Luckia is a genus of amphipod crustaceans in the family Pontogeneiidae, with the sole species Luckia striki.[1] It is found in hydrothermal vents in the Atlantic Ocean.[2]

Luckia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Superorder: Peracarida
Order: Amphipoda
Family: Pontogeneiidae
Genus: Luckia
Species:
L. striki
Binomial name
Luckia striki
Bellan-Santini & Thurston, 1996

Description edit

Luckia have compressed bodies and short rostra.[3] Hatchlings are around 1.5 millimetres (0.1 in) long.[4] Adult females measure approximately 8 millimetres (0.31 in), the length of their first antenna; the second antenna is about half that length. Their body is smooth, and they have no eyes. The joints are slender and linear, with a cleft triangular telson. Their flagella have two parts, and their labrum is whole, with triturative molars. The outer rami are shorter than the inner ones, and they have a smooth third epimeral plate.[3][4]

Distribution edit

L. striki are found in hydrothermal vents in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, between depths of 1,670 metres (5,480 ft) and 2,250 metres (7,380 ft), in temperatures around 4.26 °C (39.7 °F).[5][6][7] The species has been found in the Lucky Strike site (37°17′N 32°16′W / 37.283°N 32.267°W / 37.283; -32.267), over the Rainbow Hydrothermal Field (36°14′N 33°54′W / 36.233°N 33.900°W / 36.233; -33.900),[4] and at the Menez Gwen field (37°50′N 31°31′W / 37.833°N 31.517°W / 37.833; -31.517).[8]

Taxonomy edit

Amphipods are more common in Pacific hydrothermal vents than in Atlantic ones, and before 1996, only two species, Andaniotes ingens and Hirondellea brevicaudata were known to exist in the Atlantic.[4] The genus was discovered by Denise Bellan-Santini and Michael H. Thurston in 1996, when it was collected in a vent along with shrimps, gastropods, crabs, and limpets at the Lucky Strike site above the Mid-Atlantic Ridge,[4][6] the species's namesake.[9]

References edit

  1. ^ Lowry, Jim (2010). "Luckia striki Bellan-Santini & Thurston, 1996". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  2. ^ Bellan-Santini, D.; Thurston, M.H. (1996). "Amphipoda of the hydrothermal vents along the mid-Atlantic Ridge". Journal of Natural History. 30 (5): 685–702. doi:10.1080/00222939600770381.
  3. ^ a b Bellan-Santini, D. (2006). "Arthropoda, Crustacea, Amphipoda" (PDF). Denisia. 18: 398. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e Vinogradov, Georgyi M. "Finding of Luckia striki (Amphipoda: Eusiridae) at the Rainbow Hydrothermal Field (MAR)" (PDF). InterRidge News. 8 (1): 12. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  5. ^ "Luckia Bellan-Santini & Thurston, 1996". Ocean Biogeographic Information System. UNESCO. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Luckia striki". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  7. ^ Bellan-Santini, Denise (2006). "Rhachotropis species (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Eusiridae) of hydrothermal vents and surroundings on the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge, Azores Triple Junction zone". Journal of Natural History. 40 (23–24): 1407–1424. doi:10.1080/00222930600956809. S2CID 84056306.
  8. ^ "A New Caridean Shrimp Of The Family Alvinocarididae From Thermal Vents At Menez Gwen On The Mid atlantic Ridge". Biological Society of Washington.: 159. Retrieved 18 August 2017 – via Biodiversity Library. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ^ Ellis, Richard (1 January 2006). Singing Whales and Flying Squid: The Discovery Of Marine Life. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 95. ISBN 9781461748960 – via Google Books.