Bathochordaeus charon | |
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Bathochordaeus charon, scale bar ~ 2 cm | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Subphylum: | Tunicata |
Class: | Appendicularia |
Order: | Copelata |
Family: | Oikopleuridae |
Genus: | Bathochordaeus |
Species: | B. charon |
Binomial name | |
Bathochordaeus charon | |
Bathochordaeus charon is a species of giant larvacean, a solitary, free-swimming tunicate that filter feeds in surface waters. [2] The species was named after Charon, the mythical Greek ferryman who carried the souls of the dead across the rivers dividing the world of the living from the world of the dead. [2] [3]
First description of this very large larvacean was provided in 1900 by Carl Chun from two specimens collected during the Valdivia expedition in 1898–1899. The first definitive record of Bathochordaeus charon since its original description was obtained in 2016 by R. E. Sherlock, K. R. Walz and B. H. Robison, using a ROV in the Monterey Bay, California, USA.
A small number of Bathochordaeus have been found near Bermuda, in the Indian Ocean, or off the Nansei islands but they differ significantly from B. charon. [2]
Monterey Bay Aquarium is a nonprofit public aquarium in Monterey, California. Known for its regional focus on the marine habitats of Monterey Bay, it was the first to exhibit a living kelp forest when it opened in October 1984. Its biologists have pioneered the animal husbandry of jellyfish and it was the first to successfully care for and display a great white shark. The organization's research and conservation efforts also focus on sea otters, various birds, and tunas. Seafood Watch, a sustainable seafood advisory list published by the aquarium beginning in 1999, has influenced the discussion surrounding sustainable seafood. The aquarium was home to Otter 841 prior to her release into the wild as well as Rosa, the oldest living sea otter at the time of her death.
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