Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures
The Status of the Tropical Western Atlantic Deep-Water Crinoid Fauna
Event Name/Location
2012 GSA Annual Meeting and Exposition, Charlotte, North Carolina, November 4-7, 2012
Presentation Date
11-7-2012
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
ISSN
0016-7592
Description
The extant tropical western Atlantic crinoid fauna (Carolinas to Brazil) includes 50 currently accepted species-group taxa, all but 8 of which occur at depths >100 m. Taxonomic revisions of known taxa may increase this figure. Thirteen submersible dives in ten days to the previously investigated western Bahamas have recently recovered four additional taxa, including a new genus, increasing the regional fauna by 8%, and indicating that much remains to be learned. One species exhibits an important anatomical feature that may represent the foundation for future crinoid diversification. Recent submersible work off Honduras has revealed dense assemblages of the cyrtocrinids Holopus and Cyathidium, including numerous dead calices, offering an opportunity to examine changes over time. Numerous species’ bathymetric ranges and local to regional distributions vary strongly with both available substrates and hydrographic conditions.
Additional Comments
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 44, No. 7, p.499
NSUWorks Citation
Messing, Charles, "The Status of the Tropical Western Atlantic Deep-Water Crinoid Fauna" (2012). Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures. 463.
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_facpresentations/463
Comments
© Copyright 2012 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.