New Species of Shrimp-Like Crustacean Named after Elton John

[TopazBlue 2,100]

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.

 

“I named the species in honor of Sir Elton John because I have listened to his music in my lab during my entire scientific career,” explained Dr James Thomas from the Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Florida, author of a paper in the journal ZooKeys.

“So, 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.”

This tiny (7 – 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 — without causing any harm, nor benefit to its host.

“The 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).”

In an interesting twist Leucothoe eltoni is now reported from Hawaiian waters as an invasive species.

“While described from coral reef environments in tropical Indonesia and the Philippines, it is an established invasive species in the Hawaiian Islands,” Dr Thomas said.

“The most likely mode of introduction was a U.S. Navy dry dock transported to Pearl Harbor in 1992 from Subic Bay, Philippines.”

Dr Thomas also pointed out that even though their tiny size, crustaceans such as Leucothoe eltoni provide crucial information about reef health.

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[Rat Boy 43,832]

Queen of shrimp-like crustaceans.

[Chromatislaps 34,854]

uncanny likeness 

j/k

pretty cool if something is named after you, I can't imagine how that would feel :D 

[Chic 20,830]

inb4 highest homos-xual rate of all crustacean species

[LaMaisonGaga 23,884]

when will Gaga and her plankton