Эрдэмтэд олон жилийн турш өөр зүйлтэй андуурч ирсэн жижиг хавчийг судалсны эцэст шинэ зүйл болохыг тогтоожээ.
Өмнөд Хятадын тэнгисийн шүрэн хадны дундаас олдсон энэхүү хавчийг Eucrate liui хэмээн нэрлэжээ. Euryplacidae овогт багтах уг хавч нь Eucrate төрлийн ес дэх зүйл болж байгаа юм. Судлаачид уг хавчийг Хятадын Гуанси болон Хайнань орчмын эрэг орчмын гүехэн уснаас цуглуулж, Циндао хот дахь Хятадын Шинжлэх ухааны академийн Далайн биологийн музейд шинжилгээ хийжээ.
Уг хавч нь гаднах төрхөөрөө Eucrate tripunctata зүйлтэй маш төстэй тул олон жилийн турш анзаарагдалгүй өнгөрсөн байна. Гэвч микроскопоор нарийвчлан судалж, ДНХ-ийн шинжилгээ хийснээр тэдгээр нь огт өөр амьтад болохыг тогтоожээ. Тухайлбал, E. liui нь илүү хавтгай хуягтай, урд ирмэг нь хурц гурвалжин шүдтэй байдаг бол E. tripunctata-гийнх илүү бөөрөнхий ирмэгтэй аж. Мөн нөхөн үржихүйн эрхтний бүтэц болон ДНХ-ийн 8.7 хувийн зөрүү нь уг хавчийг тусдаа зүйл болохыг баталсан байна.
Энэхүү шинэ зүйлийг Хятадын далайн шинжлэх ухааны нэрт эрдэмтэн, профессор Лю Руйюгийн дурсгалд зориулан нэрлэжээ. Эрдэмтдийн “ZooKeys” сэтгүүлд нийтэлсэн энэхүү судалгаа нь далайн гүехэн бүсийн жижиг амьтдыг ангилан танихад нарийвчилсан судалгаа шаардлагатайг харуулж байна. Шинэ нээлт нь Eucrate төрлийн хавчны тархалт болон төрөл зүйлийн талаарх шинжлэх ухааны мэдлэгийг өргөжүүлж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
A tiny crab hiding beneath coral rubble in the South China Sea has surprised scientists after being mistaken for another species for years. Researchers have now identified it as a new species called Eucrate liui. It belongs to the family Euryplacidae, a group of burrowing crabs found across the Indo-West Pacific. Before this discovery, scientists knew eight species in the genus Eucrate. The new crab brings that number to nine.
The crab was found in shallow coastal waters near Beihai, Guangxi, and Hainan, China, where researchers collected specimens before studying them in the laboratory. The findings, published in the journal ZooKeys, show how difficult it can be to identify small marine animals that look almost identical to known species.
For years, the small crustacean went unnoticed because of its resemblance to Eucrate tripunctata, a related species. Only detailed comparisons under the microscope and DNA testing allowed researchers to see that they were dealing with a completely different animal.
A Tiny Crab Found Along China’s Coast
The newly identified crab was collected from several areas of the South China Sea, including waters near Guangxi and Hainan. After being collected, the specimens were preserved in a 70 percent ethanol solution and stored at the Marine Biological Museum, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Qingdao, where scientists carried out their research.
According to the study published in ZooKeys, the largest known Eucrate liui specimens measure between 0.63 and 0.75 inches long. Despite their small size, the crabs show different shell patterns, with colors ranging from orange-red and almost black to grey-brown marbled designs.
The species was named after Professor Liu Ruiyu, a respected figure in Chinese marine science. As explained by the researchers, he contributed to major ocean research projects, including the National General Oceanographic Survey, the Sino-Vietnam Joint Comprehensive Oceanographic Survey of Beibu Gulf, and the National Coastal Zone and Beach Resources Investigation.
The discovery adds a new species to a group of crabs that live in coastal environments, where many small animals can easily escape scientific attention because they resemble already known species.
A Lost Crab Species Revealed
When researchers first examined the specimens, they thought they were looking at Eucrate tripunctata. This species had already been recorded in Australia and Southeast Asia, and its appearance was very similar to the newly discovered crab.
The differences only became clear after a detailed laboratory study. Scientists compared several body features, including the crab’s shell, the small structures along the front of the shell, and reproductive anatomy.
The specimen has a flatter shell compared with the more raised shell of E. tripunctata. Researchers also noticed differences in the front edge of the shell: the new species has sharp, triangular teeth, while its relative has smoother, rounded ones.
The researchers also found unique features on E. liui, including a notch and groove on its forehead and raised ridges on its shell. These characteristics are not found in E. tripunctata. The biggest differences appeared under the microscope when they examined reproductive structures. The organs of E. liui are shorter and have a larger opening at the tip than those of the similar-looking species.
DNA Confirmed The Crab Was A New Species
Physical differences suggested that the crab was new, but researchers also turned to genetics for confirmation. They analyzed a DNA marker called COI from Eucrate liui and other related crab species.
The results showed an approximately 8.7 percent genetic difference between E. liui and E. tripunctata. The research team said that this difference was larger than the separation found between some other marine species that scientists have already studied in detail.
By combining DNA results with observations of the crab’s body structure, researchers confirmed that Eucrate liui was a separate species. The study also changed what scientists know about Eucrate tripunctata. Specimens of both species were collected from the same area of the South China Sea, showing that E. tripunctata also lives in these waters.
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