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Sea Daisy
Sea daisies (infraclass Concentricycloidea; order Peripodida) make up an unusual group of deep-sea taxa belonging to the phylum Echinodermata, with three species described in the genus ''Xyloplax''. Intestine and anus are absent. Distribution Sea daisies have been discovered in three localities, including deep-sea habitats off New Zealand, the Bahamas and most recently from the northern central Pacific. They have been collected primarily from sunken, deep-sea (1000+ meters) wood. Although known from only a handful of specimens initially, many specimens have now been collected from the Bahamas. Classification Since they were discovered in 1986, their position within the echinoderms has been debated. At first they were placed in a new class, Concentricycloidea, since it was unclear whether they might have affinities with asteroids or ophiuroids. The former view gained acceptance, and since 2006, they are currently considered a sister group to the Infraclass Neoasteroidea, which r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xyloplax Janetae
''Xyloplax janetae'' is a ''Xyloplax'' of the family Xyloplacidae. It lives on the surface of wood sunken to abyssal depths. Morphology ''Xyloplax janetae'' is a flattened disk, from in diameter, and about thick. It has adambulacral spines which are spines that project radially from the margin of the animal, of distinct morphology. On its dorsal (abactinal {{Short pages monitor [Baidu] |
Xyloplax Janetae
''Xyloplax janetae'' is a ''Xyloplax'' of the family Xyloplacidae. It lives on the surface of wood sunken to abyssal depths. Morphology ''Xyloplax janetae'' is a flattened disk, from in diameter, and about thick. It has adambulacral spines which are spines that project radially from the margin of the animal, of distinct morphology. On its dorsal (abactinal {{Short pages monitor [Baidu] |
Xyloplax Medusiformis
''Xyloplax medusiformis'' is a sea daisy, a member of an unusual group of marine taxa belonging to the phylum Echinodermata. It is found at bathyal depths in waters around New Zealand. It was first described in 1986 by Baker, Rowe and Clark and is the type taxon of the genus ''Xyloplax''. Its generic name derives from the Greek "xylo" meaning wood and its specific name was chosen because its morphology superficially resembles that of a cnidarian medusa. Discovery Specimens of ''Xyloplax medusiformis'' were first discovered by accident when a submersible craft was being used to collect samples of wood on the deep sea bed in the South Pacific near New Zealand. Nine individuals were discovered from five locations. At the time these specimens puzzled researchers because of their lack of close affiliations to other echinoderms. Since then further members of the genus ''Xyloplax'' have been discovered on wood at bathyal depths, '' Xyloplax turnerae'' in the Atlantic Ocean off the B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xyloplax Turnerae
''Xyloplax turnerae'' is a sea daisy, a member of an unusual group of marine taxa belonging to the phylum Echinodermata. It has been found living on decaying timber in a deep oceanic trench in the Bahamas. Discovery An enigmatic new species of echinoderm, ''Xyloplax medusiformis'', was discovered in the South Pacific near New Zealand and first described in 1986 by Baker, Rowe and Clark. Further deep sea exploration by the same team using a submersible vehicle led to the discovery of a new species of ''Xyloplax''. Pieces of timber were deposited at a depth of in an oceanic trench known as the Tongue of the Ocean The Tongue of the Ocean (TOTO) is the name of a region of much deeper water in the Bahamas separating the islands of Andros and New Providence. Features The TOTO is a U-shaped, relatively flat-bottomed trench measuring approximately . Its depth ... between the Bahamian islands of Andros, Bahamas, Andros and New Providence. When recovered nearly two years later they ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Order (biology)
Order ( la, ordo) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and recognized by the nomenclature codes. An immediately higher rank, superorder, is sometimes added directly above order, with suborder directly beneath order. An order can also be defined as a group of related families. What does and does not belong to each order is determined by a taxonomist, as is whether a particular order should be recognized at all. Often there is no exact agreement, with different taxonomists each taking a different position. There are no hard rules that a taxonomist needs to follow in describing or recognizing an order. Some taxa are accepted almost universally, while others are recognized only rarely. The name of an order is usually written with a capital letter. For some groups of organisms, their orders may fol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Echinodermata
An echinoderm () is any member of the phylum Echinodermata (). The adults are recognisable by their (usually five-point) radial symmetry, and include starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers, as well as the sea lilies or "stone lilies". Adult echinoderms are found on the sea bed at every ocean depth, from the intertidal zone to the abyssal zone. The phylum contains about 7,000 living species, making it the second-largest grouping of deuterostomes, after the chordates. Echinoderms are the largest entirely marine phylum. The first definitive echinoderms appeared near the start of the Cambrian. The echinoderms are important both ecologically and geologically. Ecologically, there are few other groupings so abundant in the biotic desert of the deep sea, as well as shallower oceans. Most echinoderms are able to reproduce asexually and regenerate tissue, organs, and limbs; in some cases, they can undergo complete regeneration from a single lim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. Other ways of defining species include their karyotype, DNA sequence, morphology, behaviour or ecological niche. In addition, paleontologists use the concept of the chronospecies since fossil reproduction cannot be examined. The most recent rigorous estimate for the total number of species of eukaryotes is between 8 and 8.7 million. However, only about 14% of these had been described by 2011. All species (except viruses) are given a two-part name, a "binomial". The first part of a binomial is the genus to which the species belongs. The second part is called the specific name or the specific epithet (in botanical nomenclature, also sometimes i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asteroidea
Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as brittle stars or basket stars. Starfish are also known as asteroids due to being in the class Asteroidea. About 1,900 species of starfish live on the seabed in all the world's oceans, from warm, tropical zones to frigid, polar regions. They are found from the intertidal zone down to abyssal depths, at below the surface. Starfish are marine invertebrates. They typically have a central disc and usually five arms, though some species have a larger number of arms. The aboral or upper surface may be smooth, granular or spiny, and is covered with overlapping plates. Many species are brightly coloured in various shades of red or orange, while others are blue, grey or brown. Starfish have tube feet operated by a hydraulic system and a mouth at the centre of the oral or lower surface. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xyloplax Turnerae
''Xyloplax turnerae'' is a sea daisy, a member of an unusual group of marine taxa belonging to the phylum Echinodermata. It has been found living on decaying timber in a deep oceanic trench in the Bahamas. Discovery An enigmatic new species of echinoderm, ''Xyloplax medusiformis'', was discovered in the South Pacific near New Zealand and first described in 1986 by Baker, Rowe and Clark. Further deep sea exploration by the same team using a submersible vehicle led to the discovery of a new species of ''Xyloplax''. Pieces of timber were deposited at a depth of in an oceanic trench known as the Tongue of the Ocean between the Bahamian islands of Andros and New Providence. When recovered nearly two years later they yielded more than two hundred specimens of ''Xyloplax turnerae''. In 2004, another species in this genus was collected in a similar way from a depth of in the north east Pacific Ocean. It has since been named ''Xyloplax janetae''. Description ''Xyloplax turnerae'' is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
