Cystisoma

Cystisoma is a genus of amphipod. It is the only member of the family Cystisomatidae within the Hyperiidea.[1][2][3][4][5] The genus is noted for its nearly completely transparent body, adapted for life in low light waters.

Cystisoma
Photograph of Cystisoma in lateral view
Caught specimen collected in Hawaii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Superorder: Peracarida
Order: Amphipoda
Suborder: Hyperiidea
Family: Cystisomatidae
Willemöes-Suhm, 1875
Genus: Cystisoma
Guérin-Méneville, 1842
Synonyms
  • Cysteosoma Bovallius
  • Cystosoma Spence Bate
  • Thaumatops Martens

Description
  • Specimen in side view
    Specimen in side view
  • Specimen in dorsal view
    Specimen in dorsal view
  • Underside view
    Underside view

Cystisoma are characterized by unpigmented, transparent bodies which render them essentially invisible in water unless under precisely angled lighting.[6] Only their eyes are pigmented. There is only a single pair of eyes which are large and directed upwards, being spread into a thin sheet on the upper surface of the head. This is likely an adaption of life in the ocean depths, where the only major light source is from above.[7][8]

Marine biologists at Duke University and the Smithsonian analyzed the crustacean's shell and discovered that it was covered in microscopic spheres that significantly reduce reflected light, thus giving the organism an antireflective coating. The spheres are believed to be bacteria due to their morphology and method of reproduction. Minute structures called nanoprotuberances were also observed on the Cystisoma's body, notably on the organism's legs. Researchers believe that they act as a buffer between light and the amphipod's body, significantly reducing surface reflection.[9][6]

Size

Cystisoma are the largest of hyperiids, reaching lengths over 100 mm.[9]

Distribution

Cystisoma inhabit the dim epipelagic and mesopelagic zones. They can be found in all of the world's oceans. They appear to be freely swimming organisms and unlike other hyperiids, do not appear to be closely associated with salps.[9]

Species
  • Cystisoma fabricii Stebbing, 1888
  • Cystisoma gershwinae Zeidler, 2003
  • Cystisoma latipes (Stephensen, 1918)
  • Cystisoma longipes (Bovallius, 1886)
  • Cystisoma magna (Woltereck, 1903)
  • Cystisoma pellucida (Willemöes-Suhm, 1873)

References
  1. "Cystisoma Guérin-Méneville, 1842". WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  2. "Cystisoma". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. "Cystisoma". Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). US Federal Government. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  4. Vinogradov ME, Volkov AF, Semenova TN (1992). Hyperiid amphipods (Amphipoda, Hyperiidea) of the world oceans. Smithsonian Institution Libraries and National Science Foundation. OCLC 489185653.
  5. Zeidler W (2003-01-31). "A review of the hyperiidean amphipod family Cystisomatidae Willemöes-Suhm, 1875 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidea)". Zootaxa. 141 (1): 43. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.141.1. ISSN 1175-5334.
  6. Cronin TW (November 2016). "Camouflage: Being Invisible in the Open Ocean". Current Biology. 26 (22): R1179–R1181. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2016.09.056. PMID 27875694. S2CID 25085458.
  7. Lin C, Hoving HT, Cronin TW, Osborn KJ (April 2021). "Strange eyes, stranger brains: exceptional diversity of optic lobe organization in midwater crustaceans". Proceedings. Biological Sciences. 288 (1948): 20210216. doi:10.1098/rspb.2021.0216. PMC 8059609. PMID 33823669.
  8. Land, M. F. (1989). "The eyes of hyperiid amphipods: relations of optical structure to depth". Journal of Comparative Physiology A. 164 (6): 751–762. doi:10.1007/BF00616747. ISSN 0340-7594. S2CID 23819801.
  9. Bagge LE, Osborn KJ, Johnsen S (November 2016). "Nanostructures and Monolayers of Spheres Reduce Surface Reflections in Hyperiid Amphipods". Current Biology. 26 (22): 3071–3076. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2016.09.033. PMID 28094029. S2CID 9930034.
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