Atolla reynoldsi: A new species of deepwater Jellyfish from Monterey Bay, California.

Jellyfish of the genus Atolla have been recorded in every ocean basin, and encountered on almost all deep-sea expeditions. They are clearly an important part of deep marine ecosystems, although their ecological role is poorly understood. There are currently ten described species of Atolla, although some of these species are poorly documented and have descriptions which make them hard to differentiate, making the genus in need of a full taxonomic revision.

In a paper published in the journal Animals on 16 March 2022, George Matsumoto, Lynne Christianson, Bruce Robison, Steven Haddock, and Shannon Johnson of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute describe a new species of Atolla from Monterey Bay, California.

The Monterey Bay area has been extensively surveyed by Remote Operated Vehicles over the past two decades, and, as with other areas, numerous examples of Atolla have been observed. Notably, a number of specimens lacking the long trailing tentacles typical for the genus have been seen, which prompted Matsumoto et al. to collect specimens for morphological and genetic analysis. These collections revealed the presence of three genetically distinct species of tentacle-less Atolla within the Bay, one of which was also clearly morphologically distinct from all other Atolla species in ways other than the absence of tentacles, and is described as a new species, while the other two, referred to by Matsumoto et al. as Atolla sp A and Atolla sp B, show morphological overlap with other described species, and are not described as new species, pending a full review of the genus using genetic information.

The new species is named Atolla reynoldsi, in honour of Jeff Reynolds, who is considered to have been the first volunteer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, after standing guard over a beached whale on Del Monte Beach overnight so that the Aquarium could retrieve it and prepare it for eventual overhead display. The species is described from ten specimens collected between April 2006 and June 2021 in Monterey Bay at depths between 1013 m and 3189 m.

 

Atolla reynoldsi in situ, 8.5 cm in diameter showing four narrow bases at the centre of the Medusa that expand into a vase-like shape before ending with a shallow indentation. Matsumoto et al. (2022).

Atolla reynoldsi has between 26 and 39 small tentacles around its rim, and a similar number of rhopalia (eyespots). It is flattish in shape, with a slight rounded dome at its centre. The pedalia (tentacle bases) each have nine lateral ridges, some of which have spikey projections. The gut of Atolla reynoldsi has what Matsumoto et al. describe as a distinctive 'Greek-cross' morphology, not seen in other members of the genus. The gonads are oval when immature but become large and horseshoe-shaped when mature.

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Beaches in Monterey County, California, closed by sewage spill.

Eight beaches in Monterey County, California, were forced to close this weekend following a spill of sewage from the Monterey One Water wastewater treatment facility in Marina, according to the Monterey County Environmental Health Department. The leak was discovered at about 4.30 am local time on Saturday 20 January 2018, and closed down, though it thought that about 22 275 000 litres of sewage are thought to have leaked through a storm drain into the sea by the time the spill was detected, resulting in the closure of Carmel Beach at Ocean Avenue, Monterey Municipal Beach, Lover’s Point, the Beach at Monterey State Beach, San Carlos Beach, the beach at Sunset Drive at Asilomar, the beach at Spanish Bay and Stillwater Cove.

 A closed off beach in Monterey Bay, California, following a sewage spill on 20 January 2017. NBC Bay Area.

As well as the obvious dangers to health presented by sewage, which is likely to contain a variety of Bacteria and other micro-organisms harmful to Human health, sewage provides a source of nutrients which can lead to eutrophication and the rapid growth of blooms of Algae, Bacteria or other micro-organisms, which absorb oxygen from the water leading Fish and other aquatic organisms to asphyxiate.

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Californian student recovering after Shark attack.

A graduate student at the University of California, Irvine, is recovering after being attacked by a Shark while spear-fishing in Monetary Bay on Friday 24 November 2017. Grigor Azatian, 25, who is studying computer science, was fishing with his father when he was attacked by the animal, believed to have been a Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias, about three meters in length. The Shark bit him twice on the leg before apparently losing interest and retreating. He is being treated at the Natividad Medical Center for severe lacerations to the thigh and lower leg, but is expected to make a full recovery.

Computer science student and amateur fisherman Grigor Azatian, who was attacked by a Shark in Monetary Bay, California, on 24 November 2017. Armen Azatian/The Mercury News.

Despite their fearsome reputation, attacks by Sharks are relatively rare, with only 120 recorded off the coast of California in the 90 years since regular record-keeping began, eleven of these off Monetary County. Most attacks on Humans by Great White Sharks are thought to be mistakes. The species feeds principally on Marine Mammals, which we superficially resemble when we enter the water, gaining the majority of their nutrition from the thick adipose (fat) layers of these animals, which we lack. Due to this, when Great Whites do attack Humans these attacks are often broken off without the victim being consumed. Such attacks frequently result in severe injuries, but are seldom immediately fatal, with victims likely to survive if they receive immediate medical attention.

A Great White Shark off the coast of Isla Guadalupe, Mexico. Terry Goss/Wikimedia Commons.

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Two new species of Siphonophore from Monterey Bay, California.

Siphonophores are colonial Hydrozoans (Cnidarians related to Corals and Jellyfish) which live as members of the marine plankton (organisms that drift in ocean currents). Some species superficially resemble Jellyfish, but their internal structure is quite different, with each Jelly being a colony of hundreds or thousands of connected individuals called zooids. These zooids are not typically identical, with specialist feeding and reproductive zooids typically being separate, and some species having other specialist forms. Some species grow extremely large, with the largest, Praya dubia often reaching over 50 m in length; though this is a deepwater form living 700-1000 m bellow the surface, and is seldom seen. More familiar is the Portuguese Man o' War (Physalia physalis) which reaches a little under 50 m in length, but which stays on the surface due to modified zooids which act as floats.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 27 August 2013, Stefan Siebert of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Brown University, Phil Pugh of the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, England, Steven Haddock of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and Casey Dunn, also of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Brown University describe two new species of Siphonophore from Monterey Bay, California. Both are placed in the genus Apolemia.

The first new species in named Apolemia lanosa, from the Latin 'lana', meaning 'wooly'. Apolemia lanosa is an approximately 2 m colourless Siphonophore with a single siphosome (stem) along which individual zooids are arranged trailing behind a small nectophore (float made from modified zooids). The zooids are densely packed on the siphosome, giving the colony a wooly appearance. Apolemia lanosa was found at depths of between 636 and 1506 m in Monterey Bay, it has also been sighted at Davidson Seamount (130 km southwest of Monterey Bay at depths of between 439 and 1159 m, and may be found of the coast of Japan.

Apolemia lanosa colony, nectophore is bottom right. Siebert et al. (2013).

Apolemia lanosa, nectophore and part of siphonophore with accompanying zooids. Scale bar is 2 mm. Siebert et al. (2013).

The second new species is named Apolemia rubriversa, meaning 'red furrow'; it has red pigmentation in a furrow on its nectophore. Apolemia rubriversa has larger zooids than Apolemia lanosa, resembling short tentacles rather than wooly hair. It has a distinct brownish tinge. Apolemia rubriversa was found at depths between 374 and 901 m in Monterey Bay, the species was also found in the Gulf of California (Mexico) and may be present off Vancouver and near the Bahamas.

Apolemia rubriversa colony, nectophore is bottom center. Siebert et al. (2013).

Apolemia rubriversa, nectophore and part of siphonophore with accompanying zooids. Scale bar is 2.5 mm. Siebert et al. (2013).

See also Five new species of deepwater Corals from the South American continental shelf, Jellyfish force closure of Swedish nuclear power plant, Punctatus emeiensis, not a Cnidarian after all? A new species of Hydrozoans from British Columbia and The mysterious ebb and flow of Jellyfish populations.

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