Eurythenes atacamensis | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Crustacea |
Class: | Malacostraca |
Superorder: | Peracarida |
Order: | Amphipoda |
Family: | Eurytheneidae |
Genus: | Eurythenes |
Species: | E. atacamensis |
Binomial name | |
Eurythenes atacamensis Weston & Espinosa-Leal, 2021 | |
Eurythenes atacamensis is a species of amphipod restricted to the Peru-Chile ocean trench. [1] [2] [3]
The Challenger Deep is the deepest-known point of the seabed of Earth, with a depth of 10,902–10,929 m (35,768–35,856 ft) by direct measurement from deep-diving submersibles, remotely operated underwater vehicles and benthic landers, and (sometimes) slightly more by sonar bathymetry.
The Mariana Trench is an oceanic trench located in the western Pacific Ocean, about 200 kilometres (124 mi) east of the Mariana Islands; it is the deepest oceanic trench on Earth. It is crescent-shaped and measures about 2,550 km (1,580 mi) in length and 69 km (43 mi) in width. The maximum known depth is 10,984 ± 25 metres at the southern end of a small slot-shaped valley in its floor known as the Challenger Deep. If Mount Everest were hypothetically placed into the trench at this point, its peak would still be underwater by more than 2 kilometres (1.2 mi).
Oceanic trenches are prominent long, narrow topographic depressions of the ocean floor. They are typically 50 to 100 kilometers wide and 3 to 4 km below the level of the surrounding oceanic floor, but can be thousands of kilometers in length. There are about 50,000 kilometers (31,000 mi) of oceanic trenches worldwide, mostly around the Pacific Ocean, but also in the eastern Indian Ocean and a few other locations. The greatest ocean depth measured is in the Challenger Deep of the Mariana Trench, at a depth of 11,034 m (36,201 ft) below sea level.
The Liparidae, commonly known as snailfish or sea snails, are a family of marine scorpaeniform fishes.
The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth. The word pelagic is derived from Ancient Greek πέλαγος (pélagos) 'open sea'. The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or water column between the surface of the sea and the bottom. Conditions in the water column change with depth: pressure increases; temperature and light decrease; salinity, oxygen, micronutrients all change.
An abyssal plain is an underwater plain on the deep ocean floor, usually found at depths between 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) and 6,000 metres (20,000 ft). Lying generally between the foot of a continental rise and a mid-ocean ridge, abyssal plains cover more than 50% of the Earth's surface. They are among the flattest, smoothest, and least explored regions on Earth. Abyssal plains are key geologic elements of oceanic basins.
The abyssal zone or abyssopelagic zone is a layer of the pelagic zone of the ocean. "Abyss" derives from the Greek word ἄβυσσος, meaning bottomless. At depths of 4,000 to 6,000 metres, this zone remains in perpetual darkness. It covers 83% of the total area of the ocean and 60% of Earth's surface. The abyssal zone has temperatures around 2 to 3 °C through the large majority of its mass. Due to there being no light, there are no plants producing oxygen, which instead primarily comes from ice that had melted long ago from the polar regions. The water along the seafloor of this zone is actually devoid of oxygen, resulting in a death trap for organisms unable to quickly return to the oxygen-enriched water above. This region also contains a much higher concentration of nutrient salts, like nitrogen, phosphorus, and silica, due to the large amount of dead organic material that drifts down from the above ocean zones and decomposes. The water pressure can reach up to 76 megapascal.
The hadal zone, also known as the hadopelagic zone, is the deepest region of the ocean, lying within oceanic trenches. The hadal zone ranges from around 6 to 11 km below sea level, and exists in long, narrow, topographic V-shaped depressions.
The Kermadec Trench is a linear ocean trench in the south Pacific Ocean. It stretches about 1,000 km (620 mi) from the Louisville Seamount Chain in the north (26°S) to the Hikurangi Plateau in the south (37°S), north-east of New Zealand's North Island. Together with the Tonga Trench to the north, it forms the 2,000 km (1,200 mi)-long, near-linear Kermadec-Tonga subduction system, which began to evolve in the Eocene when the Pacific Plate started to subduct beneath the Australian Plate. Convergence rates along this subduction system are among the fastest on Earth, 80 mm (3.1 in)/yr in the north and 45 mm (1.8 in)/yr in the south.
Alicella gigantea is the largest species of amphipod ever observed, with some individuals reaching up to 34 centimetres (13 in) long. The average length of A. gigantea ranges from 72.5 to 141.0 millimeters, and its weight ranges from 4.2 to 45 grams[4]. Comparatively to other amphipods, the A. gigantea grows at a much faster rate. Formerly included in the family Lysianassidae, a new family, Alicellidae, was erected in 2008 for Alicella and five related genera. The species lives only at great depths; the first specimens were collected at the end of the 19th century from the Madeira Abyssal Plain, and subsequent specimens have been found in other abyssal plains of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as from the Kermadec Trench in the southwest Pacific. One specimen was found in the stomach of a black-footed albatross, but is thought to have been dead before it was eaten.
Alicellidae is a family of amphipod crustaceans, which live as scavengers in the deep sea, often in association with hydrothermal vents. The family includes the following genera:
Pseudoliparis swirei, the Mariana snailfish or Mariana hadal snailfish, is a species of snailfish found at hadal depths in the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean. It is known from a depth range of 6,198–8,076 m (20,335–26,496 ft), including a capture at the deepest point of Mariana Trench, which is possibly the record for a fish caught on the seafloor. Various anatomical, physiological, molecular and genetic adaptions help this species survive in such depths.
Eurythenes is a genus of marine amphipods in the family Eurytheneidae.
Eurythenes gryllus is a relatively large species of amphipod found worldwide in cold, deep oceans. This widespread and often common species is benthic and lives at depths of 550–7,800 m (1,800–25,600 ft).
Eurythenes plasticus is a species of amphipod of the genus Eurythenes, first described in 2020. It was named in reference to the PET plastic found in its stomach, after researchers wanted to highlight the impact of plastic pollution.
Alan J. Jamieson is a Scottish marine biologist, engineer, explorer and author, best known for his deep-sea exploration and study of life at the deepest places in the oceans. He is known for extensive use of deep-sea landers to establish the maximum depth and community dynamics of many organismal groups, as well as the discovery of many new species and highlighting the presence of anthropogenic impacts at full ocean depth. During the Five Deeps Expedition, and follow on expeditions in 2020, he completed various dives in a manned submersible to some of the deepest places in the world. He has published over 100 scientific papers and participated in 65 deep-sea expeditions.
Eurythenes thurstoni is a species of amphipod of the genus Eurythenes. It was first described in 2004 and named after Mike Thurston, a marine biologist specialising in deep-sea amphipods.
Eurythenes obesus is a species of amphipod of the genus Eurythenes. It was first described in 1905 by Édouard Chevreux.
Munidopsis taiwanica, is a species of Munidopsis, a genus of squat lobster. Named after the type locality. Deepest known record for squat lobsters at 5491m in the Mariana Trench, and is the first confirmed species of squat lobster found in the mud volcano environment.
Paraliparis selti, the blue Atacama snailfish, is a species of deep water snailfish that is native to the south-east Pacific Ocean hadal zone 6,714 meters under water in the Atacama Trench. P. selti is 83 millimeters in length total and 75.9 millimeters in standard length. its one of the 200 species of snailfish discovered in the southern hemisphere.