Paul Sikkel of the University of Arkansas names a newly-discovered parasite after Bob Marley. The blood-sucking parasite was found in the Virgin Islands.
A tiny, blood-drinking crustacean parasite has been discovered by Paul Sikkel of the Arkansas State University. Dr. Sikkel, an assistant professor of marine ecology, named the new speciesGnathia marleyi after legendary reggae artist Bob Marley.
Bob Marley
Sikkel and his research team presented their findings concerning the new species in the June 6 issue of Zootaxia. Dr. Sikkel says of the new species: “I named this species, which is truly a natural wonder, after Marley because of my respect and admiration for Marley’s music. Plus, this species is as uniquely Caribbean as was Marley.”
Naming the Caribbean crustacean after Bob Marley is a fitting tribute, as the reggae singer was born in the village of Nine Mile in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica. The Christian Science Monitor notes that Bob Marley now belongs to a very special club of people who have each had a biological species named after them.
That club includes President Barack Obama, whose name encouraged researchers to name a lichen growing in California after him. Other members o For years, Dr. Sikkel believed that the species had already been described because it is very common in the Virgin Islands where he was working.
Upon discovering that the parasitic crustacean had not, in fact, been classified, Dr. Sikkel and a team of scientists raised the organism through adulthood in order to understand all stages of its development. Juvenile gnathiids behave differently from adult gnathiids, so this was an important step, especially considering that most taxonomic data on gnathiids generally comes from adults.
Young Gnathia marleyi hide themselves in coral, sea sponge, algae, or other debris. When fish swim by their hiding places, the crustaceans attack and infest them. The young parasites feed on the fish for some time. Adult Gnathia marleyi, however, do not appear to feed at all. Dr. Sikkel says, “We believe that adults subsist for two to three weeks on the last feedings they had as juveniles and then die, hopefully after they have reproduced.”
Gnathia marleyi’s penchant for feeding off of its host is not unusual in the animal world. In fact, Brian Brown with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles recently published work in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America that described a tiny fly that feeds on ant brains.
The fly parasitically lays its eggs inside an ant’s head. When the larvae hatch, they feed on the ant’s brains until they escape the critter’s head as adult flies. Dr. Sikkel and his team are currently studying the manner in which changing coral reef environments affect parasite-host relationships in such environments. Gnathiids like Gnathia marleyi are the most common external parasites in the coral reef environments.
This is highly significant, as around 80 percent of organisms living near coral reefs are parasites. Gnathiids are also common disease vectors in these environments. The coral reefs are important to the health of fish that live in coral reef environments.
As climate change and increasing ocean acidity levels damage the reefs, the health of the fish and other organisms that inhabit them may also suffer. This may make reef-dwelling fish more vulnerable to the diseases carried byGnathia marleyi and other parasites. In an interview with The Associated Press, a NOAA official called the increasing acidity levels the “equally evil twin” of climate change when it comes to the health of coral reefs.
“It’s a very serious situation,” said NOAA head Jane Lubchenco. The threat of increased acidity to coral reefs is a recently discovered problem. Previously, scientists thought that water from different ocean depths would dilute potential sources of acidity.
However, they found that chemical changes in the ocean are localized the near the surface and, as a result, discovered that acidity presents a major threat to coral reefs and parasites like Gnathia marleyi that indirectly depend on the reefs for food. Specimens of Gnathia marleyi will be housed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
“We are currently discussing with AMNH the possibility of creating an exhibit featuring this species that could be viewed by the public,” said Dr. Sikkel. In particular, Dr. Sikkel and his team are trying to determine which species Gnathia marleyi and related parasites are able to infect.
Gnathia marleyi is able to transmit a type of disease called haemogregarines, which can reduce certain kinds of blood cells in fish, thus damaging their immune systems and making them more susceptible to other forms of infection.
