New Species of Sea Stars from the North Pacific and BEYOND!

This week I announce a NEW paper in the latest issue of the journal ZOOTAXA describing a new genus and THREE new species of deep-sea starfishes! Vol. 4175 (2): 101-141 

You may recall back in 2009 when I accompanied the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) on a 10 day cruise exploring the North Pacific on the Juan de Fuca and Gorda Mid Ocean Ridges off the Oregon coast. Here was the cruise website.  I blogged about it here.

When we returned from the expedition I was VERY excited because we had collected MANY specimens and several were either new records of rarely seen species or outright NEW species!

I would like to give a big shout out to MBARI because almost EVERY thing they send me turns out to be a NEW species!  Here's a new coral-devouring star I named after MBARI geologist Dave Clague  and here was a poraniid starfish that was observed climbing up a black coral (antipatharian) to devour it

One of my favorite undiscovered starfish was this one, Paulasterias macclaini which I had to describe a whole FAMILY and genus in order to accommodate it!  This species was named for Dr. Craig Macclain, at Deep-Sea News, who had invited me on the cruise.

I wrote about it here.  But he was VERY happy to write up something about it on Deep-Sea News! (here)  

Well, describing that 6 rayed star took quite a bit of effort but there were many, MANY more species to understand!!!

We also collected many of the more 'non-descript' stars that we encountered as well as several others which turned out to be UNDESCRIBED species!! 

And YES its literally taken me almost 6 YEARS to get all of this done. As I've discussed before (here), it can sometimes take quite awhile for a species to be formally described.

 One report made the case it takes an average of 21 YEARS for a specimen to go from collection to publication! (I've summarized it here)

The starfish I reported on in my Zootaxa paper are members of the Goniasteridae, the most diverse family of sea stars, which includes over 260 species in 65 genera!  Most goniasterids live in relatively deep-water (continental shelf and deeper) but historically, there haven't been many of them known from abyssal and lower bathyal (i.e., >1000 meter) depths.

Only recently have we been seeing better collections of these animals from these depths. As I've reported below, some were collected from below 4000 meters!

Sibogaster nieseni! 
The first few specimens of this species were collected by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute from Taney Seamount (off the coast of San Francisco) from abyssal depths (over 3000 meters!).

It is named for one of my former advisors from San Francisco State University: Professor Tom Niesen (now emeritus)! Author of the Marine Biology Coloring book and noted intertidal naturalist/ecologist along the California coast! 

He gave me my first shot at grad school and happily, his advice and instincts correctly guided me through my early years as a Masters degree student!

photo by J. Sharei

It seemed VERY appropriate to name this species, from off central California, after someone who has done so much to educate others about the significance of the invertebrates of the coast!! 

Interestingly, as I was in the process of writing it up, I suddenly became aware of multiple specimens of similar individuals from OTHER oceans in museums where I was NOT expecting to see them!

This one for example, turned out to be almost identical to the Pacific one I was working on but was from the tropical ATLANTIC! and even one from the deeps of Indonesia... 

Also, unusual is how, such a moderately big animal (about 4 to 5 inches in diameter) could have gone undescribed for so long?  But given how deep it was found (2100 to 4175 meters !) its been well "hidden"! 

This species is likely the deepest member of the Goniasteridae known.

and like several other abyssal species, such as the deep-sea sea cucumber Psychropotes, occurs widely, sometimes in multiple oceans

Ceramaster pointsurae! 

This was a tiny little species that I think we collected as part of something else.. perhaps sampling sediment or some other part of the physical environment.

BUT it turns out that it is likely a new and distinct species with some resemblance to the shallow-water species of Ceramaster (aka the cookie stars) in shallow waters..

This species was found during my 2009 trip on the President Jackson Seamont at about 1975 meters! 

This species is named for the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories retired vessel, the Point Sur which was finally retired in 2014. 

I spent many a day sorting deep-sea invertebrates on the deck of the Point Sur and I was saddened to hear about its retirement.

Bathyceramaster careyi! New genus and NEW species! 

Figuring this one out required a bit of detective work, as it turns out...

Several years ago when I was working as a technician for the California Academy of Sciences, I had the pleasure of studying a newly deposited collection of deep-sea starfishes from Oregon State University.

It turned out, that one of the species in the collection was a rarely known species called "Mediaster elegans" collected by oceanographer Drew Carey. To the best of the knowledge of the workers at the time, it was thought that this was a new occurrence, since the original specimens were only known from South America (collected in 1905). 

But as it turns out, after comparing Carey's specimens with the newly collected material by MBARI AND the original type series (i.e., the specimens on which the species was based) it turned out there were actually TWO species present, "Mediaster elegans" (original name) AND this one!  And the one seen by Carey in 1972 was actually undescribed! So, what I'd argue was actually "Mediaster elegans" turns has not actually been seen until now...

and not only that, it had to be placed into a new GENUS in order to be correctly described! 

Boom! NEW genus described! New SPECIES described!

This species was ultimately found to occur throughout the North Pacific between 1700 and 3363 meter depths! 

With this one, named for Dr. Andrew Carey, formerly of Oregon State University! 

The gut contents described by Carey's paper in 1972 suggests that this species feeds on deep-sea sponges.

The paper outlines several goniasterids from the North Pacific at depths below 1000 meters, including several which have not been seen since their description. 

Now that the new genus Bathyceramaster has been described, I can also follow up with a note I made on one of the recent Okeanos dives to Wake Island! 

This white goniasterid we saw at about 2000 m MIGHT be Bathyceramaster, but I'd need to more closely examine the surface to be sure. But if the closeups of the surface texture were correct.. I think maybe??

New discoveries that lead to new questions!! 

What are they eating down there? How do they get so big? Why do some of these species always seem to be alone when you see them? 

My thanks to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, the California Academy of Sciences'  Department of Invertebrate Zoology and the Museum national d'Historie naturelle in Paris! 

Five Important Facts about Paulasterias and the Paulasteriidae! NEW species! New genus! New Family!

Another new week and another new discovery that I'm overjoyed to share with everyone! A NEW paper I've published in the prestigious Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society! link here This paper was co-authored by colleagues from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the National Oceanography Centre at Southmapton, in the UK, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and Dave Foltz from Louisiana State University. 

This whole paper is basically a monument to scientific collaboration! Basically, I was contacted by the BAS to study sea star specimens they had collected from a new hydrothermal vent system in the Scotia Arc, (Antarctica) which is famously the habitat of the "Hoff Crab"   and as it turns out, they encountered MANY different types of animals from this area. Barnacles, "hoff crabs"...and even sea stars (as we can see from this Wired gallery!)

They turned them over to me for study and while analyzing their DNA we found that they were actually closely related to ANOTHER sea star which I had collected during the MBARI 2009 Pacific Northwest Expedition!!  

and off we go....

1. FIRST starfish from a Hydrothermal Vent Habitat!!
                                   
UPDATE: New Video!

There aren't many echinoderms that live in these types of environments, such as brittle stars, sea cucumbers but this species is the FIRST starfish/sea star to be found in association with a hydrothermal vent habitat! 

Why? Hard to say, exactly but it probably has to do with the fact that most echinoderms can't process toxins very well. Their "body fluid" is basically sea water. This is probably why there are no freshwater or land echinoderms.

These starfish aren't "primary" vent fauna, such as big vent worms or clams that can manufacture food out directly of toxic sulfide..  These exist at the edge of the community feeding on the animals that ARE part of the primary vent community. BUT that said, they are pretty important (see below)

this handy chart from THIS paper by Leigh Marsh et al. in PLOS One!  shows this relationship...

2. What do they eat? Barnacles & HOFF crabs! 

A study of the food web among the fauna at the Scotia Arc site (in this keen PLOS One paper!) showed that they occupy a fairly important role in this community as one of the top predators.

Among their food? The weird stalked barnacle, Vulcanolepis The zonation above is probably not that discrete but it does suggest that animals on the "periphery" probably move inside and among all the inner zones, although there are probably several of these that are at the "edge" of their overall zone...

                            

and the very abundant "hoff crab" 

There's obviously a LOT we still have to learn about the ecology of this habitat! But as far as understanding a habitat 2000-2500 meters down, in the Antarctic??  Knowing the top predator is a good start! 

3. NEW family, new genus and two new species!
So, we have a weird, deep-sea habitat with weird inhabitants. What does the starfish look like??
The skeleton is pretty reduced. A fairly soft and fleshy body wall.

As I had mentioned earlier, my colleagues and I were ALSO studying this beast... an innocuous looking 6-rayed sea star from the North Pacific!! Collected by myself and MBARI during the 2009 Pacific Northwest Expedition! 

Astonishingly, almost EVERYTHING starfish from the area studied during the expedition was new!! 

                                      
An  analysis of the molecules from these two species showed that they were in fact, closely related to one another!!

The truth is that there were not a lot of external characteristics that could have been used to have done the same analysis.

AND molecules also revealed that these two species were part of a lineage or clade SEPARATE from other known species!

HENCE! NEW names were needed! NEW SPECIES! NEW GENERA! and ultimately a NEW FAMILY was needed to properly describe these animals!!

This makes sense. "New" ecosystem and you have new species which compose that ecosystem. Another reason that taxonomy is important! 

This makes these species one of the FIRST new families of sea stars to be described since the 70s! (or possibly the 90s, it sort of depends on how you look at it)

4. Unusual and yet related to something familiar...
So, a lot of this might seem kind of alien to everyone, so here's a little something that I think everyone can relate to..

It turns out that these two starfish species are members of the Forcipulatacea, which is the larger group of starfishes to which familiar, intertidal species belong! Read this account of their unusual evolutionary tree! 

This familiar Pisaster ochraceus 

and Asterias rubens..

Are both distant relatives of these two weird deep-sea species!  What character is shared between them? Features such as these pedicellariae! Tiny wrench shaped claws that cover the body...

                             
5. Named for some deep-sea biologists! 
So... WHAT TO NAME THEM?? As a taxonomist, one of my super powers is that I can honor a person, place or thing by converting their name into Latin, thus immortalizing them into the history of science!

As a matter of good practice, its considered more informative to use descriptive terms, but ultimately species names are at the discretion of the author.

The Antarctic species had been discovered by the British Antarctic Survey and these expeditions had heavily involved Dr. Paul Tyler from the Southampton Oceanographic Centre and so it was decided that the Antarctic species would be named Paulasterias tyleri!

Which basically translate's to "Paul Tyler's starfish" (kind of)...

Dr. Tyler is a HUGE name in deep-sea biology, having co-written one of the most important books in deep-sea research in addition to hundreds of articles on deep-sea ecology and invertebrates!

Professor Tyler was recently been made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE)!!(here) 

The North Pacific species was discovered under the auspice of my colleague and friend Craig Mcclain over at Deep-Sea News!

And so, I deemed that this second species would be named for him! honoring him was critical!
Otherwise would these species have EVER been discovered if it were not for him???

              

  Craig has written a GREAT post on Paulasterias mcclaini over at Deep-Sea News here. 
MORE QUESTIONS!..This discovery is only the START of many MORE questions!

• How does this species tolerate even a little bit of the toxic sulfide in the water?
• Do these have defenses given that they are basically little six to eight-rayed fleshy, water bags?
• How do they capture and eat a hoff crab?? 
• What is the relevance of this group to the diversification and evolution of forcipulate sea star?
• How do members of this family become so widely distributed??
• How many more of these are out there somewhere??
• IS this 6-rayed Atlantic starfish seen by the Okeanos Explorer the same thing???

                                      
My special thanks to Katrin Linse, Jon Copley (@expeditionlog), Leigh Marsh, Dave Foltz, Alex Rodgers, Dave Clague, Craig Mcclain, Lonny Lundsten and Linda Kuhnz!

2009 Pacific NW Expedition: "My God Its full of Stars!" (plus rocks)

So, if there's ONE thing I can say about this cruise?

I saw a LOT of deep-sea animals!

DEEP-SEA echinoderms!

ESPECIALLY starfish!

In fact, I'd say that its safe to say I've seen MORE deep-sea echinoderms (especially starfish) ALIVE on THIS single expedition then I've EVER seen on any single prior trip.
I've been on over a dozen deep-sea cruises, with both trawl nets and submersibles. Cruises that use trawl nets are great for collecting more specimens but are poor on observations of the animal in its natural state.

Subs, especially those which are manned, are GREAT for watching animals in their natural habitat and collecting animals in perfect condition but you ultimately don't get nearly as many specimens to study.
Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), are in many ways more efficient than manned submersibles. Everyone can participate, you don't have a fraction of the science team up on the ship waiting for the others to come back and you have lots of room for storage. Plus, many of the newer ROVs can go much deeper then some of the older vehicles. (The Doc Ricketts can go down to ~4000 m or so)

What sorts of unique data can you collect exploring with submersibles that you can' t get with a trawl net??

1. Ecological Interactions. We got to see this at least twice (to my memory) but here we have an OUTSTANDING photo from the northern Cleft segment of the Juan deFuca Ridge (at about 3000ish? meters) showing predation in the deep-sea!! The big orange guy is the rare goniasterid Evoplosoma feeding on a Bamboo coral. You can hear the bamboo coral being eaten alive! Muahhahaha!
Evoplosoma is REALLY rare. There are less then a dozen specimens of this animal known. Now, not only do we know more about where it lives but we know what it eats.

You wouldn't be able to really see this from trawl specimens, much less get the specimen in perfect condition. Museum specimens of this animal are pretty badly trashed by trawl nets when they are collected.

2. Appearance of the Animal in its Natural State.

Up next...the strange "Slime Star" Hymenaster! These pix show it alive but really don't give you the full monty of just HOW frakkin WEIRD they are..
From the side view..you can sort of pick out the thickness and the little bumps that come off the top. Plus, as a bonus, we got to see it eating!

The entire body of this animal appears to be made out of a solid gelatinous material.
Hymenaster is like a jellyfish had sex with a sea star resulting in THIS thing:

and yes, its HUGE! Almost a FOOT across!!!

Close up? It looks like this. See those white rods? Those are some of the endoskeleton INSIDE this thing's solid-gelatin-like body.

In a closeup shot here..you can literally see THROUGH the body into the skeleton!!
You can barely tell, but there's an opening here called the osculum. Where the mucus comes out!!A strange and alien land under the sea...

Of the starfish..we saw several GIANTS!!

This brisingid (click here for background on brisingid biology) starfish was observed on President Jackson Seamount and was nearly TWO FEET across!! Some are thought to get to be almost TWICE this diameter!!
Not everything we saw was as big..but some were plentiful and eye-catching! This was also on President Jackson Seamount!! A pantheon of brisingids sitting on a sponge!!!

Brisingid starfish are suspension feeders-and so sitting on rocks, sponges, and other raised perches gets them into the current they need to feed !
Other big things?

This giant astropectinid (probably Thrissacanthias) from Pioneer Seamount! This beast was good sized as you can see!! (Gillian used for scale!)
Some of what we saw was familiar....Poraniopsis from the California/Washington/Oregon coast... Species to be determined!!
And what about NEW SPECIES??? Did we get many of those???

Honestly, there was a HUGE number of new taxa discovered! But for various professional reasons I can't post too many pictures of those animals here.

But here's one to tantalize all of you....a new genus and species of deep-sea goniasterid sea star living on sediment at a hydrothermal vent field!! You can see the vent clams in the background!!

It doesn't look like much from a distance, but up close- its a beautiful, sexy beast!So, what else did we see?? Lots of stuff!

CRINOIDS! (unstalkd and STALKED)!
oh yes..and we saw a FEW brittle stars. But only JUST a few HUNDREDS OF thousands...
We saw SEA urchins!! This particular one is an Echinothuriid which you can read about here!
Those of us on the cruise discovered that deep-sea echinothurid urchins can STING just like their tropical shallow-water counterparts!! So, be careful out there!

...and of course, we saw friable volcanic rocks! of MANY different varieties!! Deep-Sea lava! Glass! Yow!
We also took time to do some deep-sea pressure experiments!! Styrofoam cups to 2000-3000 meter depths change dramatically when all of the gas and porous space is crushed out of them!!!
But ya' know what's one thing you never run out of when you're out in the middle of the North Pacific?? Sunsets!!!! ( there's actually a sunrise in here as well!-can you tell which one??)

...and of course you have a bunch of PhDs out on deck taking pix of those sunsets for their scientific talks!!
....For many of the other science team members, the return to land meant the end of the expedition. But for many of us..the data collection and the specimen analysis will be used for analysis and study for YEARS.

Almost NOTHING (from a biodiversity POV) from this area had been known previously.

and now?

Much of the preliminary on-ship study suggested that a LOT of the animals collected were new.

New species and in some cases, new genera.

New behavioral observations.

New records.

The cruise is over but the discovery (and the excitement) is just beginning!