North Pacific; Bering Sea

Two new species of the genus Stelletta and one new species of Ancorina are described from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska and compared to congeners of the region. This is the first record of the genus Ancorina in the North Pacific Ocean. Stelletta ovalae Tanita 1965 is also reported for the first time from the Bering Sea and Alaska.

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Porifera; taxonomy; new species; Aleutian Islands; Gulf of Alaska; Alaska; Poecilosclerida; Axinellida; Dictyoceratida

Ten new species of demosponges, assigned to the orders Poecilosclerida, Axinellida and Dictyoceratida, discovered in the Gulf of Alaska and along the Aleutian Island Archipelago are described and compared to relevant congeners.

Porifera, Cladorhizidae, Deep Sea Ecology, Deep Sea Biology, taxonomy

Here we describe four additional species, including two species of Asbestopluma and two species of Cladorhiza. We report on species ranges, habitat, and ecology, including one from a chemosynthetic environment that appears to be using methane-oxidizing bacteria as a nutrient source.