Speleonectes atlantida
Encyclopedia
Speleonectes atlantida is a species of eyeless crustacean
in the order Nectiopoda. It was discovered in August 2009 in the Tunnel de la Atlantida
, the world's longest submarine lava tube
on Lanzarote
in the Canary Islands
off the west coast of North Africa. The species is equipped with powerful prehensile limbs
and venom
ous fangs that function as hypodermic needle
s.
. Adapted to life in caves, the long antennae
sprouting from its head and the presence of sensory hairs along its body allow the crustacean to feel its way along the dark tunnel.
The species is equipped with powerful prehensile limbs
, and poison
ous fang
s that function as hypodermic needle
s. Aside from members of the Remipedia, no other venom
ous crustaceans are known.
, the world’s longest known submarine lava tube
on Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, an international team of scientists and cave divers
discovered the previously unknown species of crustacean, belonging to the remipede genus Speleonectes, along with two new species of annelid worms
of the class Polychaeta. The species was named after the tunnel it was found in. It is morphologically very similar to Speleonectes ondinae, a remipede that has been known from the same lava tube since 1985, but DNA
comparison studies proved that it is a second species. The divergence of the two species may have occurred after the formation of the 6 km (3.7 mi) lava tube during an eruption of the Monte Corona
volcano some 20,000 years ago.
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
in the order Nectiopoda. It was discovered in August 2009 in the Tunnel de la Atlantida
Tunnel de la Atlantida
Tunnel de la Atlantida is the world's longest known volcanic submarine lava tube located in the Canary Islands off the coast of North Africa. The 5,000-foot long tube formed some 20,000 years ago when the Monte Corona volcano erupted on the island of Lanzarote. The erupted molten rock flowed...
, the world's longest submarine lava tube
Lava tube
Lava tubes are natural conduits through which lava travels beneath the surface of a lava flow, expelled by a volcano during an eruption. They can be actively draining lava from a source, or can be extinct, meaning the lava flow has ceased and the rock has cooled and left a long, cave-like...
on Lanzarote
Lanzarote
Lanzarote , a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...
in the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
off the west coast of North Africa. The species is equipped with powerful prehensile limbs
Arthropod leg
The arthropod leg is a form of jointed appendage of arthropods, usually used for walking. Many of the terms used for arthropod leg segments are of Latin origin, and may be confused with terms for bones: coxa , trochanter , femur, tibia, tarsus, ischium, metatarsus, carpus, dactylus ,...
and venom
Venom
Venom is the general term referring to any variety of toxins used by certain types of animals that inject it into their victims by the means of a bite or a sting...
ous fangs that function as hypodermic needle
Hypodermic needle
A hypodermic needle is a hollow needle commonly used with a syringe to inject substances into the body or extract fluids from it...
s.
Description
Speleonectes atlantida is approximately 20 millimetre (0.78740157480315 in) long. Like most other remipedes, the species lacks eyes and is hermaphroditicHermaphrodite
In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
. Adapted to life in caves, the long antennae
Antenna (biology)
Antennae in biology have historically been paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods. More recently, the term has also been applied to cilium structures present in most cell types of eukaryotes....
sprouting from its head and the presence of sensory hairs along its body allow the crustacean to feel its way along the dark tunnel.
The species is equipped with powerful prehensile limbs
Arthropod leg
The arthropod leg is a form of jointed appendage of arthropods, usually used for walking. Many of the terms used for arthropod leg segments are of Latin origin, and may be confused with terms for bones: coxa , trochanter , femur, tibia, tarsus, ischium, metatarsus, carpus, dactylus ,...
, and poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
ous fang
Fang
Fang is a mammal's canine tooth.Fang may also refer to:* A snake's poison-injecting tooth: see snake venom* Fang people, in Central Africa* Fang language, spoken by Fang people...
s that function as hypodermic needle
Hypodermic needle
A hypodermic needle is a hollow needle commonly used with a syringe to inject substances into the body or extract fluids from it...
s. Aside from members of the Remipedia, no other venom
Venom
Venom is the general term referring to any variety of toxins used by certain types of animals that inject it into their victims by the means of a bite or a sting...
ous crustaceans are known.
Discovery
During a cave diving expedition to explore the Tunnel de la AtlantidaTunnel de la Atlantida
Tunnel de la Atlantida is the world's longest known volcanic submarine lava tube located in the Canary Islands off the coast of North Africa. The 5,000-foot long tube formed some 20,000 years ago when the Monte Corona volcano erupted on the island of Lanzarote. The erupted molten rock flowed...
, the world’s longest known submarine lava tube
Lava tube
Lava tubes are natural conduits through which lava travels beneath the surface of a lava flow, expelled by a volcano during an eruption. They can be actively draining lava from a source, or can be extinct, meaning the lava flow has ceased and the rock has cooled and left a long, cave-like...
on Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, an international team of scientists and cave divers
Cave diving
Cave diving is a type of technical diving in which specialized equipment is used to enable the exploration of caves which are at least partially filled with water. In the United Kingdom it is an extension of the more common sport of caving, and in the United States an extension of the more common...
discovered the previously unknown species of crustacean, belonging to the remipede genus Speleonectes, along with two new species of annelid worms
Annelid
The annelids , formally called Annelida , are a large phylum of segmented worms, with over 17,000 modern species including ragworms, earthworms and leeches...
of the class Polychaeta. The species was named after the tunnel it was found in. It is morphologically very similar to Speleonectes ondinae, a remipede that has been known from the same lava tube since 1985, but DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
comparison studies proved that it is a second species. The divergence of the two species may have occurred after the formation of the 6 km (3.7 mi) lava tube during an eruption of the Monte Corona
Monte Corona
Monte Corona is a 609m high extinct volcano on the Canary Island of Lanzarote , near the village of Yé in the municipality of Haría. Its eruption around 4000 years ago covered a large area of the northeast of the island with lava, creating the Malpais de la Corona and two of the island's...
volcano some 20,000 years ago.