Bathymodiolus childressi
Encyclopedia
Bathymodiolus childressi is a species of a deepwater mussel
, a marine
bivalve mollusk species in the family Mytilidae
.
Although this species has been known since 1985, it was formally described as a species in 1998.
Bathymodiolus childressi is stenothermal species living in temperatures ranging from 6.5 to 7.2°C. However it was able to survive the temperature of 20°C in the laboratory.
can detect
beds with mussel Bathymodiolus childressi, because it is attracted by a water altered by this species of mussel, but the nature of the attractant was not discovered yet. This snail also feeds on periphyton
of methanotrophic bacteria that grow on shells of Bathymodiolus childressi, on decomposing periostracum
of mussels and on byssal
fibres of them.
Mussel
The common name mussel is used for members of several families of clams or bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.The...
, a marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
bivalve mollusk species in the family Mytilidae
Mytilidae
Mytilidae is a family of small to large saltwater mussels, marine bivalve mollusks in the order Mytiloida. It is the only family in the order...
.
Although this species has been known since 1985, it was formally described as a species in 1998.
Habitat
It lives in cold seeps in the Gulf of Mexico.Bathymodiolus childressi is stenothermal species living in temperatures ranging from 6.5 to 7.2°C. However it was able to survive the temperature of 20°C in the laboratory.
Interspecific relationships
The snail Bathynerita naticoideaBathynerita naticoidea
Bathynerita naticoidea is a species of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Neritidae, the nerites. This species is endemic to underwater cold seeps in the northern Gulf of Mexico and in the Caribbean....
can detect
Sensory organs of gastropods
Sensory organs of gastropods include olfactory organs, eyes, statocysts and mechanoreceptors. Gastropods have no sense of hearing.- Olfactory organs :...
beds with mussel Bathymodiolus childressi, because it is attracted by a water altered by this species of mussel, but the nature of the attractant was not discovered yet. This snail also feeds on periphyton
Periphyton
Periphyton are a complex mixture of algae, cyanobacteria, heterotrophic microbes, and detritus that are attached to submerged surfaces in most aquatic ecosystems. It serves as an important food source for invertebrates, tadpoles, and some fish. It can also absorb contaminants; removing them from...
of methanotrophic bacteria that grow on shells of Bathymodiolus childressi, on decomposing periostracum
Periostracum
The periostracum is a thin organic coating or "skin" which is the outermost layer of the shell of many shelled animals, including mollusks and brachiopods. Among mollusks it is primarily seen in snails and clams, i.e. in bivalves and gastropods, but it is also found in cephalopods such as the...
of mussels and on byssal
Byssus
Byssus means both a silky filament by which certain molluscs attach themselves to hard surfaces, and a rare fabric, also called sea silk and its fibre source.-Word:...
fibres of them.