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Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceCommunication

Millepora spp. as Substrates of Their Hydrozoan Counterparts Stylaster sp. in the Pacific Ocean

by Chloé Julie Loïs Fourreau, Daniela Pica, Emmeline A. Jamodiong, Guillermo Mironenko Castelló, Iori Mizukami and James Davis Reimer

Diversity 2024, 16(3), 142; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16030142 - 23 Feb 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3373

Abstract

The association between two hydrozoans, Stylaster sp. and Millepora spp., has been described as a case of pseudo-auto-epizoism, and has only been reported from the Caribbean region of the Atlantic Ocean. Here, we report on the occurrence of this association in the Pacific Ocean on coral reefs around Iriomote-jima Island, Japan, suggesting the association to be more widespread than had previously been thought. Moreover, Stylaster sp. colonies were observed living healthily on bleached and dead branches of Millepora spp., indicating that this interaction is facultative. The interaction reported here differs from the relationship between the Caribbean Stylaster roseus and Millepora alcicornis by the connection points between the two partners, which is made evident by the whitening of the Millepora counterpart in Iriomote-jima Island, while being seamless in the Caribbean association. Further research is necessary to fully understand the nature of these relationships, comprehending under what conditions it occurs, and establishing which species are involved in the interactions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2024 Feature Papers by Diversity’s Editorial Board Members)

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15 pages, 8027 KB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

The First Deep-Sea Stylasterid (Hydrozoa, Stylasteridae) of the Red Sea

by Davide Maggioni, Tullia I. Terraneo, Giovanni Chimienti, Fabio Marchese, Daniela Pica, Stephen D. Cairns, Ameer A. Eweida, Mattie Rodrigue, Sam J. Purkis and Francesca Benzoni

Diversity 2022, 14(4), 241; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14040241 - 25 Mar 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 6808

Abstract

The Stylasteridae, commonly known as lace corals, is a family of colonial calcifying hydrozoans mostly inhabiting deep waters. Stylasterids show a cosmopolitan distribution but, in some areas, they are characterized by low species diversity, such as in the Red Sea, where only a shallow-water species has been reported so far. With this work, we provide the first evidence of a deep-sea stylasterid inhabiting the NEOM region in the northern Saudi Arabian Red Sea, at depths ranging between 166 and 492 m. Morphological examinations revealed that this species was previously unknown and belonging to the genus Stylaster. We, therefore, describe Stylaster tritoni sp. nov., representing the first record of the genus in the Red Sea. Lastly, the phylogenetic position of the species within the Stylasteridae was evaluated, revealing a close relationship with shallow-water Indo-Pacific and Western Atlantic Stylaster species and confirming the polyphyletic nature of the genus Stylaster. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Ecology, and Evolution of Hydrozoans)

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6 pages, 2261 KB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceInteresting Images

Unexplored Refugia with High Cover of Scleractinian Leptoseris spp. and Hydrocorals Stylaster flabelliformis at Lower Mesophotic Depths (75–100 m) on Lava Flows at Reunion Island (Southwestern Indian Ocean)

by Ludovic Hoarau, Héloïse Rouzé, Émilie Boissin, Nicole Gravier-Bonnet, Patrick Plantard, Camille Loisil, Lionel Bigot, Pascale Chabanet, Priscille Labarrère, Lucie Penin, Mehdi Adjeroud and Thierry Mulochau

Diversity 2021, 13(4), 141; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13040141 - 25 Mar 2021

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 8854

Abstract

Despite increased attention over the last decade on Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems (MCEs) [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity of Mesophotic Ecosystems)

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9 pages, 2434 KB

Open AccessCommunication

Widespread Occurrence of a Rarely Known Association between the Hydrocorals Stylaster roseus and Millepora alcicornis at Bonaire, Southern Caribbean

by Simone Montano, James D. Reimer, Viatcheslav N. Ivanenko, Jaaziel E. García-Hernández, Godfried W.N.M. van Moorsel, Paolo Galli and Bert W. Hoeksema

Diversity 2020, 12(6), 218; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12060218 - 30 May 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5072

Abstract

Among symbiotic associations, cases of pseudo-auto-epizoism, in which a species uses a resembling but not directly related species as substrate, are poorly documented in coral reef ecosystems. In the present study, we assessed the distribution of an association between the hydrocorals Stylaster roseus and Millepora alcicornis on about 50% of coral reef sites studied in Bonaire, southern Caribbean. Although previously thought to be uncommon, associations between the lace coral S. roseus and the fire coral M. alcicornis were observed at both the windward and leeward sides of Bonaire, mainly between 15 and 25 m depth, reaching a maximum occupation of 47 S. roseus colonies on a single M. alcicornis colony. Both species’ tissues did not show any signs of injuries, while an in-depth inspection of the contact points of their skeletons revealed that both partners can partially overgrow each other. How it is possible that S. roseus is able to settle on the stinging tissue of Millepora as well as how, by contrast, the latter may facilitate the lace coral by offering a certain degree of protection are questions that deserve further investigations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity of Coral-Associated Fauna)

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