TopazBlue 2,100 Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 http://www.sci-news.com/biology/science-leucothoe-eltoni-amphipod-elton-john-03177.html A newly-discovered species of leucothoid amphipod has been named after British singer and composer Sir Elton John. Leucothoe eltoni, male. Image credit: James Thomas. Β βI named the species in honor of Sir Elton John because I have listened to his music in my lab during my entire scientific career,β explained Dr James Thomas from the Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Florida, author of a paper in the journal ZooKeys. βSo, when this unusual crustacean with a greatly enlarged appendage appeared under my microscope after a day of collecting, an image of the shoes Elton John wore as the Pinball Wizard came to mind.β This tiny (7 β 8 mm long), extraordinary creature, Leucothoe eltoni, can be found in coral reefs of Yenweres Bay, Raja Ampat, Indonesia, and also in the Philippines, where it lives inside other reef invertebrates in a commensal association β without causing any harm, nor benefit to its host. βThe species is found primarily in branchial baskets of solitary tunicates such as Herdmania and Polycarpa sp., rarely in bivalve mollusks (winged pearl oyster Pteria penguin), and branched yellow rope sponges Callyspongia (species undetermined).β In an interesting twist Leucothoe eltoni is now reported from Hawaiian waters as an invasive species. βWhile described from coral reef environments in tropical Indonesia and the Philippines, it is an established invasive species in the Hawaiian Islands,β Dr Thomas said. βThe most likely mode of introduction was a U.S. Navy dry dock transported to Pearl Harbor in 1992 from Subic Bay, Philippines.β Dr Thomas also pointed out that even though their tiny size, crustaceans such as Leucothoe eltoni provide crucial information about reef health. _____ π» π«π¬ ππ―π’π§π²π‘π¦π π’, π«π¬ π§π²π‘π€π’πͺπ’π«π±, ππ²π± ππ¬π²π«π‘π©π’π°π° π£π―π’π’π‘π¬πͺ πΊ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rat Boy 43,832 Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Queen of shrimp-like crustaceans. "****ing rat" - @Dynamite Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chromatislaps 34,854 Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 uncanny likenessΒ j/k pretty cool if something is named after you, I can't imagine how that would feel :DΒ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chic 20,830 Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 inb4 highest homos-xual rate of all crustacean species Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaMaisonGaga 23,884 Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 when will Gaga and her plankton lamaisongaga.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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