Relics and antiquity revisited in the modern vent fauna

Abstract A total of 464 species is currently known from hydrothermal vents, with 820eing endemic. More strikingly, endemicity at hydrothermal vents reaches high taxonomic levels with 18 families, 4 superfamilies, 2 suborders, and 1 order endemic. It has been proposed that this magnitude of endemicity is reflective of an ancient, refugial fauna. A review of the many endemic groups reveals that hydrothermal vent communities have mosaic origins. …