Category Archives: Species

Lathyrus japonicus: Beach Pea–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Description:

The beach pea Lathyrus japonicus or wild pea is found along in several locations at Race Rocks.In the west bay near the docks, and in the southeast beach area. It also has a conspicuous location on the center path where it grows out of an old log planted on end. We have also spread some seeds down the sidewalk wall toward the desalinator building. The flowering size is 3/4 inch wide, The flowering color is pink to purple,The flowering time is June to August. Height is 1-2 feet.

The beach pea has tough roots, is useful a sand binder and it adds nitrogen to the soil.

A major characteristic of the beach pea that makes it an ideal palnt for coastal areas is that it can live in soils which are Nitrogen deficient. It does this as do most of the legumes by converts atmospheric nitrogen to nitrates, a process known as “Nitrogen Fixation” .It has nodules on its roots which house Rhizobium bacteria. (Link to the exercise on Nitrogen Cycle)

Tne beach pea can cause a very serious disease of the nervous system, (brain and spine). Also the beach pea can be toxic to animals. It was however used as a laxative among the Coastal First Nations people.

Range: Coastal Labrador New England, south to North Jersey,along the Great Lakes, Pacific Coast from Alaska to California.The beach pea cannot grow in the shade and requires moist soil.
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Plantae
Division Anthophyta
Class Dicotyledonaceae
Family Fabaceae
Genus Lathyrus
Species japonicus
Common Name: Beach pea

Other Members of the Angiosperm at Race Rocks 
taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. Mersiha Niksic (PC)

 

Pollicipes polymerus: Goose-neck Barnacle- The Race Rocks taxonomy

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This low tide view on the south- west corner of Great Race shows the close competition between the California mussels and the goosenecks.
LOCATION:
The gooseneck barnacle, is found in abundance in the intertidal at Race Rocks. Globally. it is found from the southern region of Alaska to Baja, California. It is attached to rocks at the high intertidal zone and all organisms in a particular area will be oriented towards the same direction. It normally occurs on wave-beaten rocks. These barnacles have undergone extensive harvesting on the shorelines of the North Pacific, in particular around urban areas. Typically our record of conservation has been poor and continued harvesting results in very little stock recruitment and consequently a diminishing stock of this species. People of Western European origin frequently have a desire to eat this species, as it tastes very much like crab.

These clumps of gooseneck barnacles line the surge channel, if you see the video on the surge channel page , you can understand how they are exposed to a food source of plankton by the surge action even when they are above the tidal level. 

 

DESCRIPTION:

It has a fleshy stalk which attaches it to rocks or floating objects. The long neck is about up to 10cm. compared to the shell which is 5 cm. long. It has a leathery appearance with small bumps. The body consists of the peduncle and capitulum. The peduncle is the attachment organ but also contains ovaries and some muscles. It is covered with tiny ossicles on short fleshy stalk. the capitulum consists of most of the animal, including all appendages except the first antennae, The capitulum is ventral.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Cirripedia
Order Thoracica
Family Scalpellidae
Genus Pollicipes
Species polymerus
Common Name:Gooseneck Barnacle
–
REPRODUCTION AND FEEDING:

The organism is a hermaphrodite but they rarely undergo self fertilizaton. Cross fertilization is more common. Fertiliztion is external and it occurs in the mantle cavity. Gooseneck barnacles are filter feeders. They feed on smaller crustaceans and plankton. They do this by projecting their feathery feet called cirri to trap organisms. The cirri also act as lungs for gaseous exchange. Their main predators are the glaucous winged gull and the sea stars.

HISTORY:

Their name, gooseneck barnacle arose from the middle ages where they were thought to be developing geese which dropped off to become adult geese. As such geese were considered as fish and could be eaten on days meat was considered a taboo. Check out the patterns on the neck of the Brant Goose.

Other Members of the Phylum Arthropoda at Race Rocks 
taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.     October 2002- Garry Fletcher

Analipus japonicus: The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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analipus japonicus

Ryan Murphy took these pictures of Analipus japonicus in June of 2002 at Race Rocks.

ajapon1

Analipus japonicus in hand with Fucus sp. above left

General Characteristics
Analipus japonicus is found in the upper intertidal area frequently on rocks exposed to moderately heavy surf. This brown alga possesses a thallus of light brown color that supports branches up to 35 cm tall. Until recently, the species has been considered to be rare as it was represented by only two or three patches at Race Rocks. It is now becoming more abundant, on both the western shelf near peg 6 and the north-eastern corner near peg 15.

Reproduction Patterns
Development of the brown alga Analipus japonicus exhibits a pronounced seasonal pattern in many regions of the world. In winter and spring, this alga is found only as prostrate crusts; erect axes develop during the summer and fall. Reproduction is chiefly asexual and takes place from July to November. Unilocular sporangiate plants occur very rarely only in June and July. Plants bearing plurilocular sporangia are abundant from July to November.

Pharmaceutical Uses
In a study by various professors at the Sung Kyun Kwan University, there is a report of the results of a screening of 89 seaweeds collected from British Columbia, Canada, and Korea for antiviral activity. Various concentrations of methanol extracts of dried algae were tested against 100 plaque-forming units of herpes simplex virus type 1 and Sindbis virus in Vero cell monolayers. With reference to Analipus japonicus, it was the most potent anti-herpes species, according to the experimental results.

References:
http://www.usfca.edu/fac-staff/chienp/division%20phaeophyta.html

Biologiya Morya, Vladivostok, 2000, vol. 26, no. 6, pp. 426-429

http://www.skku.ac.kr/~ecology/professor/abstract/biological.html accessed 2002.
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Protoctista
Division: Phaeophyta (Brown algae)
Class: Phaeophyceae
Order: Chordariales
Family: Chordariaceae
Genus: Analipus
Species: japonicus
Common Name: thickly leaved rockweed
Other Phaeophytes or Brown Algae at Race Rocks

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. Paolo Danese 2002 (PC yr 28) 12/9/2002

 

Abietinaria amphora: Photomicrography of Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss

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The branching colony measures 1.0-1.5 cm in height, so microscopic pictures are necessary to show the details

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Hydrozoa
Order Leptothecata (=Leptomedusae)
Family Sertulariidae
Genus Abietinaria
Species amphora, Nutting 1904
Common Name:  ———–

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by Lester B. Pearson College and local scientists. Copyrighted 1999-All Images on this page are the property of: Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss. They can not be used or modified without her written permission. April 2002

see this link for other hydroids:  https://www.racerocks.ca/tag/hydroid/

Stylaster parageus columbiensis: (Hydrocoral) –The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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pinkquadac

A bed of Stylaster parageus columbiensis. in front of the docks at Race Rocks off peg #2 at 10 meters. Note the basket star, clumps of whelks and patches of red encrusting sponge.picture width : 80cm.

This colonial hydroid grows from the 0.2 tidal level to over 20 meters in depth in various places throughout the Race Rocks Ecological Reservee. At low tide, it is visible in several protected crevices and in Anita’s tidepool ( #6 on the West shore) Subtidally it is common in both purple and pink colonies . East of the Middle Islands, it has been observed by divers at 20 meters, growing in erect branching form of considerable profile ( to 20 centimeters.)

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Hydrozoa
Order Anthoathecata)
Family Stylasteriidae
Genus Stylaster
Species parageus columbiensis (Lindner & Cairns)
Common Name: Hydrocoral

In July of 2002, Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss of Sooke had Alberto Lindner, a PhD student from Duke University visiting to exchange scientific information and to get help with identification of hydroids from collections in Alaska and the Olympic Penninsula. Alberto is studying the systematics and evolution of hydrocorals using morphological and molecular biology methods for his Ph.D. thesis. His supervisor and advisors are Dr. Stephen Cairns (Smithsonian) , Dr.Chris Cunningham (Duke University) and Dr. Dale Calder (Royal Ontario Museum) This is part of a program of training young zoologists in established and new methods of sytematics. Alberto comes from Brazil, having completed a Master’s degree in the University of Sao Paolo.

 

hydrocoralAnita made arrangements with us to get Alberto to the islands so that he could see Allopora growing in its natural habitat. Although it was not a zero tide level, we were still able to collect several small samples for him to do DNA analysis. He hoped to be able to sort out whether or not there is a distinct species difference in the color varieties we find at Race Rocks. 

rm2010hydrocoral2

The two color morphs of Stylasterias parageus columbiensis at Race Rocks . photo by Ryan Murphy

After returning to his lab and doing further analysis, Alberto reported that “It is pretty safe to say that the purple and pink color morphs of Stylaster corals (Allopora) from Race Rocks are the same species”. He has also noted the same result with deep-sea species from the Aleutians, as the orange and pink forms there do not separate the species.

See the record of his research on species identification here: Stylaster parageus columbiensis Lindner & Cairns in Cairns & Lindner, 2011

The following images were taken by the Ecoguardian Ryan Murphy in 2010. many different species including basket star in the image above have adapted to use the hydrocoral as a habitat because of it’s protective crevasses.

see this link for other hydroids:  https://www.racerocks.ca/tag/hydroid/

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by Lester B. Pearson College students, staff, volunteers and local scientists.

Eudistylia vancouveri: feather duster tubeworm –The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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The Feather Duster Tube worm is often associated with floating docks on the southern part of Vancouver Island. At Race Rocks, there are no floating docks but Eudistylia inhabits the protected rock crevasses of the lower intertidal zone. It can not withstand drying out too long so being in this tidal level will provide a maximum of an hour exposure at the lowest tides. While exposed in the air, their feather like gills are retracted, and the leathery parchment -like tubes are pinched closed at the opening. Underwater, the gills when released, are often banded a deep red and purple colour.

 

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Annelida
Class Polychaeta
Order Canalipalpata
Suborder Sabellida
Family Sabellidae
Genus Eudistylia
Species vancouveri
Common Name: Northern Feather Duster Wor

GF photo, 2007

Other Members of the Phylum Annelida at Race Rocks 
taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

 June 2002  Garry Fletcher (PC)

Hybocodon prolifera : Race Rocks Taxonomy: Photomicrography of Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss

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hybocodon_prolifer_hydroidMedusa of Hybocodon prolifer. Although this medusa was collected elsewhere (off Malcolm Island, B.C.) the hydroid ofHybocodon prolifer is common in Race Rocks in deep tidal pools and subtidal. Medusa production is in Winter until March in Race Rocks water temperatures. The medusa buds hydroids from its one tentacle and eggs from the manubrium. (see picture below with medusa budding )

2_4hybocodon_prolifer_hydThis hydroid grows in low tide pools, and subtidal on various substrates as large barnacles and rock scallops. The medusae bud in late winter. Without medusae, they are difficult to distinguish from Ectopleura (former Tubularia) hydroids.

54_15hybocodon_prolifer_med

The medusa of Hybocodon sp.

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by Lester B. Pearson College and local scientists. Copyrighted 1999–All Images on this page are the property of: Dr. Anita Brinckmann- Voss. .They can not be used or modified without her written permission.

See this link for other hydroids:  https://www.racerocks.ca/tag/hydroid/

Tubularia regalis: Race Rocks Taxonomy

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tubularia_wholeTubularia regalis Boeck, 1860 (family Tubulariidae).
This large Tubularia with a stem up to 20 cm was originally described from Northern Norway. It was later found to be a circumpolar species, with records from Greenland , Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk. The present record from Swordfish Island, Juan de Fuca Strait, is the most southern record of this species, and the first from the Canadian Pacific coast.The stems of this species are often host to other hydroid species.

 

This clip profiles the Pearson College Divers and the invertebrates of a cave on an island a kilometer from Race Rocks. The hydroid species, Tubularia sp. shown near the end of the video is a rare species, which according to Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss has so far been found in only two locations; here and in Norway. Note it is growing in association with colonial ascidians. We have observed this species here over the last twenty years. It is very limited in distribution, with no more than one or two polyps appearing at any one time. It’s height is 15 cm. Video taken by Pearson College Divers, edited by GF.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Hydrozoa
 Order Anthoathecatae
Family Tubulariidae
Genus Tubularia
species regalis, Brook 1860

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by Lester B. Pearson College and local scientists. Copyrighted 1999–All Images on this page are the property of: Dr. Anita Brinckmann- Voss. . They can not be used or modified without her written permission.

Rhysia fletcheri: Race Rocks Taxonomy: Photomicrography of Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss

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Rhysia fletcheri is a new species of colonial atheccate hydroid described by Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss from samples collected at Race Rocks and Friday harbour.

Rhysia fletcheri(female polyps above) is a new species of colonial atheccate hydroid described by Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss from samples collected at Race Rocks and Friday harbour.

rhysiamale

rhysiafletcheri Rhysia fletcheri male polyps

Rhysia fletcheri differs from Rhysia autumnalis and Rhysia halecii in the gastrozooid having distinctive cnidocyst clusters on its hypostome and few, thick tentacles. Most of its female gonozooids have no tentacles. Colonies of R. fletcheri are without dactylozooids. The majority of R. fletcheri colonies are found growing on large barnacles or among the hydrorhiza of large thecate hydrozoans. Rhysia fletcheri occurs in relatively sheltered waters of the San Juan Islands and on the exposed rocky coast of southern Vancouver Island.

For the  COMPLETE TEXT OF THE PAPER DESCRIBING THIS SPECIES see:BRINCKMANN-VOSS, A., LICKEY, D. M., and MILLS C. E. 1993. Rhysia,fletcheri(Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Rhysiidae), a new species of colonial hydroid from Vancouver Island (British Columbia, Canada) and the San Juan Archipelago (Washington, U.S.A.). Can. J. Zool. 71: 401-406.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Hydrozoa
Subclass Leptolida
Order Anthoathecatae
Family Rhysiidae
Genus Rhysia
Species fletcheri

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by Lester B. Pearson College and local scientists. Copyrighted 1999–All Images on this page are the property of: Dr. Anita Brinckmann- Voss..They can not be used or modified without her written permission.

See this link for other hydroids:  https://www.racerocks.ca/tag/hydroid/

Rhizogeton nematophorum– Photomicrography of Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss : The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Hydrozoa
Order Anthomedusae
Family Clavidae
Genus Rhizogeton
Species nematophorum
Common Name:

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by Lester B. Pearson College and local scientists. Copyrighted 1999-All Images on this page are the property of: Dr. Anita Brinckmann- Voss..They can not be used or modified without her written permission.