Ridiculous Scientific Names #8 - Desis bobmarleyi & Gnathia marleyi

After a small hiatus due to Christmas I am back on regular posting, starting with a brand new episode of ridiculous scientific names, which this time covers a newly discovered species of marine spider and a parasite, both named after Bob Marley. I think Marley needs needs no introduction so let's get started:

1. Bob Marley's Spider (Desis bobmarleyi)

Desis bobmarleyi is a new inclusion in the Desis genus,  which is a genus of truly marine spiders found in Australasia, the Pacific, Japan, eastern and southern Africa, and India. The new species was described thanks to two specimens collected on "02:00 on 11 January 2009 when the sea along the coastline of Australia's 'Sunshine State' of Queensland receded to such an extent that it exposed a population of water-adapted spiders. "

The researchers who observed the spiders and later named the species immediately associated their emergence with Bob Marley's song 'High Tide or Low Tide:

"The song ‘High Tide or Low Tide’ promotes love and friendship through all struggles of life. It is his music that aided a field trip to Port Douglas in coastal Queensland, Australia, to collect spiders with a highly unique biology." wrote the researchers in their paper.

The species was described based on two individuals, a male and a female, both collected from corals during that night of January. Like with most spiders, females seem to be larger with the female specimen being 9 mm while the male specimen was 6 mm long.  Both specimens were predominantly red-brown and their legs were covered with a dense layer of long, thin and dark grey hair-like structures.

Female Desis bobmarleyi specimen (credit)

Male Desis bobmarleyi specimen (credit)

The common name the authors proposed is "Bob Marley’s Intertidal Spider". Similarly to other intertidal spiders, Bob Marley's spider is fully adapted for underwater life and and lives in barnacle shells, which it seals up with silk to maintain an air bubble during high tides. When sea water recedes, it comes out to hunt small invertebrates that roam the surrounding rocks, corals and plants.

I think I have covered all the basics you need to know about this critter so let's move on to the next one!

2. Bob Marley's Parasite (Gnathia marleyi)

Second animal on today's list is the tiny Gnathia marleyi, a species of parasitic crustacean that infests and feeds on the blood of various fish, like the French grunt (Haemulon flavioliniatum). The species occurs elusively in the Caribbean.

Male Specimen (credit)

Female specimen with eggs (credit)

G. marleyi is pretty much a marine version of terrestrial ticks. During its juvenile stage it stays hidden in sea sponges, algae, and pieces of dead coral on the sea floor, and attaches itself to any fish that comes close, feeding on their blood, lymph or mucus. Once it grows enough and reaches adulthood the parasite stops feeding, drops itself from the host and returns to the ocean floor. There it survives until the end of its life with the blood it has consumed during the previous stage. It's also during this period, which lasts two to three weeks, that it reproduces.

The species was first discovered by marine biologist Paul Sikkel in the U.S. Virgin Islands in  2002. Sikkel named the creature this way due to his "respect and admiration" for Bob Marley's music. He even stated that the parasite is "as uniquely Caribbean as was Marley". 

The End 

I tried to look for more animals named after Marley but I didn't find any so I guess this brings us to the end of this post. If you know of any others please don't hesitate sharing them in the comments below. See ya tomorrow!

More Ridiculously Named Animals

Didn't have enough? Ok! Here are some more animals with stupid names: 

• A Horseshoe Crab Named After Darth Vader
• Pink Floyd Shrimp And Animals Named After Harrison Ford
• Darth Vader's and Arnold Schwarzenegger's Beetles
• Animals Named After Donald Trump
• The Bernie Sanders Spider 
• Tritonia khaleesi, Queen of the Nudibranches and the Sea Slugs 
• A beetle called Hitler