Scientists discover a new species of deep-sea crown jelly in Monterey Bay

One of the most common residents of the ocean is the crown jelly Atolla. The bell has a scarlet color and is longer than the rest. 15 years ago, when the researchers spotted a jelly that looked like Atolla, they were curious.

The scientific description of a large new species of Atolla was published in the journal Animals. The first volunteer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium was named Atolla reynoldsi.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium named this new species in honor of Jeff Reynolds, who has given over four million hours of service to the aquarium over the past 38 years. They've given their time to educate the public about the ocean. The lead author on the description of this new species said that aquarium volunteers have been instrumental in raising awareness about the fragility of the ocean and inspiring the public to care about the health of the ocean.

Two species of Atolla are thought to live in the depths of Monterey Bay. They want to describe the new additions to the family tree.

The deep-sea crown Jelly Atolla can be found all over the world. Thousands of observations of Atolla can be found in the archive of more than 27,600 hours of video. Scientists have recognized 10 species in the genus. They have unique features that make them easy to identify. The common and widespread A. wyvillei can be difficult to identify. Some characteristics that were thought to be specific to the species have turned out to be not helpful.

Researchers often use the single elongate or hypertrophiedtentacle to identify Atolla. The bell is six times the diameter. Researchers think this long arm helps in capturing prey. Observations from researchers in Japan suggest the single trailing tentacle helps the hungry Atolla snag siphonophores.

Over the past 15 years, the researchers at MBARI have observed and collected several types of Atolla-like jellies that don't have the typical trailing tentacle. Researchers have collected enough information to describe Atolla reynoldsi.

A. reynoldsi is larger than other Atolla species. This newly discovered species is one of the largest in the group, with a 13 cm diameter.

A reynoldsi has a bell. The bell is separated from the wide margin with thick segments known as pedalia by a deep grooves. The edge of the bell resembles a crown, earning this group of jellies its regal name. The crown in A. reynoldsi has spiked ridges. The only other species of Atolla has a bumpy bell. The gut of A. reynoldsi is shaped like a Greek cross.

A reynoldsi has no hypertrophied tentacle, but it does have its tentacles coiled. The number of tentacles may not be a good way to identify individual species of Atolla. The new A. reynoldsi has anywhere from 26 to 39 tentacles.

MBARI researchers only observed 10 A. reynoldsi between April 2006 and June 2021. This species is only known from Monterey Bay and lives at depths of 1,013 to 3,189 meters.

The other Atolla species that the MBARI research team was able to collect is not the same species as A. reynoldsi.

The new species of Atolla is named after Jeff Reynolds, the first volunteer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Reynolds guarded a beached whale on Del Monte Beach overnight in 1980, four years before the Aquarium opened. Reynolds assisted Tom Williams with his research at the Aquarium. He helped launch the Aquarium's effort to rescue and rehabilitate stranded sea otter pups.

This is an honor to have a new species named after me. Jeff Reynolds said that he was the lucky one to be at the Aquarium early on. Being taken in as a 16-year-old kid by mentors like Steve and Tom was a wonderful experience.

Aquarium staff and volunteers have worked together since 1984. Aquarium volunteers experience a unique sense of community, a passionate connection to the Aquarium's mission, and a high amount of service hours. Volunteers have given more than 4.3 million hours of service since the opening of the Aquarium.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium's mission is to inspire people to care for the ocean. In front of and behind the scenes, aquarium volunteers support the mission. There are many roles that volunteers assume across the institution. Aquarium exhibits are shared with the public by interpretive guides. Others work behind the scenes to prepare food for Aquarium animals, track otter in Elkhorn Slough, or even dive in Aquarium exhibits to maintain the beauty of the exhibits for visitors.

Aquarium volunteers have an impact that is impossible to overstate. They become ambassadors in their communities and also for ocean preservation, because of their contributions to the Aquarium.

It is rewarding to see visitors fall in love with the ocean as an Aquarium volunteer. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is our education partner. We brought the deep sea to the exhibition. It is my hope that the volunteers in this exhibition can help inspire future generations to care about an environment that is the largest living space on Earth, but one we still know so little about.

There is still much to learn about the diversity of life in the deep sea, even in a location as well studied as Monterey Bay.

The new Atolla reynoldsi was described by the research team, but they didn't have enough samples to confirm that it was a new species.

One species has only been observed three times, once in 2002 and twice in 2021. It can be large compared to its relatives, with one specimen too large to be collected in a ROV. The shape of the gut resembles a Greek cross and it does not have a trailing tentacle. Unlike A. reynoldsi, which has curledtentacles and spiky ridges on its bell, the species A has straight ridges on its bell. Its bell is large and rounded.

The second species known as Atolla species B has been seen by researchers five times in the past 15 years. Three out of five observations were made deep in the water. The specimen was almost 2 inches across. The bell was white, flat, and lacked any spikes around the margin, unlike the other five specimen.

The three new Atolla-like jellies do not fit in with the current descriptions of the family. The three unique Atolla may eventually need to be placed into a new group due to their unique stomach and lack of a trailing tentacle. The research team recommends that the individual species remain within the genus Atolla until further work is done to determine the morphological features and genetic sequence that define them.

Many of the species that live in the deep sea are unknown to humans. More than 200 new species have been documented over the past 34 years, but have not revealed the diversity of life in the deep sea.

We still don't know a lot about the ocean, the largest living space on Earth. Climate change, overfishing, plastic pollution, and habitat destruction are all threats to the ocean that face coastal waters. We need to document the diversity of life before it is lost.

How much we still have to learn about the deep sea is underscored by the new jellies. As the deep sea and the animals that live there face a growing number of threats, the work of MBARI is more urgent than ever. We can't protect life in the deep sea unless we understand it first.

More information: George I. Matsumoto et al, Atolla reynoldsi sp. nov. (Cnidaria, Scyphozoa, Coronatae, Atollidae): A New Species of Coronate Scyphozoan Found in the Eastern North Pacific Ocean, Animals (2022). DOI: 10.3390/ani12060742 Citation: Scientists discover a new species of deep-sea crown jelly in Monterey Bay (2022, April 19) retrieved 19 April 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-04-scientists-species-deep-sea-crown-jelly.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.