A group of marine biologists headed by Dr Robert Vrijenhoek from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute has described five new species of deep water Alviniconcha snails from the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean.
Alviniconcha strummeri, a new species of deep-sea snail named after Joe Strummer of The Clash. Image credit: Shannon B. Johnson et al.
Snails in the genus Alviniconcha belong to the family Provannidae.
These deep-sea animals live in the hottest and most acidic waters near hydrothermal vents.
Because these snails live in these extreme conditions, they have severely degraded shells (size varies between 2.5-10 cm) covered in spikes or have no shells at all.
Five new Alviniconcha species were collected during several expeditions (1993-2008) to various segments of the North Fiji, Lau, Manus and Mariana back-arc basins, the Mariana Volcanic Arc and the Central Indian Ridge.
“Collections were conducted with the remotely operated vehicles (ROV) Jason II and Ropos, with the ST212 trenching ROV, and with the human-occupied vehicle Shinkai 6500,” Dr Vrijenhoek and his colleagues wrote in a paper in the journal Systematics and Biodiversity.
“Snails were sampled with scoops, nets or directly with robotic manipulators.”
The scientists informally described the new snails as ‘cool and punk rock.’
One of them, Alviniconcha strummeri, is named after Joe Strummer, the lead singer of The Clash.
Alviniconcha kojimai, A. adamantis, A. marisindica and A. boucheti (clockwise). Image credit: Shannon B. Johnson et al.
“Named in honor of Joe Strummer, the lead vocalist and guitarist from The Clash, a British punk band,” the scientists wrote.
“The name highlights the ‘hardcore’ nature of Alviniconcha snails that inhabit the hottest, most acidic and most sulfidic microhabitats at Indo-Pacific hydrothermal vents.”
“The name also recognizes the surface of Alviniconcha shells: the spiky periostracum resembles the fashion of punk rock bands.”
Alviniconcha strummeri is known from hydrothermal vent localities at 1,850 m depth in the southern Lau basin, especially at the Tui Malila vent site.
The other four new species are Alviniconcha kojimai, A. boucheti, A. marisindica and A. adamantis.
A. kojimai is known from hydrothermal vent localities at 1,480 to 2,700 m depths in the Manus, Fiji and Lau basins, in the Western Pacific. A. boucheti lives near hydrothermal vents at 1,300 to 2,700 m depths in the Manus, Fiji and Lau basins, in the Western Pacific.
A. marisindica occurs at hydrothermal vents at 2,400 to 3,300 m depths on Central Indian Ridge, in the Indian Ocean: Kairei and Edmunds vent fields. And A. adamantis lives near hydrothermal vents at 350 m depth on East Diamante Seamount.
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Shannon B. Johnson et al. Molecular taxonomy and naming of five cryptic species of Alviniconcha snails (Gastropoda: Abyssochrysoidea) from hydrothermal vents. Systematics and Biodiversity, published online December 3, 2014; doi: 10.1080/14772000.2014.970673
