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AnimaliaacceptedgenusAccepted
Abyssoecia

Abyssoecia

Grischenko, Gordon & Melnik, 2018

GBIF:148403715

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ABOUT

Descriptions(4)

Diagnosis. Colony erect to suberect, flabellate to subcalyciform, supported by founding zooids and additional pillars derived from autozooids. No basal kenozooids. Peristomes produced from frontal surface. Gonozooid simple, reniform, not pierced by zooidal peristomes, ooeciostome narrow. Ancestrular zooid suberect with squat imperforate protoecium.
Grischenko, Andrei V., Gordon, Dennis P., Melnik, Viacheslav P. (2018): Bryozoa (Cyclostomata and Ctenostomata) from polymetallic nodules in the Russian exploration area, Clarion - Clipperton Fracture Zone, eastern Pacific Ocean-taxon novelty and implications of mining. Zootaxa 4484 (1): 1-91, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4484.1.1
Remarks. The simple form of the gonozooid suggests inclusion in the Oncousoeciidae, used to accommodate tubuliporine cyclostomes having simple gonozooids with terminal cylindrical ooeciostomes (Taylor & Zatoń 2008). Compared to Abyssoecia n. gen., species of Oncousoecia Canu, 1918 have wholly encrusting colonies with pluriserial branches, and both differ from Microeciella Taylor & Sequeiros, 1982, in which species are multiserial and flabellate to circular. The ancestrula is wholly adnate in species of Oncousoecia and Microeciella. Among other putative oncousoeciids, Filisparsa d’Orbigny, 1853 differs in having erect, dichotomously branching flattened stems and Discosparsa d’Orbigny, 1853 differs in having umbrelliform, radially symmetrical circular colonies supported by a central stalk, elongate gonozooid (pierced by autozooidal peristomes in at least one species), and elevated subcolonies from the primary colony. Among living species, the semi-erect ancestrula is exceptional for the family; no information is available concerning the ancestrula in erect Mesozoic taxa that may be related to Oncousoeciidae. Interestingly, although colony form is very different in the species of Pandanipora n. gen., Orectopora n. gen., Discantenna and Abyssoecia n. gen. described herein, the semi-erect to erect ancestrula is very similar, perhaps suggesting either environmental or phylogenetic correlation or both. Erect or semi-erect ancestrulae prior to this study were considered to characterise Articulata and Cancellata, although in one Jurassic species of Microeciella the ancestrular tube is initially semi-erect before descending back down to the substratum (Taylor & Sequeiros 1982).
Grischenko, Andrei V., Gordon, Dennis P., Melnik, Viacheslav P. (2018): Bryozoa (Cyclostomata and Ctenostomata) from polymetallic nodules in the Russian exploration area, Clarion - Clipperton Fracture Zone, eastern Pacific Ocean-taxon novelty and implications of mining. Zootaxa 4484 (1): 1-91, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4484.1.1
Etymology. Latin, abyssus, deep sea, plus - oecia, a common suffix for tubuliporine Cyclostomata. Gender feminine.
Grischenko, Andrei V., Gordon, Dennis P., Melnik, Viacheslav P. (2018): Bryozoa (Cyclostomata and Ctenostomata) from polymetallic nodules in the Russian exploration area, Clarion - Clipperton Fracture Zone, eastern Pacific Ocean-taxon novelty and implications of mining. Zootaxa 4484 (1): 1-91, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4484.1.1
Type species. Abyssoecia elevata n. sp.
Grischenko, Andrei V., Gordon, Dennis P., Melnik, Viacheslav P. (2018): Bryozoa (Cyclostomata and Ctenostomata) from polymetallic nodules in the Russian exploration area, Clarion - Clipperton Fracture Zone, eastern Pacific Ocean-taxon novelty and implications of mining. Zootaxa 4484 (1): 1-91, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4484.1.1

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CLASSIFICATION

Taxonomic Classification Tree

AnimaliaBryozoaStenolaemataCyclostomatidaOncousoeciidaeAbyssoecia

Occurrences with images

Source Information

Bryozoa (Cyclostomata and Ctenostomata) from polymetallic nodules in the Russian exploration area, Clarion - Clipperton Fracture Zone, eastern Pacific Ocean-taxon novelty and implications of mining

checklist

This dataset contains the digitized treatments in Plazi based on the original journal article Grischenko, Andrei V., Gordon, Dennis P., Melnik, Viacheslav P. (2018): Bryozoa (Cyclostomata and Ctenostomata) from polymetallic nodules in the Russian exploration area, Clarion - Clipperton Fracture Zone, eastern Pacific Ocean-taxon novelty and implications of mining. Zootaxa 4484 (1): 1-91, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4484.1.1

Abstract

This work describes Bryozoa of the orders Cyclostomata and Ctenostomata found associated with polymetallic nodules collected by box-coring in the eastern part of the Russian exploration area of the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCFZ) under contract to Yuzhmorgeologiya. Scanning electron microscopic study of 358 cyclostome colonies and 14 ctenostome colonies from 4510–5280 m depth has resulted in the recognition of two new species of Ctenostomata, and 14 new species, nine new genera and two new families of Cyclostomata; three additional species of Cyclostomata are left in open nomenclature pending the discovery of missing reproductive characters. The taxonomic novelty is thus notable. One of the new Ctenostomata represents the first living example of the previously monotypic Late Cretaceous genus Pierrella. Twelve of the new cyclostome taxa have well-developed gonozooids, indicating that embryonic cloning (polyembryony) is normal in this deep-sea environment. On the other hand, one indeterminate tubuliporine and two rectangulates have dimorphic peristomes. In the latter two cases, enough mature colonies were found to suggest that this feature is normal, and that the dimorphic zooids are possibly female—in other words, capacious incubation chambers are apparently lacking, and therefore polyembryony would also be lacking or reduced. In one of these species, evidence is presented to suggest that the ancestrular zooid can reproduce precociously. Of the species reported here, only one has previously been found outside the exploration area, highlighting both the limited knowledge we have of bryozoans in the deep Pacific and/or a fauna that is largely endemic to the nodule environment. An additional 31 species of Cheilostomata have also been discovered that will be described in a subsequent publication. Most bryozoans are macrofaunal-sized, so are both inadequately determinable and overlooked in images obtained by remotely operated vehicles; yet, with 50 species, Bryozoa is the most speciose sessile macrofaunal phylum on the nodules. Nodules constitute hard substrata in an area otherwise mostly inhospitable for Bryozoa, hence mining would lead to loss of critical habitat. Further, as suspension-feeders, bryozoans are highly susceptible to smothering by suspended sediment, and non-mined areas closely adjacent to extraction zones would likely also be affected and their associated bryozoan fauna obliterated. More data are required on the distribution of the CCFZ bryozoan species elsewhere in the east Central Pacific to determine if mining would lead to local taxon extirpation or global extinction at both low and high taxonomic levels.

Grischenko A V, Gordon D P, Melnik V P, plazi (2018). Bryozoa (Cyclostomata and Ctenostomata) from polymetallic nodules in the Russian exploration area, Clarion - Clipperton Fracture Zone, eastern Pacific Ocean-taxon novelty and implications of mining. Plazi.org taxonomic treatments database. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4484.1.1 accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-06-14.

CC0Published 9/25/2018View dataset
GBIF Usage Key
148403715
Dataset Key
74b777c9-eae0-4770-8c86-dcbb10fb06b3
Origin
source
Backbone Key
10093701
Taxon ID
521587E4562A551F09EEFC968FDEF933.taxon
Last Crawled
6/10/2026
Last Interpreted
6/10/2026
View on GBIFSource Reference