[貼圖] New Philippine Sea Species

本帖最後由 dxb 於 2011-6-29 08:57 AM 編輯

One Swell Shark
A new deep-sea swell shark is one of the hundreds of potentially new species discovered on a recent expedition to the Philippines.
The  shark, so named because it can suck in water to swell up and frighten  predators, is likely new to science. Other known species of swell shark  live elsewhere in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, according to expedition  scientists at the California Academy of Sciences.

Biologists spent 42 days on and around Luzon Island (see map), the largest island in the Philippine archipelago, surveying creatures of the land and sea.
"We found new species during nearly every dive and hike as we surveyed the country's reefs, rain forests, and the ocean floor," Terry Gosliner, leader of the 2011 Philippines Biodiversity Expedition, said in a statement.

While  many of the species still need to be confirmed as new using microscopes  or DNA sequencing, the team is confident that three hundred or so are  new to science.

Deep-Sea Treasures
Sorting  through a haul of marine life, California Academy of Sciences zoologist  Rick Mooi (right) displays an urchin that lives in depths of 1,500 feet  (460 meters).
During the deep-sea portion of the expedition, zoologists traveled on a boat operated by the Philippines Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, sending out trawls and leaving traps to see what would be hauled up.

In addition to urchins, corals, and sharks, the scientists found a lot of one thing: trash.

"Every  single trawl had trash in it," said Meg Burke, California Academy's  director of teacher and youth education. "Plastic, parts of plastic  bags, bottles, even dirty diapers—things like that. So the impact of  humans on the marine ecosystem was blatantly clear."

New Sea Slug
This new species of colorful nudibranch,  or sea slug, was found during the Philippines expedition. Nudibranchs  are technically mollusks, but unlike clams or snails, sea slugs rely on  powerful toxins and bright colors to warn away predators.

Though this species doesn't yet have a scientific name, the visually striking invertebrates are easy to tell apart, scientists say.
"You can identify different ones like you identify different people," expedition leader Gosliner said.

Pink Coral ColonyThis  pink coral colony, found recently in the Philippines, may represent a  new species because it grows differently than related corals.But  confirmation via microscopic analysis, DNA sequencing, and taxonomic  description may take some time, if only because some of the team's  specimens need to be specially shipped back to the U.S. from the  Philippines.

"We couldn't bring them back in our carry-on luggage," education director Burke joked.

New Nudibranch
The Philippines expedition discovered at least 50 new species of nudibranch, including this one in the Armina genus.
Worldwide,  there are more than 3,000 known species of nudibranch making their  homes at almost any depth. The area surrounding Luzon is renowned for  its nudibranch diversity, with more than 800 species known.

This  makes the discovery of 50 new species even more remarkable, Burke said—  especially because expedition leader Gosliner, a nudibranch expert, has  been diving around Luzon since 1992.

"It's a really good indication of the amazing biodiversity in the Philippines," Burke said.

Pea Urchin
Two  views show the test, or shell, of a likely new species of pea urchin  found in shallow water surrounding Luzon. Pea urchins, some of the  smallest urchins, eat particles of organic material found in sand.

The  team snorkeled and dived through reefs around the island, carefully  collecting everything from urchins to sea pens to giant sea worms.

Even  among the reefs, the team found trash, Burke noted. "There's pretty  good water movement, but at the same time you'd get these eddies of  trash."

Deep-Sea CrabDuring one of the expedition's deep-sea trawls, the group hauled up this crab, likely a new species in the Iphiculus genus. Its pincers are lined with needle-like teeth.

Over  nine days of deep-sea research, the team used beam trawls—essentially  nets on a sled, Burke said—at depths of up to 7,545 feet (2,300 meters).

Sea Pen
Researchers snorkeling among coral reefs discovered and gently dug up this unidentified sea pen for later study.
Sea  pens are so called for their resemblance to old-fashioned quill pens.  The rest of this animal's body, which is long and smooth like the tip of  a pen, is buried in the sand.

In the Bag
Expedition leader Gosliner holds up another new nudibranch species collected in the Philippines' Verde Island Passage.
The Philippines are home to 800 species of nudibranchs, of which 400 have yet to be formally named.
Some  of the newly discovered species had eluded scientists because they're  so tiny, reaching just a few millimeters in length. But the team also  found some "pretty good size" nudibranchs—like the species shown  here—illustrating that reefs are "just such incredibly complicated  ecosystems," Burke said.

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