Abstract
Bathochordaeus mcnutti sp. nov. is described from the mesopelagic northeast Pacific Ocean (Monterey Bay, California, USA). Larvaceans in the genus Bathochordaeus are large, often abundant zooplankters found throughout much of the world ocean, but until recently it was unclear whether more than a single species of Bathochordaeus existed. Using remotely operated vehicles, we have made hundreds of in situ observations, compiled two decades of time-series data, and carefully collected enough specimens to determine that three species of Bathochordaeus occur in Monterey Bay: B. charon (Chun), B. stygius (Garstang), and B. mcnutti sp. nov. Bathochordaeus mcnutti is readily distinguished from its two congeners by the distinct blue outline visible around the periphery of its tail, and by other aspects of its morphology, ecology, and genetics. The abundance of larvaceans means they are ecologically important as particle processors. Species within the genus, Bathochordaeus, comprise the largest of described larvaceans.
Highlights
The class Appendicularia, or Larvacea, is composed of three extant families: the Oikopleuridae, the Fritillaridae, and the Kowalevskiidae
The third is a new species of giant larvacean in the genus Bathochordaeus that we describe here based on morphological, ecological, and molecular evidence: Bathochordaeus mcnutti sp. nov
Adult giant larvaceans in the genus Bathochordaeus are larger than most other adult larvaceans by close to an order of magnitude
Summary
The class Appendicularia, or Larvacea, is composed of three extant families: the Oikopleuridae, the Fritillaridae, and the Kowalevskiidae. The small species can be very abundant, often rivaling copepods in number, but their fragility makes larvaceans notoriously difficult to collect and study (Bückmann and Kapp 1975; Fenaux 1993). Nowhere is this more clearly the case than in the open ocean and deep sea where the expense and difficulty of sampling are greatly increased (Hopcroft and Robison 1999; Hopcroft 2005)
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