Kiwaidae
| Kiwa | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Kiwa puravida | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Crustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Infraorder: | Anomura |
| Superfamily: | Kiwaoidea Macpherson, Jones & Segonzac, 2006 |
| Family: | Kiwaidae Macpherson, Jones & Segonzac, 2006 |
| 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".[1] The genus is placed in its own family, Kiwaidae, and superfamily, Kiwaoidea.
Two species have been described: Kiwa hirsuta discovered in 2005,[1] and Kiwa puravida, discovered in 2006.[2] A third species has been discovered on the South West Indian Ridge, but is as yet undescribed,[3] although analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear rDNA markers confirm that it is distinct from K. hirsuta.[4] The same data suggest a divergence time for the two species of 12 million years ago.[4]
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.[4] 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, the bacterial food, towards the bacteria.[2] 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.[4]
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.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b E. Macpherson, W. Jones & M. Segonzac (2006). "A new squat lobster family of Galatheoidea (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura) from the hydrothermal vents of the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge" (PDF). Zoosystema 27 (4): 709–723. http://www.mnhn.fr/museum/front/medias/publication/6892_z05n4a3.pdf.
- ^ a b Andrew R. Thurber, William J. Jones & Kareen Schnabel (2011). "Dancing for food in the deep sea: bacterial farming by a new species of yeti crab". PLoS ONE 6 (11): e26243. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0026243. http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0026243.
- ^ Rebecca Morelle (December 28, 2011). "Deep-sea creatures at volcanic vent". BBC News. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16267625.
- ^ a b c d Alex D. Rogers, Paul A. Tyler, Douglas P. Connelly, Jon T. Copley, Rachael James et al. (2012). "The discovery of new deep-sea hydrothermal vent communities in the Southern Ocean and implications for biogeography". PLoS Biology 10 (1): e1001234. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001234.
- ^ Elsdon Best (1924). "IV. Cosmogony and Anthropogeny". The Maori - Volume 1. pp. 89–105. http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-Bes01Maor-t1-body-d4.html.
[edit] External links
Data related to Kiwa at Wikispecies
Media related to Kiwa at Wikimedia Commons
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