Chemosymbiotic bivalves from the mud volcanoes of the Gulf of Cadiz, NE Atlantic, with descriptions of new species of Solemyidae, Lucinidae and Vesicomyidae

By

Oliver, Graham
Rodrigues, Clara
Cunha, Marina R.

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2011

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

113

Pages

1-38

Subjects

Bivalvia , chemosymbiotic , Gulf of Cadiz , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.113.1402

 

Abstract

The chemosymbiotic bivalves collected from the mud volcanoes of the Gulf of Cadiz are reviewed. Of the thirteen species closely associated with chemosynthetic settings two Solemyidae, Solemya (Petrasma) elarraichensis sp. n. and Acharax gadirae sp. n., one Lucinidae, Lucinoma asapheus sp. n., and one Vesicomyidae, Isorropodon megadesmus sp. n. are described and compared to close relatives of their respective families. The biodiversity and distribution of the chemosymbiotic bivalves in the Gulf of Cadiz is discussed and compared to the available information from other cold seeps in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. Although there is considerable similarity at the genus level between seep/mud volcano fields in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, there is little overlap at the species level. This indicates a high degree of endemism within chemosymbiotic bivalve assemblages.