Little white sponges,
filtering in mining zones:
Flocks of new markers.
New species are being discovered all the time and even the most innocuous can be important. A new species of sponge has been discovered and recorded by Lim et al (2017) at a depth of 4000m on the abyssal seafloor of the central Pacific Ocean. Morphologic and genetic analysis of the sponges (Plenaster craigi) has revealed they are a new genus, currently placed within the family Stelligeridae.
The region where the sponges are found is rich in polymetallic (metal-rich) nodules and may well be subjected to deep-sea mining. The sponges could be useful indicators of the impacts of such mining efforts – they are abundant on the nodules, are easily identified and are filter-feeders so sensitive to changing conditions.
The Latin name Plenaster is due to the abundance of star-shaped microscleres within their bodies, whilst the species name of craigi is in honour of the Chief Scientist on the expeditions that sampled the species Professor Craig R. Smith of the University of Hawaii.
Original research: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2017.1358218