Meet the newly discovered tropical spider that looks like Frankenstein Damarch in Inazuma is a striking new species discovered in the forests of western Thailand. Half of his body has feminine characteristics, while the other half is clearly masculine.
A team of scientists has described this rare case of gynandromorphism in paper published in Zootaxa and explained why they named the new species after a character from a popular manga. One piece.
Opening Damarch in Inazuma
Hoping to characterize several previously undescribed species in Thailand, researchers collected several specimens of an unknown spider in western Thailand. They were stored in 95 percent ethanol at minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit for further study.
After a detailed examination, scientists from the Center of Excellence in Entomology at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok determined that the newly discovered spider belongs to the genus Damarchus, part of the family Bemmeridae, which is found exclusively in South Asia in countries such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
Among the samples, the team identified individuals exhibiting a rare natural trait called gynandromorphism. Some of the spiders were half female (larger and orange) and half male (smaller and greyish), which was a striking sight as both sexes vary in size and color. The result is an eerie, almost horror-film-like experience.
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What is gynandromorphism?
Like most spiders, Damarch species have two distinct sexes, which usually appear in distinct individuals with distinct physical differences. However, in rare cases, both sexes can be expressed in one animal, either as a hermaphrodite or, in this case, a gynandromorph. The latter is a biological phenomenon in which male and female characteristics appear on opposite sides of the body, which is caused by an error in cell division immediately after fertilization.
Gynandromorphism has also been observed in other animals such as butterflies, bees and even birds. What does D. inazuma It is noteworthy that this condition is extremely rare among mygalomorphs, an infraorder that includes Damarch. Mygalomorphs are considered to be more primitive spiders, relatives of tarantulas, characterized by differently shaped fangs and a preference for burrows over complex webs.
Popular Anime Name for a Bizarre New Species of Spider
This discovery marks the first record of a gynandromorph in the family Bemmeridae. Although the classification within Damarch While the genus is awaiting molecular confirmation, researchers are confident they have identified a new species with a particularly intriguing appearance.
Once again, pop culture proved a convenient source of inspiration for scientific names.
“The species is named after Inazuma, a Japanese manga character. One pieceknown for the ability to change gender between male and female. The Inazuma style is characterized by bilateral asymmetry and distinct coloring: orange on the left side and white on the right side. This color arrangement accurately reflects the sexual dimorphism observed in this species: males are white and females are orange,” the researchers wrote in their study.
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