![]() ![]() ![]() Disturbingly, the branched arms grow into the tissue of its host, permanently securing the parasite inside the nostril and making their removal very difficult. Its highly branched “arms” are modified appendages that this species uses to attach to the inside of the nostril of the skate. Among its parasitic brethren, the Branch-Armed Nostril Copepod, Dendrapta nasicola, is unique in all the ways its name suggests: it has branched, root-like arms (more accurately called maxillae) and it lives in the nostrils of its host, the skate Bathyraja scaphiops. Many copepods are herbivores or predators, but there are also thousands of species of parasitic copepods, like the new species here. Image via WoRMS.Ĭopepods are small crustaceans that are found in all aquatic habitats, both marine and freshwater. Since all specimens of the new species were observed living on sponges, it was named after Patrick to reflect this curious relationship. In the paper describing this new species, the authors write that the name originated from the character Patrick Star, who always spends time with his best friend SpongeBob, a benthic sponge. It gained its name not from the pink-red color it shares with Patrick Star, but more aptly from its close association with another species, a sponge! All five specimens of the new starfish species were found attached to deep-sea sponges. It was discovered in the depths of the northwestern Pacific Ocean at a few locations 1-2 miles (1.5-3 km) below the surface. This new species of starfish is named after Patrick Star from the beloved cartoon SpongeBob Squarepants. the Extra-Terrestrial, and earned this sponge its common name, the E.T. #Submarine cartoon you were wrong to root movieThe round body of the sponge with its two openings looking like eye sockets was reminiscent of the head of the alien from the beloved movie E.T. Growing high on its stalk like an elongate mushroom, the sponge is adorned with large openings that face into the current so it can filter small food items from the water. This area was dubbed the Forest of the Weird in reference to many forms of gorgeous, delicate glass sponges seen growing along the sea floor like an alien forest.Īmong these strange glass sponges was the new species Advhena magnifica (Latin for “magnificent alien”). Over 1 1/4 miles (2 km) below the surface, the explorers were amazed to come across a deep-sea environment studded with strange and beautiful animals that looked more like an alien landscape than something found on Earth. Sponge, Advhena magnifica, was spotted by a team of NOAA explorers that were searching the sea floor of the Pacific Ocean. Here’s the 2020 list, with the WoRMS descriptions of the species: The E.T. The WoRMS Top 10 List, selected by taxonomists and science journal editors, is just a small highlight of almost 2,000 fascinating new marine species discovered every year. In labs, museums, and out in the field, taxonomists – scientists who name, describe and classify organisms – are busy collecting, cataloging, identifying and comparing marine species, including fish, crustaceans, mollusks, corals, sponges, jellies and worms, new to science. An incredible number have never been encountered by humans at all. We don’t know how many species exist in the oceans. Hidden beneath the waves, there are creatures beyond our imagination. The oceans cover 70% of the surface of our planet, and yet they are still the least explored. #Submarine cartoon you were wrong to root seriesIn the opening sequence of the BBC documentary series Blue Planet II, David Attenborough says: sponge, fighting Elvis worms, the tiny tree-of-life tardigrade, and the Patrick sea star. This year’s list of newly-described ocean species includes the E.T. ![]() On March 19, 2021, the World Register of Marine Species ( WoRMS) released its annual list of the top 10 new marine species described by researchers during the year 2020. This new species, discoved in 2020, is called the Feisty Elvis Worm. ![]()
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