Deep Sea Acorn Worms Named After Yoda

Yoda purpurata is the name now given to one of three new species of deep sea acorn worms or Enteropneusts discovered 2,500m or around 1.5 miles below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.
(Credit: David Shale)

Oct. 7, 2012 —

They may not be green but they do live in an ocean far, far away, and now they share the same moniker as the diminutive Jedi master,  in the Star Wars blockbusters.

Yoda purpurata -- to be exact -- is the name now given by a University of Aberdeen-led team of scientists to one of three new species of deep sea acorn worms or Enteropneusts discovered 2,500m or around 1.5 miles below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.
There is much interest in these deep sea hemichordates since they are close to the evolutionary link between vertebrates and invertebrates.

After studying the specimens researchers recovered two years ago during a voyage aboard the RSS James Cook, they have officially named the three new species identified as belonging to the Torquaratoridae family.

A reddish-purple acorn worm with large lips either side of its head region reminded researchers of floppy-eared Star Wars character Yoda while pupurata is Latin for purple and describes its colourful hue.

Professor Monty Priede said: "Our colleague in California Nick Holland, the world authority on the Enteropneusts, chose the name Yoda, for the new genus characterised by its large ear-like lips."

Source: ScienceDaily

New Cave-Dwelling Reef Coral Discovered in the Indo-Pacific

Oct. 11, 2012 —

      This is the new coral species living on the ceilings
       of caves in tropical coral reefs. (Credit: Dr. Bert
                 W. Hoeksema / Naturalis; Creative Commons CC-BY 3.0,

Coral specialist Dr. Bert W. Hoeksema of Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, The Netherlands, recently published the description of a new coral species that lives on the ceilings of caves in Indo-Pacific coral reefs. Its distribution range overlaps with the Coral Triangle, an area that is famous for its high marine species richness.

Despite the lack of zooxanthellae (symbiotic algae that reef corals in shallow tropical seas normally need for their survival and growth) and its small size, the skeleton structures of the new species indicate that it is closely related to these Leptoseris corals, although it has not been found deeper than 35 m so far.

The species is named Leptoseris troglodyta. The word troglodyta is derived from ancient Greek and means "one who dwells in holes," a cave dweller. The discovery sheds new light on the relation of reef corals with symbiotic algae. The new species has adapted to a life without them. Consequently, it may not grow fast, which would be convenient because space is limited on cave ceilings. The species description is published in the open access journal ZooKeys.

Courtesy: ScienceDaily