Kiwaidae
| Kiwa | |
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| Kiwa puravida | |
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Kiwaidae
Macpherson, Jones & Segonzac, 2006
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| Genus: |
Kiwa
Macpherson, Jones & Segonzac, 2006
|
Kiwa is a genus of marine decapods living at deep-sea hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. The animals are commonly referred to as "yeti lobsters" or "yeti crabs", after the mythical yeti.[1] The genus is placed in its own family, Kiwaidae, in the superfamily Chirostyloidea.[2]
Two species have been described: Kiwa hirsuta discovered in 2005,[1] and Kiwa puravida, discovered in 2006.[3] A third species, known colloquially as the "Hoff crab", has been discovered on the East Scotia Ridge, and named Kiwa tyleri after its discoverer, Paul Tyler of Southampton University.[4][5] although analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear rDNA markers confirm that it is genetically distinct from K. hirsuta.[5] The same data suggest a divergence time for the two species of 12 million years ago.[5] In 2011 a very similar morph to the one collected at the East Scotia Ridge was collected from vents on the South West Indian Ridge.[6]
Based on the presence of sulphur-oxidising bacteria on the setae of both K. hirsuta and the new species, they may both feed on bacteria in addition to scavenging.[5] For K. puravida, the bacteria have been identified and the feeding behaviour observed, as well as a cyclical rhythmic motion of the crab documented that is suspected to increase the flow of methane and sulfide, the bacterial food, towards the bacteria.[3] The two sexes of the new species prefer different temperatures, with males seeming to prefer warmer water and egg-carrying females and juveniles preferring the coldest.[5]
Macpherson et al. named the genus Kiwa after "the goddess of the shellfish in the Polynesian mythology", although Kiwa is a male guardian of the sea in Maori mythology.[7]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-33263621
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
| External identifiers for Kiwa | |
|---|---|
| Encyclopedia of Life | 44677 |
| ITIS | 699875 |
| NCBI | 496070 |
| WoRMS | 249750 |
| Also found in: Wikispecies | |
Data related to Kiwa at Wikispecies
Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
