Korean sand burrower (Limnichthys koreanus), a new creediid fish from tidal waters of Jeju Island

NEWS - Korean sand burrower (Limnichthys koreanus) was described based on the holotype and 11 paratypes from the subtidal waters of Seogwipo, Jeju Island, Korea, which was previously considered to be the anti-equatorial L. fasciatus in the Northern Hemisphere. Molecular analysis of mitochondrial COI and 16S genes found genetic divergence of 9.4% and 15.0% between the new species and the topotype specimen of L. fasciatus.

Creediidae consists of 8 genera with 18 species that are distributed globally and are mostly concentrated in subtropical and tropical coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean. These fish are known as sand burrowers, small, slender sand-dwelling fish that camouflage and hide in the uppermost layer of sand while waiting for prey.

Six species of Limnichthys are currently recognized as valid: L. fasciatus Waite (1904), L. marisrubri Fricke & Golani (2012), L. nitidus Smith (1958), L. orientalis Yoshino, Kon & Odabe (1999), L. polyactis Nelson (1978) and L. rendahli Parrott (1958). They show anti-equatorial distributions, except for L. nitidus which occurs in tropical to temperate waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean.

Morphological and molecular comparisons of specimens from Korea in the Northern Hemisphere show that they differ from the topotype examples of L. fasciatus from southeastern Australia. Specimens of the new species were collected during a monitoring survey of subtropical fish species from the subtidal zone of Jeju Island, Korea.

L. koreanus differs from all other Limnichthys species by the following combination of coloration and morphological characteristics: 38-40 vertebrae, 0-6 dorsal saddles connecting the mid-lateral lines, small infraorbital sensory pores, one median interorbital pore, and well-developed vomerine teeth.

The researchers analyzed 12 specimens from 1-2 meters depth that were initially thought to be L. fasciatus. The new species has spots on the dorsal fin. The number of dorsal saddle patterns ranges from 5 to 9. Limnichthys species typically have 8 caudal fin segments, however, L. koreanus has 8-9 branched caudal fins.

The new species is only known from Jeju Island, Korea. They inhabit relatively thick sand (or possibly fine gravel) substrates, often hiding almost entirely in the sand in the subtidal zone. They dart out to catch prey and then return to their original position. Females have mature eggs in their gonads from June to August, 522 eggs per individual and 0.62-0.65 mm in diameter.

Original research

Lee Y-J, Kim J-K (2024). Limnichthys koreanus, a new species of creediid fish (Teleostei, Acropomatiformes, Creediidae) from Korea. ZooKeys 1214: 59-75, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1214.128977

Dlium theDlium

Cogon grass (Imperata cylindrica)

Cogon grass ( Imperata cylindrica ) is a species of plant in the Poaceae, an annual grass, sharp leaves, long and scaly shoots, creeping underground, white or purplish flowers, very adaptive and grows in all climates. I. cylindrica has sharply pointed shoot tips that emerge from the ground, up to 3 meters high, short stems, rising above the ground surface. Leaves are long ribbon-shaped, pointed tip, narrow base, up to 100 cm long, very rough and sharply serrated edges, long hairs at the base and wide veins. Inflorescences in panicles, up to 28 cm long, spikes long-haired and white to 1 cm. The seeds spread quickly with the wind or via rhizomes that quickly penetrate the soil. This species grows in tropical to subtropical areas, elevation up to 2000 meters, temperature 20-40C, rainfall 500-3500 mm/year, pH 4-7.5, lots of sunlight to a bit of shade. This plant dominates open land, former forests, dry rice fields, roadsides and so on. This plant contains mannitol, glucose, sacharose...

Liberian coffee (Coffea liberica)

Liberian coffee ( Coffea liberica ) is a species of plant in the Rubiaceae family, a tree up to 20 meters tall, with numerous, radial and irregular branches, brown bark, and linear fissures. The leaves are oval, thick, up to 35 cm long, up to 20 cm long, shiny green, and have petioles up to 1 cm long. The fruit is round to oval, irregular, and up to 2 cm wide. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Gentianales Family: Rubiaceae Subfamily: Ixoroideae Tribe: Coffeeae Genus: Coffea L. in Sp. Pl.: 172 (1753) Species: Coffea liberica W.Bull in Nursery Cat. (William Bull) 97: 4 (1874) HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS Coffea abeokutae Cramer in Meded. Dept. Landb. Ned.-Indië 11: 286, 396 (1913) Coffea abeokutae var. camerunensis A.Chev. in Encycl. Biol. 22: t. 44 (1942) Coffea abeokutae var. indeniensis (Siebert) A.Chev. (1942) Coffea abeokutae var. longicarpa Portères in Ann. Agric. Afrique Occ. 1(2): 224 (1937) Coffea abeokutae var. macrocarpa...

A deep-sea isopod Bathyopsurus nybelini adapted to feed submerged Sargassum algae

NEWS - Incredible footage shows a marine species, Bathyopsurus nybelini , feeding on something that sinks from the ocean’s surface. Researchers using the submersible Alvin found the isopod swimming 3.7 miles down using its paddle-like legs to catch an unexpected food source: Sargassum. Researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the University of Montana, SUNY Geneseo, Willamette University and the University of Rhode Island found the algae sinking, while the isopod waited and adapted specifically to find and feed on the sinking nutrient source. The Sargassum lives on the surface for photosynthesis. The discovery of a deep-sea animal that relies on food that sinks from the waters miles above underscores the close relationship between the surface and the deep. “It’s fascinating to see this beautiful animal actively interacting with sargassum, so deep in the ocean. This isopod is extremely rare; only a handful of specimens were collected during the groundbreaking Swedis...

Dlium