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Two genera of the Rhodymeniales, Halopeltis and Leptofauchea, are here reported for the first time from the Hawaiian Islands and represent the deepest records for both genera. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI), rbcL, and large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU) sequences for Hawaiian specimens of Leptofauchea revealed one well-supported clade of Hawaiian specimens and three additional lineages. One of these clades is described here as Leptofauchea huawelau sp. nov., and is thus far known only from mesophotic depths at Penguin Bank in the Main Hawaiian Islands. L. huawelau sp. nov. is up to 21 cm, and is the largest known species. An additional lineage identified in the LSU and rbcL analyses corresponds to the recently described L. lucida from Western Australia, and is a new record for Hawai‘i. Hawaiian Halopeltis formed a well-supported clade along with H. adnata from Korea, the recently described H. tanakae from mesophotic depths in Japan, and H. willisii from North Carolina, and is here described as Halopeltis nuahilihilia sp. nov. H. nuahilihilia sp. nov. has a distinctive morphology of narrow vegetative axes that harbor constrictions along their length. The current distribution of H. nuahilihilia includes mesophotic depths around W. Maui, W. Moloka‘i, and the island of Hawai‘i in the Main Hawaiian Islands. Few reproductive characters were observed because of the small number of specimens available; however, both species are distinct based on phylogeny and morphology. These descriptions further emphasize the Hawaiian mesophotic zone as a location harboring many undescribed species of marine macroalgae.
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This content will become publicly available on December 1, 2026
Exploring abyssal solenogastres (Mollusca, Aplacophora) diversity with the study of a collection from the Brazil Basin and the description of three new species
Solenogastres (Mollusca, Aplacophora) are widespread across all oceans and depths, yet remain among the least understood molluscs. Despite frequent collection in deep-sea surveys, only 10% of species have been described from depths below 3500 m, largely due to the labor-intensive nature of their identifications. This study examines specimens from the DIVA 3 expedition (Me 79/1, 2009) in the Brazil Basin and describes three new abyssal species of Wirenia Odhner, 1921 (W. bertae sp. nov., W. meteori sp. nov., and W. opistodenticulata sp. nov.), the first formally described Gymnomeniidae from the abyss and the southern hemisphere. Using an integrative morphological approach (SEM, light microscopy, histology), we highlight the value of external sclerite characters for species delimitation. We also present a synthesis of known abyssal solenogaster diversity focused on the formally described taxa and outlining recent progress and future research priorities. Our findings emphasize the importance of deep-sea exploration and taxonomy in closing major knowledge gaps in marine biodiversity.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1846174
- PAR ID:
- 10656432
- Publisher / Repository:
- Springer
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Marine Biodiversity
- Volume:
- 55
- Issue:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 1867-1616
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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