Marine Institute
SeaRover Dive Video

D481 Transect 33 Dense xenophyophores, areas of sea pens and burrowing anemones or echinoids. Many trawl marks. Features of Interest: canyon, escarpments Water Depth: 967-679 m

Highlights: Chimaera Hydrolagus cf. affinis & Bolocera anemone Fish ROV collects sea pen Anglerfish - Lophius piscatorius Anglerfish - Lophius piscatorius & cerianthid anemones Trawl marks

The substrate is mainly soft sediment with occasional pebble fields, stones and boulders. Sea pen and xenophyophore aggregations occur on the canyon floor, on the canyon flank the fauna is characterised largely by anemones. Large numbers of Epizoanthus pagurophilus are present and the occasional hormathiid anemone; patches of the small clypeasterid echinoid, or sea biscuit, are noted. Fish species include eel-like fish, grenadiers and a black scabbard; burrows occupied by cf. Nephrops sp. are observed. Trawl marks are in evidence here, indicating historic fishing activity; where trawl marks occur the absence of xenophyophores and sea pens is noted.

START VIDEO [00:00:00]/07:24 [1] mud and fairly dense xenophyophores (Syringammina fragilissima), ROV comes off bottom and turns disturbing sediment, view obscured or partial. [00:02:00] moving forward partial views due to low vis. [00:05:00] vis clears up. [00:24:00] [2] continued mud, now sea pens dominate (Pennatula aculeata) amongst other epifauna, especially burrowing anemones and urchins. Periodic sparse cobbles or boulders, not enough to form a separate biotope. [00:55:00]-[00:56:00] stopped. [01:00:00] [3] Burrowing anemones become dominant, mixed cerianthids, Actinauge richardi and others. Mud with scattered/sparse pebbles/cobbles. many trawl marks. [01:17:00] [4] Aggregations of pink echinoids (OTU194) mosaic with continued burrowing anemones. [01:20:00] [5] Burrowing anemones, now with more Actinidae sp. (OTU41) along with Ceriantharia, [01:33:00]-[01:36:00] sparse fauna and trawl marks. [01:36:00] continued burrowing anemones, hermit crabs with associated Epizoanthus sp . abundant. [01:46:00] scattered pebbles and more Pachycerianthus multiplicatus, many trawl marks. [02:06:00] Stopped for pushcore sampling until END VIDEO [02:14:00]/09:39.

Progression Start Duration Code Name
1[00:00:00]00:24:29M.AtLB.Mu.XenCom.SyrFraSyringammina fragilissima field on Atlantic lower bathyal mud
2[00:24:30]00:35:32M.AtMB.Mu.SpnMegSea pens and burrowing megafauna on Atlantic mid bathyal mud
3[01:00:03]00:17:42M.AtMB.Mu.BurAneBurrowing anemone field in Atlantic mid bathyal mud
4[01:17:46]00:02:46M.AtMB.Mu.BurAneBurrowing anemone field in Atlantic mid bathyal mud
5[01:20:33]00:53:58M.AtMB.Mu.BurAneBurrowing anemone field in Atlantic mid bathyal mud
5[01:33:05]00:03:00M.AtMB.Mu.BurAneBurrowing anemone field in Atlantic mid bathyal mud

Foraminifera
Syringammina fragilissima : 261 : C
Cnidaria
Cerianthidae sp. 1 : 2 : C
Pachycerianthus multiplicatus : 458 : F
Actiniaria sp. 18 : 582 : O
Actiniaria sp. 20 : 605 : R
cf. Halcampoididae sp. : 984 : R
Sagartidae sp. (wide oral disc) : 1118 : O
Bolocera tuediae : 12 : R
Actiniidae sp. (sand Bolocera) : 41 : F
Actinauge richardi : 499 : F
Phelliactis sp. 1 : 255 : O
Hormathiidae sp. : 1098 : O
Flabellum sp. : 1056 : R
Epizoanthus sp. 1 (Paguridae associated) : 317 : O
Radicipes cf. gracilis : 1044 : R
Acanella arbuscula : 585 : R
Halipteris cf. finmarchica : 622 : R
Pennatula aculeata : 1046 : C
Pennatula inflata : 1183 : R

Pennatula cf. inflata : 1083 : R
Distichoptilum gracile : 1108 : O
Umbellula sp. : 581 : R
Corymorphidae sp. : 120 : R
Scyphozoa (indet.) : 1134 : R
Annelida
Bonellia viridis : 267 : R
Serpulidae sp. 1 : 106 : R
Arthropoda
Paguridae sp. : 205 : O
Bathynectes sp. : 235 : R
Mollusca
Sepiolidae sp. : 1095 : R
Echinodermata
Crinoidea sp. : 1072 : O
Asteronyx loveni : 471 : R
Ophiuroidea (indet.) : 1076 : R
Pseudarchaster sp. 1 : 433 : O
cf. Echinus (deep pink spine) : 1129 : R
Echinidae sp. (dark) : 1119 : O
Echinidae sp. (pink) : 194 : F

Phormosoma placenta : 555 : O
Spatangus raschi : 537 : O
Echinoidea sp. 1 : 279 : R
Benthogone sp. : 432 : O
Chordata
Leucoraja sp. : 1067 : R
Centrophorus squamosus : 1048 : R
Hydrolagus cf. mirabilis : 1024 : O
Synaphobranchus kaupii : 440 : O
Nezumia aequalis : 1003 : O
Lepidion eques : 249 : O
Mora moro : 349 : R
Phycis blennoides : 1020 : O
Lophius piscatorius : 273 : O
Polyacanthonotus rissoanus : 552 : R
Aphanopus carbo : 1097 : O
Helicolenus dactylopterus : 227 : R
Actinopterygii sp. 4 : 1006 : R

Number of species = 53

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