Paraedwardsia heia Daly & Ljubenkov, 2008, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Daly, Marymegan
name: Ljubenkov, John C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Cnidaria
Anthozoa
Actiniaria
Edwardsiidae
Paraedwardsia
Paraedwardsia heia

description: Paraedwardsia heia sp. nov.
Figs 1, 9; Table 3
Diagnosis. With an elongate column bearing tenaculi. Aboral end rounded, with sparse covering of sand grains. Length of whole animal in contraction typically exceeds 15 mm.
Material examined. Holotype: CAS 175217, San Francisco, California, SF­DODS Sta. 6, 37°40.02'N 123°27.00'W, 22­Sep­2002, 2697 m. Paratypes: CAS 175225, San Francisco, California, SF­DODS Sta. 1, 37°41.10'N 123°31.03'W, 11­Dec­1996, 2799 m; CAS 175248, San Francisco, California, SF­DODS Sta. 6, 37°39.97'N 123°26.95'W, 16­Oct­2000, 2730 m; CAS 175228, San Francisco, California, SF­DODS Sta. 7, 37°39.99'N 123°27.97'W, 13­Oct­1999, 2805 m; CAS 175220, San Francisco, California, SF­DODS Sta. 8, 37°40.11'N 123°28.98'W, 5­Dec­1996, ~ 2850 m; CAS 175244, San Francisco, California, SF­DODS Sta. 10, 37°40.01'N 123°31.03'W, 16­Oct­2000, 3065 m; CAS 175233, San Francisco, California, SF­DODS Sta. 12, 37°39.00'N 123°30.00'W, 21­Jan­1996, ~ 3015 m; CAS 175219, San Francisco, California, SF­DODS Sta. 16, 37°38.07'N 123°27.05'W, 3­Nov­1997, 2690 m (2 specimens); CAS 175247, San Francisco, SF­DODS Sta. 16, 37°38.01'N 123°26.98'W, 23­Sep­2003, 2694 m; CAS 175245, San Francisco, California, SF­DODS Sta. 17, 37°38.00'N 123°28.03'W, 12­Oct­1996, 2862 m (3 specimens); CAS 175246, San Francisco, California, SF­DODS Sta. 17, 37°38.00'N 123°28.03'W, 21­Oct­2001, 2862 m; CAS 175222, San Francisco, California, SF­DODS Sta. 18, 37°37.95'N 123°28.93’W, 7­Oct­1998, 2950 m; CAS 175221, San Francisco, California, SF­DODS Sta. 23, 37°36.96'N 123°28.93'W, 9­Oct­1999, 2970 m; CAS 175218, San Francisco, California, SF­DODS Sta. 23, 37°36.95'N 123°29.02'W, 26­Sep­2002, 2954 m; CAS 175242, San Francisco, California, SF­DODS Sta. 24, 37°36.97'N 123°27.92'W, 19­Oct­2000, 2650 m; CAS 175227, San Francisco, California, SF­DODS Sta. 57, 37°42.97'N 123°32.95'W, 26­Sep­2003, 2750 m; CAS 175224, San Francisco, California, SF­DODS Sta. 57, 37°42.97'N 123°32.95'W, 26­Sep­2002, 2750 m; CAS 175223, San Francisco, California, SF­DODS Sta. 108, 37°38.95'N 123°24.94'W, 26­Sep­2003, 2670 m; CAS 175226, San Francisco, California, SF­DODS Sta. 116, 37°35.08'N 123°29.06'W, 26­Sep­2003, 2730 m.
Tissue Cnida P. heia S. scamiti S. triangulus Tentacle Small basitrich None seen 16.0–24.7 (26.7) x (1.7) 15.6–18.3 x 1.9–2.7
2.1–3.4
Large basitrich 20.8–25.2 x 1.8–2.9 18.4–42.4 x 2.0–3.9 (19.7) 21.7–29.9 x
(3.3) 2.0–3.2
Spirocyst 11.4–16.6 x 2.1–3.3 9.5–17.8 x 1.8–2.8 10.8–18.3 x 2.2–3.6
(3.7)
18–26.4 x 3.1– 4.3
Nemathybome Basitrich Not applicable 33.4–52.4 x 2.3–3.7 63.8–89.8 x 4.0–5.4 Actinopharynx Small basitrich 10.2–14.7 x 1.9–3.2 (15.3) 17.0–20.9 x 1.7– 27.5–40.5 x 2.2–3.2
(3.6) 2.6
Large basitrich 16.7–23.0 x (2.1) 34.1–42.2 x 2.7–4.3 27.5–32.1 x 3.9–4.5
2.5–3.3
Microbasic p –mastigophore 40.0–48.0 x 4.1–5.4 None seen None seen
Filament Small basitrich 18.2–29.0 x 1.7–2.5 19.0 –22.1 x 1.7–2.5 25.6–33.5 x 2.0–2.8
Large basitrich 26.3 –34.5 x 5.2–7.0 29.6–44.8 x 2.9–4.3 50.1–63.8 x 3.2–4.3
(4.8)
Microbasic p –mastigophore 40.2–44.8 x 4.4–6.1 18.5–28.3 x 4.0–5.2 None seen External anatomy. Tentacles conical, blunt, 16, of approximately equal length in preserved specimens. Column slightly wider proximally than distally, divisible into capitulum and scapus (Fig. 9 A). Capitulum faintly ridged, without periderm or adherent sediment; scapus with sand grains and detritus adhering to tenaculi; tenaculi (and thus sediment) sparser proximally (Fig. 9 A). Mesenterial insertions more visible at capitulum than scapus except in highly contracted specimens. Aboral end rounded but not bulbous. Size varies considerably among specimens: expanded individuals 9–32 mm long, 2–3 mm diameter; contracted individuals 4–29 mm long, 0.5–5 mm diameter.
Internal anatomy and histology. Parietal and retractor muscles strong (Figs. 9 B, C). Retractor muscle branched on both surfaces of mesentery but without distinct pennon (Fig. 9 C). Parietal muscle fan­shaped; mesoglea of similar thickness in branches and central lamella; branches closest to body wall highly ramified, grouped, attached to the mesentery by single, slightly longer lamella (Fig. 9 B). No examined specimens contained gametes.
Cnidom. Spirocysts, basitrichs, microbasic p ­mastigophores (Figs. 9 D–G; see Table 3 for size and distribution).
Etymology. The species epithet is a Latin interjection of surprise that approximates our reaction to finding specimens of this genus among samples of Edwardsia and Scolanthus. It should be considered a participle in the nominative singular and translated as “the surprising Paraedwardsia.”
Distribution and habitat. Known only from the basin floor of the Farallons Escarpment, at depths of 2100–3100 m, co­occurring with E. mcmurrichi. These species may replace E. profunda in the greater Pacific Basin.
Similar species. Paraedwardsia previously contained two deep sea species, P. abyssorum Carlgren, 1951, and P. l e m c h i Carlgren, 1956. Both have notably longer basitrichs in the tentacles than does P. h e i a: 20.8–25.2 μm in P. h e i a, 41–58 μm in P. abyssorum, and 35–50 μm in P. l e m c h i (see Carlgren 1951, 1956). Furthermore, P. h e i a tends to be longer, achieving a maximum length of approximately 30 mm, compared to 20 mm for P. abyssorum or P. lemchi.
Remarks. We infer that P. h e i a is more abundant than E. mcmurrichi in the Farallons Escarpment because P. h e i a was found in more of the samples, and specimens of P. h e i a were more abundant in each sample.
description: Published as part of Daly, Marymegan & Ljubenkov, John C., 2008, Edwardsiid sea anemones of California (Cnidaria: Actiniaria: Edwardsiidae), with descriptions of eight new species, pp. 1-27 in Zootaxa 1860 on pages 15-18, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.183642