Bathyporania

Bathyporania ascendens is a species of starfish in the family Poraniidae, and the only species of the genus Bathyporania. It is native to the Pacific Ocean and is found in deep water off the coast of North America (it was discovered at Davidson Seamount).[2]

Bathyporania ascendens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Echinodermata
Class:
Asteroidea
Order:
Valvatida
Family:
Poraniidae
Genus:
Bathyporania

Mah & Foltz, 2014 [1]
Species:
B. ascendens
Binomial name
Bathyporania ascendens

Description

Bathyporania ascendens has a classical starfish shape with five short arms, a somewhat inflated body and is of pale color. The oral surface is covered with spinelets, and marked by 5 large ambulacral grooves with strong podia.[2]

Biology

The Poraniidae are supposed to be passive deposit-feeders,[3] but as Bathyporania ascendens has been observec climbing on black coral, it may be a predator of deep-sea cnidarians.[2]

Distribution

Bathyporania ascendens has been found during a deep-sea survey by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute at Davidson Seamount, off the coast of the Monterey region, at 2669 meters deep. Even if this was the only recorded observation to date, this species may have a large distribution, as it is often the case with deep-sea species.[2]

References
  1. Mah, C. (2014). Mah CL (ed.). "Bathyporania Mah & Foltz, 2014". World Asteroidea database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
  2. Mah, Christopher L.; Foltz, David W. (May 2014). "New taxa and taxonomic revisions to the Poraniidae (Valvatacea; Asteroidea) with Comments on Feeding Biology". Zootaxa. 3795 (3): 327–372. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3795.3.7. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  3. Mah, Christopher L. (May 13, 2014). "New Paper! New Species! How the Blog Informed my Research!". Echinoblog.
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