Feeding on cnidarians by giant pycnogonids (Pycnogonida: Colossendeidae Jarzinsky, 1870) in the North Central Pacific and North Atlantic oceans

Abstract

At Physalia Seamount, North Atlantic and West Pioneer Bank, North Central Pacific, the remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer photographed giant pycnogonids of the genus ColossendeisJarzynsky, 1870feeding on cnidarians, a solitary hydroid, and a coronate medusa, respectively. Coupled with previous published reports and recent photographs from Antarctica, these latest photographs indicate that cnidarians constitute a common prey for species of Colossendeis.