Sericosura is a genus of sea spiders in the family Ammotheidae. Species within this genus have been found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from California to Alaska living at depths from 106 to 3,690 meters below sea level often near methane seeps.
This genus of sea spiders is host to a diverse community of methane and methanol oxidizing bacteria on its exoskeleton in dense aggregations. Such bacteria found on their exoskeletons include members of the bacterial families Methylomonadaceae and Methylophagaceae. It is thought that theses sea spiders farm and feed on theses bacteria. This provides a unique interaction between an animal and chemically fueled bacteria.
Species
Sericosura bamberi Arango & Linse, 2015 Sericosura cochleifovea Child, 1989 Sericosura conta Bamber, 2009 Sericosura curva Arango & Linse, 2015 Sericosura cyrtoma Child & Segonzac, 1996 Sericosura dentatus Wang, Lin, Bamber & Huang, 2013 Sericosura dimorpha Arango & Linse, 2015 Sericosura dissita Child, 2000 Sericosura gemmaemonsis Wang, Lin, Bamber & Huang, 2013 Sericosura hedgpethi Bamber, 2009 Sericosura heteroscela Child & Segonzac, 1996 Sericosura mitrata (Gordon, 1944) Sericosura venticola Child, 1987 Sericosura verenae (Child, 1987)
References