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1 June 2009 Discovery of Dense Aggregations of Stalked Crinoids in Izu-Ogasawara Trench, Japan
Tatsuo Oji, Yujiro Ogawa, Aaron W. Hunter, Kota Kitazawa
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Abstract

Stalked crinoids are recognized as living fossils that typically inhabit modern deep-water environments exceeding 100 m. Previous records of stalked crinoids from hadal depths (exceeding 6000 m) are extremely rare, and no in-situ information has been available. We show here that stalked crinoids live densely on rocky substrates at depths over 9000 m in the Izu-Ogasawara Trench off the eastern coast of Japan, evidenced by underwater photos and videos taken by a remotely operated vehicle. This is the deepest in-situ observation of stalked crinoids and demonstrates that crinoid meadows can exist at hadal depths close to the deepest ocean floor, in a fashion quite similar to populations observed in shallower depths.

© 2009 Zoological Society of Japan
Tatsuo Oji, Yujiro Ogawa, Aaron W. Hunter, and Kota Kitazawa "Discovery of Dense Aggregations of Stalked Crinoids in Izu-Ogasawara Trench, Japan," Zoological Science 26(6), 406-408, (1 June 2009). https://doi.org/10.2108/zsj.26.406
Received: 8 March 2009; Accepted: 11 April 2009; Published: 1 June 2009
KEYWORDS
biogeography
crinoid
echinoderm
hadal zone
trench
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