Osedax ventana n. sp.

Figure 4D

Osedax ‘nude-palp-B’ (Jones et al. 2008; Rouse et al. 2011; Rouse et al. 2009; Rouse et al. 2015; Vrijenhoek et al. 2009)

Material examined. Holotype: SIO-BIC A1643 palps only (GenBank COI sequence EU235218), fixed in formalin preserved in ethanol, collected from cow bones deployed at 2898 meters depth in Monterey Submarine Canyon, California (36°36.606’N; 122°26.122’W) ROV Tiburon dive number 1069, Oct. 1, 2007.

Diagnosis and description. Holotype represented by fragments of four palps (Fig. 4D), still within a gelatinous tube. Oviduct not discerned. In life, palps reddish with two blood vessels in each, lacking obvious pinnules (Fig. 4D).

Distribution. Known from Monterey Bay, California from 2898 meters depth (Table 2). It has only been found in experimentally deployed cow bones.

Etymology. This species is named (noun in apposition) for the ROV Ventana, which was used to collect many Osedax specimens.

Remarks. Osedax ventana n. sp. is known from only a single partial specimen, sequenced by Jones et al. (2008). It was found on a deployed cow bone and was not discovered during any subsequent sampling at the same site. Osedax ventana n. sp. is part of Osedax Clade II and closest relative (with low support) to Osedax ryderi n.sp., from which it shows an uncorrected divergence of 12% (Table 4). Given the holotype is a fragment, there is little, except for its unique COI sequence, to distinguish Osedax ventana n. sp. from other Clade II species. Three other Osedax species: O. crouchi, O. nordenskjoeldi and O. rogersi, were similarly erected based on fragmented specimens and DNA data (Amon et al. 2014).