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Umbellula

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Umbellulidae)

Umbellula
Umbellula encrinus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Subphylum: Anthozoa
Class: Octocorallia
Order: Scleralcyonacea
Family: Umbellulidae
Genus: Umbellula
Cuvier, [1797]
Type species
Umbellula encrinus
Species

See text

Synonyms[1]
List
    • Crinillum Harting, Miguel & Hoeven, 1861
    • Ombellula Gray, 1870
    • Ombellulaires Cuvier, 1817
    • Ombellularia Lamarck, 1836
    • Umbellaria Schweigger, 1820
    • Umbellularia Lamarck, 1801

Umbellula is a genus of deep-sea cnidarians in the monotypic family Umbellulidae. Sea pens of this genus are known to be bioluminescent and hermaphroditic.

Description

[edit]

Species of Umbellula form colonial structures, which is common amongst pennatulacean octocorals (sea pens). Around the primary polyp distal region, secondary polyps form which are either larger autozooids (feeding polyps) or smaller siphonozooids (water circulation polyps).[2] The morphological adaptations of Umbellula species reflect adaptations to unique deep-sea environments, including differences in polyp arrangement and sclerite presence or absence. Species such as Umbellula encrinus having a typical cluster of autozooids,[3] while Umbellula pomona only possessing a terminal cluster of three autozooids.[4] Umbellula autozooids are found clustered at the very end of their stalk, unlike most other sea pens in which autozooids are spread along the rachis.[5]

Most species of Umbellula have a strong, muscular peduncle which is used to anchor them in soft sediment, allowing them to inhabit areas of uniform benthic environments such as abyssal plains.[6]

Bioluminescence

[edit]

Similarly to many deep-sea animals, some species of Umbellula can shift the color of their bioluminescence from blue to green using fluorescent proteins.[7][8] More specifically, a 2018 study of Umbellula magniflora found that it's bioluminescence system uses the luciferin coelenterazine, similar to other cnidarians. The study also reported that luminous components from Umbellula can cross-react with individuals of the soft coral Renilla reniformis to generate light. This suggests functional similarities between the bioluminescence systems of these evolutionarily divergent species.[9]

Reproduction

[edit]

The reproductive biology of sea pens in general remains poorly studied. Unlike in other sea pens in which oocytes develop in the autozooid column, Umbellula oocytes develop at the base of the polyps and in the cluster tissue. It appears that the potential fecundity of Umbellula species is high, with individuals containing up to 2,000 large ooyctes.[5] This is thought to be advantageous to overcome long inter-colony distances seen in Umbellula species. It was previously believed that Umbellula exhibited gonochorism until a 2025 study confirmed the presence of hermaphroditism in five out of six Umbellula species. This study examined 16 specimens across six distinct species of the genus Umbellula, and found gametogenic tissue in all specimens studied. Two of the six species were shown to be trioecious, another first for Umbellula species[10]

Distribution

[edit]

While there is a lack of conclusive study for Umbellula's distribution patterns, they can be found ranging from bathyal to abyssal depths, primarily in the Arctic Ocean, and also the northeast and southern Atlantic Ocean.[11][12]

Umbellula are known to be one of the only genus of sea pen found at depths of 4000m or greater.[13]

Taxonomy

[edit]

Despite the unique morphology of this sea pen genus,[clarification needed] species identification is made difficult due to limited access to these organisms, and a traditional reliance on a small number of morphological characteristics, which has resulted in limited knowledge of intraspecific variation.[14]

The following species are considered valid by the World Register of Marine Species:[1]

The following species are of uncertain validity, and many are nomen dubium:[1]

  • Umbellula aciculifera J.S. Thomson, 1915
  • Umbellula crassiflora Roule, 1905
  • Umbellula elongata Thomson & Henderson, 1906
  • Umbellula geniculata Studer, 1894
  • Umbellula gilberti Nutting, 1908
  • Umbellula grandiflora Kölliker
  • Umbellula hendersoni Balss, 1906
  • Umbellula indica Thomson & Henderson, 1906
  • Umbellula intermedia Thomson & Henderson, 1906
  • Umbellula jordani Nutting, 1908
  • Umbellula loma Nutting, 1909
  • Umbellula simplex Kölliker, 1880

Only an estimated ten[verification needed] of the forty-three described Umbellula species are considered valid members of the genus.[15]

Species of Umbellula were traditionally classified as a single group based on their morphology, but a 2013 molecular analysis that used the mitochondrial genes mtMutS and ND2 has revealed that the genus Umbellula is polyphyletic, and the species currently in the genus did not form a single clade (natural group).[16] These two distinct evolutionary lineages managed to have evolved similar appearances through evolutionary convergence[17].

Genetic research revealed two primary clades within the genus. Umbellula clade I contains species that typically lack the combination of a round internal axis and the presence of sclerites[18]. The types of species in this clade include Umbellula encrinus, U. thomsoni, U. carpenteri, and U. huxleyi amongst other species[19].

Umbellula Clade II is a lineage that is characterized by having both a round axis and conspicuous sclerites. This clade includes U. monocephalus and the recently discovered U. pomona[20][21].

The following cladogram is based on that 2013 study:

Ctenocella barbadensis

Verrucella

Umbellula monocephalus is now placed in Solumbellula.[22][23][24]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 "Umbellula Cuvier, [1797]". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
  2. ↑ Williams, Gary C. (2011-07-29). "The Global Diversity of Sea Pens (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Pennatulacea)". PLOS ONE. 6 (7) e22747. Bibcode:2011PLoSO...622747W. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0022747. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3146507. PMID 21829500.
  3. ↑ "Canadian Science Publishing". Canadian Science Publishing. doi:10.1139/as-2018-0009. hdl:1807/90631. Retrieved 2026-03-13.
  4. ↑ Risaro, Jessica; Williams, Gary C.; Pereyra, Daniela; Lauretta, Daniel (2020-10-13). "Umbellula pomona sp. nov., a new sea pen from Mar del Plata Submarine Canyon (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Pennatulacea)". European Journal of Taxonomy (720): 121–143. Bibcode:2020EJTax.720.1121R. doi:10.5852/ejt.2020.720.1121. hdl:11336/131278. ISSN 2118-9773.
  5. 1 2 Tyler, P. A.; Bronsdon, S. K.; Young, C. M.; Rice, A. L. (January 1995). "Ecology and Gametogenic Biology of the Genus Umbellula (Pennatulacea) in the North Atlantic Ocean". Internationale Revue der gesamten Hydrobiologie und Hydrographie. 80 (2): 187–199. Bibcode:1995IRH....80..187T. doi:10.1002/iroh.19950800207. ISSN 0020-9309.
  6. ↑ Williams, Gary C. (2011-07-29). "The Global Diversity of Sea Pens (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Pennatulacea)". PLOS ONE. 6 (7) e22747. Bibcode:2011PLoSO...622747W. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0022747. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3146507. PMID 21829500.
  7. ↑ "Bioluminescence: Behavior, biochemistry, and genomics — MBARI Annual Report: 2019". MBARI Annual Report. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
  8. ↑ Voolstra, Christian R. (August 2020). "Shining light on deep-sea bioluminescence. Editorial comment on the highlight article "Biochemical characterization of diverse deep-sea anthozoan bioluminescence systems" by M. Bessho-Uehara et al. 2020". Marine Biology. 167 (8) 113. Bibcode:2020MarBi.167..113V. doi:10.1007/s00227-020-03732-8. ISSN 0025-3162.
  9. ↑ Klimek, Isaiah Jeremiah; Payne, Cheyenne Y.; De Meulenaere, Evelien; Deheyn, Dimitri D. (February 2018). "First Characterization of the Light Emission from a Deepsea Octocoral". American Geophysical Union, Ocean Sciences Meeting (2368): ED34A–2368. Bibcode:2018AGUOSED34A2368K.
  10. ↑ Risaro, Jessica; Penchaszadeh, Pablo E.; Lauretta, Daniel (2025-04-01). "Hermaphroditism in superfamily Pennatuloidea (Cnidaria: Anthozoa). Reproduction on Umbellula-like sea pens (Umbellulidae and Pseudumbellulidae) from the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean". Coral Reefs. 44 (2): 571–582. Bibcode:2025CorRe..44..571R. doi:10.1007/s00338-025-02626-9. ISSN 1432-0975.
  11. ↑ Tyler, P. A.; Bronsdon, S. K.; Young, C. M.; Rice, A. L. (January 1995). "Ecology and Gametogenic Biology of the Genus Umbellula (Pennatulacea) in the North Atlantic Ocean". Internationale Revue der gesamten Hydrobiologie und Hydrographie. 80 (2): 187–199. Bibcode:1995IRH....80..187T. doi:10.1002/iroh.19950800207. ISSN 0020-9309. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07.
  12. ↑ Gullage, Lauren; Devillers, Rodolphe; Edinger, Evan (2017). "Predictive distribution modelling of cold-water corals in the Newfoundland and Labrador region". Marine Ecology Progress Series. 582: 57–77. Bibcode:2017MEPS..582...57G. doi:10.3354/meps12307. ISSN 0171-8630. JSTOR 26403396.
  13. ↑ Kushida, Yuka; Brandt, Angelika; Reimer, James Davis; Kise, Hiroki; Poliseno, Angelo (2025-12-01). "The first record of Porcupinella profunda from the North Pacific, Aleutian Trench documents phylogenetic position in the Umbellulidae". Progress in Oceanography. 239 103590. Bibcode:2025PrOce.23903590K. doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103590. ISSN 0079-6611.
  14. ↑ López-González, Pablo J.; Drewery, Jim (2022). "When distant relatives look too alike: A new family, two new genera and a new species of deep-sea Umbellula-like sea pens (Anthozoa, Octocorallia, Pennatulacea)". Invertebrate Systematics. 36 (3): 199–225. doi:10.1071/IS21040.
  15. ↑ Risaro, Jessica; Williams, Gary C.; Pereyra, Daniela; Lauretta, Daniel (2020-10-13). "Umbellula pomona sp. nov., a new sea pen from Mar del Plata Submarine Canyon (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Pennatulacea)". European Journal of Taxonomy (720): 121–143. Bibcode:2020EJTax.720.1121R. doi:10.5852/ejt.2020.720.1121. hdl:11336/131278. ISSN 2118-9773.
  16. ↑ Dolan, Emily; Tyler, Paul A.; Yesson, Chris; Rogers, Alex D. (2013-12-01). "Phylogeny and systematics of deep-sea sea pens (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Pennatulacea)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 69 (3): 610–618. Bibcode:2013MolPE..69..610D. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.07.018. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 23906600.
  17. ↑ Dolan, Emily; Tyler, Paul A.; Yesson, Chris; Rogers, Alex D. (December 2013). "Phylogeny and systematics of deep-sea sea pens (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Pennatulacea)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 69 (3): 610–618. Bibcode:2013MolPE..69..610D. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.07.018.
  18. ↑ Dolan, Emily; Tyler, Paul A.; Yesson, Chris; Rogers, Alex D. (December 2013). "Phylogeny and systematics of deep-sea sea pens (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Pennatulacea)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 69 (3): 610–618. Bibcode:2013MolPE..69..610D. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.07.018.
  19. ↑ Dolan, Emily; Tyler, Paul A.; Yesson, Chris; Rogers, Alex D. (December 2013). "Phylogeny and systematics of deep-sea sea pens (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Pennatulacea)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 69 (3): 610–618. Bibcode:2013MolPE..69..610D. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.07.018.
  20. ↑ Dolan, Emily; Tyler, Paul A.; Yesson, Chris; Rogers, Alex D. (December 2013). "Phylogeny and systematics of deep-sea sea pens (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Pennatulacea)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 69 (3): 610–618. Bibcode:2013MolPE..69..610D. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.07.018.
  21. ↑ Risaro, Jessica; Williams, Gary C.; Pereyra, Daniela; Lauretta, Daniel (2020-10-13). "Umbellula pomona sp. nov., a new sea pen from Mar del Plata Submarine Canyon (Cnidaria: Octocorallia: Pennatulacea)". European Journal of Taxonomy (720): 121–143. Bibcode:2020EJTax.720.1121R. doi:10.5852/ejt.2020.720.1121. hdl:11336/131278. ISSN 2118-9773.
  22. ↑ "Umbellula monocephalus Pasternak, 1964". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
  23. ↑ "Solumbellula monocephalus (Pasternak, 1964)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
  24. ↑ "Solumbellula López-González in López-González & Drewery, 2022". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2026-03-14.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Williams, G.C.; van der Land, J. (2001). Octocorallia - Pennatulacea. in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels 50: pp. 105–106.
  • Williams, G.C. (1992). Biogeography of the octocorallian coelenterate fauna of southern Africa. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 46: 351–401.
  • Williams, G.C. (1999). Index Pennatulacea: annotated bibliography and indexes of the Sea Pens (Coelenterata: Octocorallia) of the World 1469–1999. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 51(2): 19–103, 1 fig., 14 plates.
  • Liu, J.Y. [Ruiyu] (ed.). (2008). Checklist of marine biota of China seas. China Science Press. 1267 pp.
  • Cairns, S.D.; Gershwin, L.; Brook, F.J.; Pugh, P.; Dawson, E.W.; Ocaña O.V.; Vervoort, W.; Williams, G.; Watson, J.E.; Opresko, D.M.; Schuchert, P.; Hine, P.M.; Gordon, D.P.; Campbell, H.J.; Wright, A.J.; Sánchez, J.A.; Fautin, D.G. (2009). Phylum Cnidaria: corals, medusae, hydroids, myxozoans. in: Gordon, D.P. (Ed.) (2009). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: 1. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia. pp. 59–101., available online at http://si-pddr.si.edu/handle/10088/8431 Archived 2014-02-18 at the Wayback Machine
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