News Excerpt:
A newly discovered species of deep-sea isopod found off the coast of Kollam in Kerala has been named in honor of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) by researchers.
About Brucethoa isro:
- Brucethoa isro was discovered at the base of the gill cavity of the Spinyjaw greeneye, a species of marine fish.
- The new species has been named in honour of the ISRO’s “successful space missions, including the recent successful lunar mission titled Chandrayaan-3.”
- Brucethoa isro will contribute significantly to advancing our understanding of marine parasitism.
- Brucethoa isro marks the second documented species within this genus to be recorded in India.
- Within the species, females typically exhibit larger sizes compared to males, reaching approximately 19 mm in length and 6 mm in width, while males are roughly half the size.
- Taxonomists have been fascinated by the unique morphology and behavior of deep-sea parasitic isopods for quite some time.
What are the isopods?
- Isopods are an order of invertebrates (animals without backbones) that belong to the greater crustacean group of animals, which includes crabs and shrimp.
- They live in many different types of habitats, from mountains and deserts to the deep sea, and are distributed worldwide.
- About half of the known species of isopods live in the ocean.
- Some are large and spiny and live in the deep sea, while others are very small and live as parasites on fish.
- Others live in coastal and shelf waters, moving around on the seafloor or living in plants.
- Isopods have two pairs of antennae, compound eyes, and four sets of jaws.
