Marine Institute
SeaRover Dive Video

D687 Transect 1 Moderate muddy slope with scarce epifauna, occasionally holothurians (possibly Benthothuria species), predominantly featureless. P1. Water depth: 2948-2832m. Feature: Steep slope

Highlights: Purple sea cucmber - Benthothuria sp. ? Stalked barnacles Crab - Neolithodes grimaldi Purple sea cucmber - Benthothuria sp. ?

Soft sediment on a gentle slope. The fauna observed includes large purple holothurians and echinothurid urchins. Interestingly, many urchins have a small (probably juvenile) Lithodes crab beside them. Numerous unusual marks / tracks evident in the sediment, origin unknown.

START VIDEO [00:00:00]/22:46. Deep dive on moderate muddy slope with scarce epifauna, occasionally holothurians (possibly Benthothuria species), predominantly featureless. [1] [00:01:00] ROV stops for two pushcores. Muddy slope with scarce epifauna for the entire dive. [00:28:00] ROV stops for collection of glass bottle. Interestingly, occasional sea urchins were encountered in association with (possibly) Neolithodes grimaldii ([00:36:25], [00:53:00], [01:07:00], [01:09:27]). END VIDEO [01:11:00]/23:58.

Progression Start Duration Code Name
1[00:00:00]01:11:05M.AtUA.MuAtlantic upper abyssal mud

Cnidaria
Cerianthidae sp. 1 : 2 : R
Actiniaria sp. 20 : 605 : R
Arthropoda
Neolithodes grimaldii : 1063 : R
Caridea (indet.) : 1077 : R
Cirripedia sp. 2 : 1209 : R
Echinodermata

Echinothuroidea sp. : 1094 : R
Benthothuria sp. : 1124 : R
Chordata
Leucoraja sp. : 1067 : R
Synaphobranchus kaupii : 440 : R
Coryphaenoides guentheri : 577 : R
Coryphaenoides rupestris : 566 : R
Halosauridae sp. : 1113 : R

Notacanthiformes sp. 1 : 1012 : R

Number of species = 13

© Marine Institute, MERC Consultants, Bernard Picton 2022