Metridium farcimen (Brandt, 1835)

Fig. 5B.

Actinia farcimen Brandt, 1835: 12.

Metridium farcimen: Fautin, Hand, 2000: 1151 (and synonymy); Sanamyan, Sanamyan, 2009: 158, 2010: 211 (and synonymy).

MATERIAL. VM-167, 59.5650ºN 165.2600ºE – 59.5500ºN 165.2300ºE, depth 94 m, sample 19, one specimen collected; VM-212, 58.7150ºN 162. 7633ºE – 58.7316ºN 162.7866ºE, depth 30– 29 m, sample 26, one specimen collected.

REMARKS. This species is widely distributed in the North Pacific. It has high smooth column (up to 1 m in height) and numerous (thousands) small tentacles which serve to catch small suspended in the water column particles; the species is planktivorous. Numerous records of this species are reported from American coasts from Bering Strait to Mexico and from subtidal waters to 2740 m (Eash-Loucks, Fautin, 2012). On the Asiatic side of Pacific, it was reported from Southeast Kamchatka, where its typical location is in the Avacha Bay (Fautin, Hand, 2000; Sanamyan, Sanamyan, 2009, 2010). According to personal observations and underwater photographs of N. Sanamyan this species is abundant in Avachinsky and Kronotsky Gulfs. Also, this species was photographed in the first technical dive by ROV in 2018 on the southern (Pacific) side of Bering Island (Commander Islands) on 30–33 m and in Chukotka in the Seniavin Strait (northern part of the Bering Sea) on the depth 6–8 m (Fig. 5B; personal communication and photo of Viktor Lyagushkin). Metridium sp. recorded by Averincev (1967) from Sea of Japan (Possjet Bay) probably belongs to this species. Metridium farcimen appears to be very abundant in some parts of the Northwest Pacific: more than 100 kg of this species was captured per trawling in three station during bottom trawl survey in the shelf of the Karaginsky subzone (Olyutorsky and Karaginsky Gulfs) in the Bering Sea in 2021 at depths of 29–94 m (personal communication of Taras Morozov).