Nanipora

Nanipora
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Subphylum: Anthozoa
Class: Octocorallia
Order: Scleralcyonacea
Family: Helioporidae
Genus: Nanipora
Miyazaki & Reimer, 2015
Species:
N. kamurai
Binomial name
Nanipora kamurai
Miyazaki & Reimer, 2015

Nanipora is a monotypic genus of cnidarian in the family Helioporidae. It consists of a single species, Nanipora kamurai.

Discovery

Nanipora kamurai was first discovered in a public swimming area in Okinawa. The species is considered to be a "living fossil" because the animals most closely related to it genetically are extinct. They are found in coral reefs in Japan and Thailand, and sea beds in the north South China Sea.

Nanipora kamurai may potentially possess the unique ability to survive in extreme environmental conditions caused by ocean acidification.

References

  1. 1 2 Miyazaki, Y. & Reimer, J. (2015). A new genus and species of octocoral with aragonite calcium-carbonate skeleton (Octocorallia, Helioporacea) from Okinawa, Japan. ZooKeys, 511, 1–23.
  2. ↑ WoRMS. "Nanipora Miyazaki & Reimer, 2015". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  3. ↑ The 'living fossil' octocoral Nanipora kamurai Miyazaki & Reimer, 2015. In: Ten astounding marine species of the last decade (2007–2017). Retrieved from the Lifewatch regional portal Web-site.
  4. ↑ Miyazaki, Y., Alves Santos, M. E., Kunihiro, S., Weinstein, D. K., & Reimer, J. D. (2016). Rarity of Nanipora kamurai (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Helioporacea) at its type locality. Marine Biodiversity, 46(4), 917–921. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-015-0435-4
  5. ↑ Reimer, J. D., Kurihara, H., Ravasi, T., Ide, Y., Izumiyama, M., & Kayanne, H. (2021). Unexpected high abundance of aragonite-forming Nanipora (Octocorallia: Helioporacea) at an acidified volcanic reef in southern Japan. Marine Biodiversity, 51(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-021-01165-0

Further reading