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_04216 | MALARIA ANTIGEN-RELATED |
| Hgig_04217 | - |
| Hgig_04218 | PEROXISOMAL MEMBRANE PROTEIN 2, PXMP2 MPV17 |
| Hgig_04219 | - |
| Hgig_04220 | - |
| Hgig_04221 | AMINO ACID TRANSPORTER |
| Hgig_04222 | - |
| Hgig_04223 | PROTEIN CBG27172 |
| Hgig_04224 | - |
| Hgig_04225 | ATAXIN 2-BINDING PROTEIN 1-RELATED |
| Hgig_04226 | - |
| Hgig_04227 | - |
| Hgig_04228 | NUCLEOTIDE KINASE |
| Hgig_04229 | FATTY ACID ACYL TRANSFERASE-RELATED |
| Hgig_04230 | - |
| Hgig_04231 | CENTROCORTIN FAMILY MEMBER |
| Hgig_04232 | - |
| Hgig_04233 | - |
| Hgig_04234 | - |
| Hgig_04235 | BIOTINIDASE-RELATED |
