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ANEMONES: An unidentified large white anemone densely populates thinly-sedimented goethite (iron oxide) slab rock, the fundamental Viosca Knoll substrate for attachment of sessile particulate-feeding invertebrates. |
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BAMBOO ANEMONES: Tall bamboo coral trees (Keratoisis flexibilis) are surrounded by fields of unidentified large white anemones and orange-pink flytrap anemones (Actinoscyphia saginata). Small white 'gooseberry' anemones find a feeding perch right on the bamboo coral branches. |
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BARRELFISH (Hyperoglyphe perciformis): Much like Amberjacks on shallow reefs, fast and agile Barrelfish (Hyperoglyphe perciformis) patrol deep reefs in schools, preying upon squid, jellyfish, and small fishes. |
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CARISTIUS SALP: Enormous fins spread wide enable the manefish (Caristius sp, probably C. maderensis) to drift motionlessly in midwater, here in the camouflaging company of a luminescent colonial salp. This specimen is the first record of the species in the Gulf of Mexico. |
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CHEMO SEEP BIOTOPE: Areas of active, if subdued, hydrocarbon seeps are notably devoid of large sessile invertebrates. A fluffy gray biofilm coats the underlying rock, dotted with small white patches of the chemo-seep-associated bacteria Beggatoia. |
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CHEMO TUBEWORMS: Viosca Knoll is an elevated salt dome with dormant and active chemo-seeps. Where hydrocarbons are actively escaping from the substrate, dense clusters of tightly entwined vestimentiferan tubeworms grow. As the submersible approaches, it disturbs a Blackbelly Rosefish (Helicolenus dactylopterus), and a Conger Eel (Conger oceanicus). |
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CONGER EEL (Conger oceanicus): Making a burrow in the stony base of Lophelia bushes, a 1.5 m long Conger Eel (Conger oceanicus) emerges from its hiding place to patrol its territory. It preys upon smaller fishes. |
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CORAL SAMPLING: Small sprigs of glass coral are snipped off by the submersible's manipulator and transferred to a multi-chambered sampler for bacterial and genetic analyses. Attracted by the disturbance, a large Conger Eel (Conger oceanicus) then a Snowy Grouper (Epinephelus niveatus), investigates the scene. |
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DANDELION ANEMONES: A dense cluster of unidentified dandelion-like anemones, intertwined with spiral vestimentiferan tubeworms waves back and forth in the current. The tight cluster of small anemones sits among a field of larger white anemones. |
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LOPHELIA CORAL THICKET: Small Lophelia sprigs proliferate into a dense mass of white living branches, 1-2 m tall. Over time, groups of coral bushes coalesce to form massive reefs hundreds of meters across. Unlike shallow reefs built by many stony coral species, Lophelia pertusa reefs are generally formed by this single dominant species, occasionally with 1-2 other framework corals contributing. |
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RAGGED-TOOTH SHARK (Odontaspis ferox): A true deep-reef denizen, the 3-4 m long female Ragged-Tooth Shark (Odontaspis ferox) navigates skillfully through Lophelia coral bushes. This specimen is only the second reported for the species in the Gulf of Mexico. The prominent notch in the first dorsal fin may be a wound received from a male during mating. |
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RATTAIL (Nezumia aequalis): Not a typical inhabitant of deep-reef biotopes, the rattail (or grenadier) cruises nose-down over open substrate around the reefs, searching for small benthic prey. |
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SLIMEHEAD (Gephyroberyx darwini): Hovering at the base of the reef, the reddish Slimehead (Gephyroberyx darwini), is a stealthy ambush predator. |
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SNOWY GROUPER (Epinephelus niveatus): A characteristic predator on deep coral and rock reefs, the Snowy Grouper (Epinephelus niveatus) reaches lengths up to 1 m. |
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SQUAT LOBSTER (Eumunida picta): A regular and abundant inhabitant of western Atlantic Lophelia reefs, this red species of squat lobster with white-tipped chelae and legs perches atop rocks and coral fronds, pincers at the ready to instantly snag an unwary midwater fish that approaches too close. A more cyrptic long-armed relative guards a chemo-seep furrow. Nearby sits a scorpionfish (Idiastion kyphos), a newly recorded species for the Gulf of Mexico. |
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SUB SURVEY: Inside the acrylic sphere of the JSL submersible, Professor Mike Risk of McMaster University observes the coral habitat of Viosca Knoll. Quantifying the fauna of a bamboo coral, black coral, and anemone forest on the continental slope along a video transect, the JSL submersible encounters a school of Barrelfish, a Red Dory, and a Slimehead. |
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TINSELFISH (Grammicolepis brachiusculus): Sculling along in triggerfish-fashion, the Tinselfish (Grammicolepis brachiusculus) hovers as brown dead Lophelia coral is collected, along with a pencil urchin (Cidaris rugosa) and patches of blue desmacollid sponge. With its tubular mouth permanently frozen open, the Tinselfish vacuums up small crustaceans living on Lophelia. |
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WRECKFISH (Polyprion americanus): Reaching a length of 1.5 m, the grouper-like Wreckfish (Polyprion americanus) is an apex predator living on deep reefs worldwide, and probably spawning on western Atlantic Lophelia coral reefs. |
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
