Predatory tunicate

The predatory tunicate (Megalodicopia hians), also known as the ghostfish,[2] is a species of tunicate which lives anchored along deep-sea canyon walls and the seafloor. It is unique among other tunicates in that rather than being a filter feeder, it has adapted to life as an ambush predator. Its mouth-like siphon is quick to close whenever a small animal such as a crustacean or a fish drifts inside. Once the predatory tunicate catches a meal, it keeps its trap shut until the animal inside is digested. They are known to live in the Monterey Canyon at depths of 200–1,000 metres (660–3,280 ft). They mostly feed on zooplankton and tiny animals, and their bodies are roughly 5 inches (13 cm) across.[3]

Predatory tunicate
Predatory tunicate Megalodicopia hians
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Tunicata
Class: Ascidiacea
Order: Phlebobranchia
Family: Octacnemidae
Genus: Megalodicopia
Species:
M. hians
Binomial name
Megalodicopia hians
Oka, 1918[1]

Predatory tunicates are hermaphrodites, producing both eggs and sperm which drift into the water. If there are no other tunicates nearby, they can self-fertilize the eggs.[3]

Taxonomy

The predatory tunicate belongs to the family Octacnemidae, which is a group of deep-sea ascidians. Thanks to the hypertrophied oral siphon, two larger lips have formed to be able to catch prey.[4]

Octacnemidae have been suspected to share phylogenetic relations with the families Cionidae and/or Corellidae due to the similarities in their morphology.[5]

Distribution

Megalodicopia hians can be found sparsely to depths of about 3,800 m (12,500 ft) through the Monterey Canyon system.[4] Their abundance tended to be the greatest in the oxygen-minimum zone, which is 400–800 m (1,300–2,600 ft) down.

References
  1. Karen Sanamyan (2010). Noa Shenkar; Arjan Gittenberger; Gretchen Lambert; Marc Rius; Rosana Moreira Da Rocha; Billie J. Swalla (eds.). "Megalodicopia Oka, 1918". World Ascidiacea Database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  2. O'Brien, Nicholas (28 September 2014). "Marine Organism of the Week, Ghostfish". Bates.
  3. "Predatory tunicate Megalodicopia hians". www.montereybayaquarium.org. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  4. Havenhand, Jon N.; Matsumoto, George I.; Seidel, Ed (2006). "Megalodicopia hians in the Monterey submarine canyon: Distribution, larval development, and culture". Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 53 (2): 215–222. Bibcode:2006DSRI...53..215H. doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2005.11.005.
  5. Kurabayashi, Atsushi; Okuyama, Makiko; Ogawa, Mari; Takeuchi, Akira; Jing, Zhang; Naganuma, Takeshi; Saito, Yasunori (2003). "Phylogenetic Position of a Deep-Sea Ascidian, Megalodicopia hians, Inferred from the Molecular Data". Zoological Science. 20 (10): 1243–1247. doi:10.2108/zsj.20.1243. PMID 14569147.


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