Lucas Terrana

Université de Mons · Department of Marine Biology and Biomimetics

Random sampling of shallow-water black corals colonies of Cirrhipathes anguina was carried out over a period of 13 months near the Great Reef of Toliara in southwest Madagascar. Small pieces of tissue were collected monthly from the base and apex of each colony. A total of 114 sets of upper and lower sections were observed. There were 37 males and...

Shallow-water antipatharians host many symbiotic species, which spend their adult life with their host and/or use them to have access to food. Here we determine the trophic relationships between four common macrosymbionts observed on/in Cirripathes anguina, Cirrhipathes densiflora and Stichopathes maldivensis in SW Madagascar. These include the myz...

Antipatharians, also known as black corals, represent a small group of anthozoan hexacorallians found in all oceans of the world. They are generally considered a deep-water taxon; however, some of the most diverse communities are known from tropical shallow waters. With a few poorly detailed exceptions, shallow-water black corals from the Indian Oc...

We provide the first record of the shallow and mesophotic (< 150 m depth) antipatharian coral Antipathes grandis VERRILL, 1928 from the Indian Ocean. First described from Hawaii, A. grandis was recently found on a mesophotic coral reef in SW Madagascar. Its identity was confirmed by means of morphological and molecular analyses (cytochrome c oxidas...

Due to the dearth of molecular markers variable enough to distinguish species of black corals, species delimitation in Antipatharia is still mainly based on morphological traits. One of the few markers available, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region located in ribosomal DNA, has already been used several times to infer phylogenetic relation...

Symbiotic associations require a specific communication between the host and the symbiont. In marine environments, host selection is essentially driven by chemical communication using specific metabolites also known as ecomones or semiochemicals. However, the chemical nature of these stimuli remains mostly unknown in aquatic environments. This pape...

In order to test the feasibility of transplantation of the whip black coral species Cirrhipathes anguina (Dana, 1846) from Madagascar, transplants were installed on cultivation tables in two sites (the North Pass and the Grande Vasque) characterized by distinct environmental conditions. Following transplantation, the transplants were followed for s...

Here, we report a new broad approach to investigating the presence and density of Symbio-diniaceae cells in corals of the order Antipatharia subclass Hexacorallia, commonly known as black corals. Antipatharians are understudied ecosystem engineers of shallow (<30 m depth), mesophotic (30-150 m) and deep-sea (>200 m) reefs. They provide habitat to n...

Mechanical properties of the skeleton of four antipatharians (the whip species Cirrhipathes anguina and Stichopathes cf. maldivensis, and the branched species Cupressopathes abies and Cupressopathes cf. pumila) living in shallow waters off the southwestern coast of Madagascar were investigated using a three-point bending test. The Young's modulus d...

Here, we report the first methodological approach to investigate the presence and estimate the density of Symbiodiniaceae cells in corals of the order Antipatharia subclass Hexacorallia, known as black corals. Antipatharians are understudied ecosystem engineers of shallow (<30 m depth), mesophotic (30-150 m) and deep-sea (>200 m) reefs. They provid...

Crustaceans are associated with a wide diversity of hosts, using both chemical and visual cues to recognize them. The pea crab Dissodactylus primitivus is an ectoparasite of two species of irregular echinoids living in the Caribbean Sea. Previous studies showed that the crab chemically discriminates its hosts from non-host species. The possibility...

While many bee species are experiencing population declines, some host plant generalist bees remain common in Europe, partly because they seem able to shift to new resources. However, foraging on a new alternative plant, such as an invasive species, can modify diet quality and have a potentially detrimental effect on bee health. Herein, we investig...

The scleractinian biodiversity of Madagascar is mainly known from one study performed in the Bay of Toliara (SW of Madagascar) in the 1970s. In the present study, this biodiversity was re-investigated 40 years later, at 2 sites previously considered as atypical, but now subject to high anthropogenic pressures. Results showed lower species diversity...

Eenymeenymyzostoma nigrocorallium n. sp. is the first species of myzostomid worm associated with black corals to be described. Endoparasitic specimens of E. nigrocorallium were found associated with three species of antipatharians on the Great Reef of Toliara. Individuals inhabit the gastrovascular ducts of their hosts and evidence of infestation i...

Download the 3D models on our FTP server for Windows and Mac users - 3D modelling of the myzostomid Eenymeenymyzostoma nigrocorallium associated with black corals. External and in toto views are available.

Myzostomids are minute, soft-bodied, marine " worms " associated with echinoderms. They are found in all the oceans from the subtidal zone to over 3,000 m depth. Most of them are ectocommensals symbionts of crinoids but some species are parasites of crinoids, asteroids, or ophiuroids. When they are parasites, they infest the gonads, the coelom, the...

Organisms belonging to different species which are closely and durably associated together form a symbiotic association that involves a host and one or several symbionts. Depending on the relative duration of the interaction and the impact on host fitness, three categories of symbiotic association can be distinguished: parasitism, commensalism and...

Black corals are deep-sea organisms characterized by a long lifespan, a very slow growth rate and late maturity. Generally, they are difficult to study as more than 75% of species are found below 100 meters. They have very diverse morphologies, from a single stem to a bushy tree shape. These morphological differences have an impact on the polyp mor...

Black corals (Cnidaria: Antipatharia) have been used for medicinal purposes or in jewellery manufacturing since a long time in many parts of the world. Except in Hawaii where these fisheries are well known, black coral harvests are usually made without any control and management. This is the case in many tropical islands and particularly in Madagas...

Black corals (Cnidaria: Antipatharia) have been used all around the world since a long time, whether as money or for medicine purposes and jewellery manufacturing. Except in Hawaii where these fisheries are well known, black coral harvests are usually made without any control or any management. This is the case in many tropical islands and particul...

This study describes the association between the obligatory symbiont coral gall crab Hapalocarcinus marsupialis and its stony coral hosts Seriatopora sp. within the Great Reef of Toliara in Madagascar and attempts to discuss their symbiotic status through comparison with previous studies. These corals are inhabited by crabs living in galls that can...

The parasitic marsupial crab Hapalocarcinus marsupialis is found in abundance on the stony coral Seriatopora hystrix within the Great Reef of Toliara, Madagascar. The female crabs have a modified abdomen that forms a large pouch located under the cephalothorax and where they can brood more than 500 eggs. Their life cycle is divided into two distinc...