Posted on 08/10/2022 8:10:59 AM PDT by Red Badger
(Dr Ming-Chih Huang, Journal of Natural History)
In the case of future catastrophe, it's often said cockroaches will be the last lifeform left standing on Earth. But there's another, more mysterious bug living in the deep that could give roaches a run for their money.
A group of football-sized isopods have been roaming the seafloor like giant, blown-up roly-poly bugs for 200 or 300 million years, even through the dinosaur extinction event.
One of the largest living species today, Bathynomus giganteus, can be found at depths of more than 2,500 meters (8,200 feet). It was first caught off the Gulf of Mexico in 1879, and as it turns out, it might be two species rolled up in one.
A modern analysis of known giant isopods living in the deep sea has found subtle yet significant differences in their DNA and morphology (their shape and structure).
One specimen found in 2017, for instance, had a slender body compared to other B. giganteus specimens, despite being designated as that species initially.
The curious specimen was found off the Yucatán Peninsula between 600 and 800 meters deep, where B. giganteus has been found before. But there was something off about this one. It was slightly shorter in total length, measuring in at 26 centimeters (10 inches), and its antennae were relatively long.
While further data is needed to confirm the specimen's exact taxonomic ranking, researchers suspect it represents a new separate species of Bathynomus, and they have named it B. yucatanensis.
The new species has probably gone overlooked until now because the number of spines on its tail match those of B. giganteus. Until now, that was thought to be a key point of distinction between species.
Researchers also say other specimens from the South China Sea were erroneously labelled as B. kensleyi, when, in fact, molecular and morphological analyses showed they are actually B. jamesi.
"It is increasingly evident that species of Bathynomus may be exceedingly similar in overall appearance, and also that there is a long history of misidentification of species in the genus," the authors of the analysis write.
Today, scientists have cataloged about 20 species of living creatures that belong to the Bathynomus genus.
While these aquatic animals might look similar to giant terrestrial woodlouse, they are also distantly related to crabs, shrimp and lobsters.
In comparison to their relatives, however, we know next to nothing about giant isopods. What we do know suggests they are well-equipped to deal with major extinction events. Sometimes, they can go without food for years.
That's probably necessary in the deep, where nutrients are rare and fiercely competed over. When a meal becomes available, it pays to get to the table first.
In 2019, when researchers dropped an alligator carcass into the Gulf of Mexico, it took a mere day for a troop of giant Bathynomus bugs to descend on the meal. Some of them ate so much they began toppling over as though stupefied.
While an alligator might sound out of place in the ocean, it's common for their carcasses to wash into the Gulf of Mexico via rivers or storms.
Whale falls are also a known food source for giant isopods bugs lying hungry in the deep.
What else these creatures do while they wait for the next meal to drop is a mystery.
"B. giganteus is indeed the species closest to B. yucatanensis," the new paper concludes.
"This indicates that the two species likely had a common ancestor. Additionally, there may also be other undiscovered Bathynomus spp. in the tropical western Atlantic."
We might just be noticing giant pill bugs now, but they've been around for much longer than human curiosity.
There's a good chance they even outlast our species. Their track record is certainly better.
The study was published in the Journal of Natural History.
It looks like a trilobite.
I give it a week before there’s a “catch, clean, cook” video on it on YooToob.
It looks like it needs lots of garlic butter....................
Lobster without the messy parts..............
Coming soon to the wet market in Wuhan.
A water roach.
And Old Bay
Are these some of the bugs Libtards want us to eat?
Lobsters and cockroaches are actually distant relatives.
I wouldn’t mind these...................😉
Doodlebug ... which aren’t insects
Roaches have only 6 legs, being insects
> I give it a week before there’s a “catch, clean, cook” video on it on YooToob.
This ones been up there for the last three and a half years...
GRAPHIC: LIVE GIANT Isopod Fried Rice | Real Life Pokemon Kabuto | Isopod Cooking Hour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54m4SDJiL6U
It’s said they are tasty.
I’m not gonna try it. You try it.
I’m not gonna try it.
Hey! Let’s get Mikey to try it!
Yeah!
He won’t eat it. He hates everything.
He likes it! Hey, Mikey!
I’m sure they all voted for Biden in 2020.
Not exactly sure how this is considered newly discovered.....
They had been seen as far back as 2010 and with a bit more digging, prolly could find videos from before then.
From 2010:
Giant Isopod Attacks ROV in Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon MC252 Seabed Eruption shortly after
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5FT8CIIekE
Pill bugs and Sow bugs are the dry land version. They feed on organic matter, dead and living but cant survive without lots of moisture. They are busy right now on my composte heap!
There is some contention as to whether they are different species due to minor body differences....................
My thinking exactly!😛
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