(A,B) Swarms of thousands of R. exoculata individuals are crowded along the walls of black smoker hydrothermal vents at the TAG vent site (3600 m depth), Mid-Atlantic Ridge (IFREMER/Nautile6000, BICOSE 2018 cruise). (C) Dorsal view of the cephalothorax of R. exoculata, showing voluminous gill chambers covered by the branchiostegites, dorsal eyes (i.e. ocular plate) with two elongated retinae fused in the anterior region, and sensory appendages (antennae 1 and 2). Scale bar = 5 mm. (D) Black-white inverted image from an X-ray micro-CT scan showing a dorsal overview of the R. exoculata cephalothorax, with 3D reconstruction of the brain and associated nerves. Abbreviations: see text and appendix 1.
© 2018 IFREMER/Nautile6000, BICOSE 2018 cruise
Panels A and B reproduce images taken with the Nautile6000 submersible during the BICOSE 2018 cruise (https://doi.org/10.17600/18000004).