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A new species of Exitomelita (Amphipoda: Melitidae) from a deep-water wood fall in the northern Norwegian Sea |
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| Authors: | Anne Helene S Tandberg Hans Tore Rapp Christoffer Schander Wim Vader |
| Institution: | 1. Institute of Marine Research , PO Box 1870 Nordnes, N-5870 , Bergen , Norway annehelene.tandberg@imr.no;3. Department of Biology , University of Bergen , Thorm?hlensgate 53A, N-5020 , Bergen , Norway;4. Centre for Geobiology , University of Bergen , Allégaten 41, N-5020 , Bergen , Norway;5. Uni Environment , Thorm?hlensgate 49B, N-5020 , Bergen , Norway;6. Centre for Geobiology , University of Bergen , Allégaten 41, N-5020 , Bergen , Norway;7. University Museum of Bergen , PO Box 7800, N-5020 , Bergen , Norway;8. Troms? University Museum, University of Troms? , N-9037 , Troms? , Norway |
| Abstract: | The recently erected amphipod genus Exitomelita (Tandberg et al., 2012) has so far been found only associated with the deep-water hydrothermal vent field “Loki's Castle” in the Norwegian-Greenland Sea. There it was found on the black smoker chimney walls as well as within fields of the tubeworm Sclerolinum contortum in sulphide- and methane-rich sediments surrounding the vent field. A new species has now been found in a large wood fall of pine at 2800 m depth close to this vent field. This group of amphipods is apparently confined to reduced habitats, and our data support the theory that the vent fauna in this area is closely related to fauna found on cold seeps and wood falls in the northernmost Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Here we present morphological and molecular data and a short discussion of the habitat of the new species, in addition to a comparison with the previously described species of Exitomelita.http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2B0B3CC2-AB6A-4006-83BB-182280CB22B8 |
| Keywords: | Amphipoda reduced habitats stepping stones seeps hydrothermal vents |