Abstract
During a recent research cruise on the continental margin off Costa Rica, we observed many giant agglutinating Xenophyophoroidea (Foraminifera) on both hard and soft substrates. These fist-sized protists, which occur only below 400 m, are one of the few groups of organisms limited to the deep ocean (Tendal 1972). Xenophyophores are known to be abundant on sloped topography where there is high particle flux, as many have a morphology designed to trap settling particles which they can feed on or use to form tests (Levin 1991, Levin and Gooday 1992).
Highlights
During a recent research cruise on the continental margin off Costa Rica, we observed many giant agglutinating Xenophyophoroidea (Foraminifera) on both hard and soft substrates
Xenophyophores are known to be abundant on sloped topography where there is high particle flux, as many have a morphology designed to trap settling particles that they can feed on or use to form tests (Levin 1991, Levin and Gooday 1992)
Collections of Costa Rican xenophyophores from the continental margin were made with the ROV SuBastian aboard RV Falkor in January 2019, using the ROV manipulator claws for those on rocks and using a pushcore for xenophyophores on sediments (Fig. 1a)
Summary
Manuscript received 13 August 2019; revised 30 September 2019; accepted 18 October 2019. During a recent research cruise on the continental margin off Costa Rica, we observed many giant agglutinating Xenophyophoroidea (Foraminifera) on both hard and soft substrates These fist-sized protists, which occur only below 400 m, are one of the few groups of organisms limited to the deep ocean (Tendal 1972). We report the occurrence of snailfish (Liparidae) embryos (Fig. 1d) and eggs (Fig. 1e), attached deep in xenophyophores collected from two sites on the Costa Rican slope at 1,902 m (Mound Jaguar) and 1,866 m (Jaco Scar). One 5-cm diameter xenophyophore from Jaco Scar, tentatively identified based on morphology and test particles as being in the genus Reticulammina (Fig. 1b), contained approximately 20 fish eggs (~2.9 mm diameter; Fig. 1f). Two species of Paraliparis were collected by the Albatross off Panama in the 1800s (Chernova et al 2004)
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