by University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science
An international team of scientists from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science and the Water Research Group from the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management at North-West University in South Africa discovered a new species of marine cryptofauna in the Florida Keys.
The study, titled “Morphological description and molecular characterization of Gnathia jimmybuffetti sp. nov. (Crustacea, Isopoda, Gnathiidae): the first new gnathiid in 100 years from the Floridian ecoregion,” was published on 12 June 2023 in the journal Marine Science Bulletin.
Cryptofauna are the small, secretive, organisms that make up most of the ocean’s biodiversity. The nearly three-millimeter-long isopod is one of only 15 species from the genus Gnathia currently known in the region.
The newly discovered species, Gnathia jimmybuffetti, which belongs to a group of crustaceans called gnathiid isopods, was collected using light traps placed in shallow water and described using photomicrographs and genetic sequencing.
“Upon examination, it was determined to be a species not previously known to science,” said senior investigator Paul Sikkel, a research professor in the Rosenstiel School’s Department of Marine Biology and Ecology. “This is the first new Florida gnathiid discovered in 100 years.”
These small animals, found in all the oceans of the world lead an extraordinary life. The young are most active at night and feed on the blood of fish such as mosquitoes or ticks. Adults do not eat and live hidden in debris on the sea floor. Because of their lifestyle, they are grouped as parasites, organisms that need a living host to survive.
The current extreme marine heat wave events in Florida and other regions of the world that host coral reefs are a great concern for species such as Gnathia jimmybuffetti, which cannot simply swim in cooler waters. Sikkel’s team’s work with other gnathiid species shows that at above-average seawater temperatures, mortality increases, and the abundance of gnathiids on reefs decreases dramatically. To the extent that these effects are likely to be similar to many other small invertebrates that live in or near the benthos (below), they could have major effects on coral reef food webs.
Because the species was discovered in the Florida Keys and Sikkel and his team have long been fans of Jimmy Buffett’s music—which is similar to the Florida Keys—they named the new species: Gnathia jimmybuffetti after the music legend.
“By naming a species after an artist, we want to emphasize the integration of arts and science,” said Sikkel, whose research group named a similar species from the Caribbean after Bob Marley (Gnathia marleyi).
“All species in an ecosystem play an important role and all species have something to teach us,” Sikkel said. “As we discover new species, we are reminded of how many undiscovered species there are.”
The researchers emphasize that while these organisms have a parasitic lifestyle, they do not equate these artists, whom they admire and respect, with parasites.
Authors include Anja Erasmus, Nico Smit, and Kerry Hadfield, North-West University Water Research Group, in South Africa, and Paul Sikkel, University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science.
More information:
Anja Erasmus et al, Morphological Description and Molecular Characterization of Gnathia Jimmybuffetti Sp. Nov. (Crustacea, Isopoda, Gnathiidae): the First New Gnathiid in 100 Years from the Floridian Ecoregion., Marine Science Bulletin (2023). DOI: 10.5343/bms.2023.0040
Provided by the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Sciences
Citation: Scientists discover new isopod species in Florida Keys (2023, July 25) retrieved on July 25, 2023 from https://phys.org/news/2023-07-scientists-isopod-species-florida-keys.html
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