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_13617 | INTEGRIN BETA SUBUNIT |
| Hgig_13618 | INTEGRIN BETA SUBUNIT |
| Hgig_13619 | - |
| Hgig_13620 | - |
| Hgig_13621 | PROTEASE-ASSOCIATED DOMAIN-CONTAINING PROTEIN |
| Hgig_13622 | - |
| Hgig_13623 | PROTEIN CBG27172 |
| Hgig_13624 | VACUOLAR PROTEIN SORTING VPS16 |
| Hgig_13625 | DNA2/NAM7 HELICASE FAMILY |
| Hgig_13626 | - |
| Hgig_13627 | - |
| Hgig_13628 | ZINC FINGER SWIM DOMAIN CONTAINING PROTEIN 4, 5, 6 |
| Hgig_13629 | - |
| Hgig_13630 | MUCIN 4-RELATED |
| Hgig_13631 | - |
| Hgig_13632 | ZINC FINGER PROTEIN |
| Hgig_13633 | - |
| Hgig_13634 | UNCHARACTERIZED |
| Hgig_13635 | TRANSPOSASE-RELATED |
| Hgig_13636 | COLLAGEN ALPHA |
