Deep-Sea Limpet named After Manga Character
The revelation of a new species of limpet, found 6 km beneath the Pacific Ocean, has been named after a character from the popular manga series ONE PIECE. The researchers from Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) were inspired by their love for pop-culture characters when naming this deep-sea creature.
The gastropod,measuring up to 40.5 mm in shell length, was discovered on hard volcanic rock at a depth of almost 6 km. this is the deepest known habitat for any true limpet (subclass Patellogastropoda). The researchers used submersible technology to access this habitat and directly observe and collect the organism.
The new species has been published in the open-access journal Zoosystematics and Evolution as Bathylepeta wadatsumi. The name is a reference to Wadatsumi, the god of sea in japanese mythology, and “Large Monk” Wadatsumi from ONE PIECE.
This is not the first time that researchers have named new species after pop-culture characters. In recent years we have seen spiders named after Venom (and Tom Hardy), crabs named after League of Legends raccoon-thing, and giant isopods named after Darth Vader.
Aside from its taxonomic meaning, this discovery also sheds light on ecological implications as B. wadatsumi appears to graze on sediment layers over rock indicating its specialized role in processing organic matter in deep-sea ecosystems.The study highlights the need for more comprehensive explorations using submersibles to reveal true diversity and distribution of Bathylepeta and other animals relying on rocky abyssal habitats.
Original source:
chen C.,Tsuda M., Ishitani Y.,A New Large-Sized Lepetid Limpet From The Abyssal northwestern Pacific Is The Deepest Known Patellogastropod,zoosystematics and Evolution 101(3): 1249-1058. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse
A unique and creative way to honor a beloved anime character while also bringing attention to a new species of snail! 🐌 #anime #nature