Edwardsiella andrillae, a new species of sea anemone from Antarctic ice

Marymegan Daly; Frank Rack; Robert Zook

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0083476

Edwardsiella andrillae, a new species of sea anemone from Antarctic ice

PLoS One. 2013 Dec 11;8(12):e83476. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083476. eCollection 2013.

Authors

Marymegan Daly¹, Frank Rack², Robert Zook²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Evolution, Ecology & Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America.
² Antarctic Geological Drilling Science Management Office, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America.

Abstract

Exploration of the lower surface of the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica by the Submersible Capable of under-Ice Navigation and Imaging (SCINI) remotely operated vehicle discovered a new species of sea anemone living in this previously undocumented ecosystem. This discovery was a significant outcome of the Coulman High Project's geophysical and environmental fieldwork in 2010-2011 as part of the ANDRILL (ANtarctic geologic DRILLing) program. Edwardsiella andrillae n. sp., lives with most of its column in the ice shelf, with only the tentacle crown extending into the seawater below. In addition to being the only Antarctic representative of the genus, Edwardsiella andrillae is distinguished from all other species of the genus in the number of tentacles and in the size and distribution of cnidae. The anatomy and histology of Edwardsiella andrillae present no features that explain how this animal withstands the challenges of life in such an unusual habitat.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Anemone / classification*
Anemone / cytology*
Animals
Antarctic Regions
Seawater

Grants and funding

The ANDRILL 200 Coulman High Project (CHP) fieldwork in Antarctica during the austral spring and summer of 2010-2011 was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs, and in New Zealand by the NZ Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.