Hirondellea gigas is a species of amphipod crustacean found in the hadal zone of the Pacific Ocean, particularly in the Mariana Trench. It is adapted to extreme deep-sea environments, living at depths exceeding 10,000 meters where pressures are immense and temperatures are near freezing. This species feeds on organic matter that sinks to the ocean floor, playing a crucial role in the deep-sea ecosystem as a scavenger. Its unique adaptations, such as a lightweight exoskeleton and specialized enzymes, allow it to survive and thrive in one of the most extreme habitats on Earth.
Animalia (Kingdom); Arthropoda (Phylum); Crustacea (Subphylum); Multicrustacea (Superclass); Malacostraca (Class); Eumalacostraca (Subclass); Peracarida (Superorder); Amphipoda (Order); Amphilochidea (Suborder); Lysianassida (Infraorder); Lysianassidira (Parvorder); Lysianassoidea (Superfamily); Hirondelleidae (Family); Hirondellea (Genus); Hirondellea gigas (Species)
Tetronychia gigas Birstein & M. Vinogradov, 1955
1. Birstein J A, Vinogradov M E. Pelagicheskie gammaridy (Amphipoda, Gammaridea) Kurilo-Kamchatskoi Vpadiny[J]. Akademiya Nauk SSSR, Trudy Instituta Okeanologii, 1955, 12: 219-257. (Birstein et al., 1955)
Philippine Trench from Philippine Sea, Mariana Trench from North Pacific Ocean and Kuril-Kamchatka Trench
| Species | Phylum | Common Name | Ecosystem | Depth | Habitat | NCBI Taxonomy ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hirondellea gigas | Arthropoda | - | Deep sea | 6,800-11,000 | Mariana Trench in the northwestern Pacific Ocean | 1518452 |
| Genome Assembly | Genome Size | Assembly level | Released year | WGS accession | Submitter | BioProject | BUSCO completeness (%) | Scaffold/Contig N50 (kb) | GC content (%) | Repeat Rate (%) | Gene Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | 13.92Gb | Chromosome | 2025 | CNA0142381 | - | CNP0005374 | 89.34 | 458,700/466.1 | 38.8 | 72.75 | 27,881 |
| Title | Journal | Pubmed ID |
|---|---|---|
| The amphipod genome reveals population dynamics and adaptations to hadal environment | Cell | 40054448 |
| Gene ID | Description |
|---|---|
| Hgig_05836 | FI18240P1-RELATED |
| Hgig_05837 | - |
| Hgig_05838 | DEFECTIVE PROBOSCIS EXTENSION RESPONSE DPR -RELATED |
| Hgig_05839 | DEFECTIVE PROBOSCIS EXTENSION RESPONSE DPR -RELATED |
| Hgig_05840 | OVOCHYMASE-RELATED |
| Hgig_05841 | CUTICLE PROTEIN |
| Hgig_05842 | - |
| Hgig_05843 | DOUBLESEX AND MAB-3 RELATED TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR DMRT |
| Hgig_05844 | APICAL ENDOSOMAL GLYCOPROTEIN PRECURSOR. |
| Hgig_05845 | LIPASE |
| Hgig_05846 | HISTONE H2B |
| Hgig_05847 | INNER MEMBRANE TRANSPORTER YGJI-RELATED |
| Hgig_05848 | - |
| Hgig_05849 | - |
| Hgig_05850 | REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE |
| Hgig_05851 | SUCCINYL-COA--D-CITRAMALATE COA-TRANSFERASE |
| Hgig_05852 | ZINC PHOSPHODIESTERASE ELAC PROTEIN 2 |
| Hgig_05853 | - |
| Hgig_05854 | METALLO PHOSPHOESTERASE RELATED |
| Hgig_05855 | 60S RIBOSOMAL PROTEIN L11-RELATED |
