Creature 348: Wuchereria bancrofti

Wuchereria bancrofti is a species roundworms which can parasitise humans.

They are normally transmitted to humans by mosquito. They infect the human lymphatic system and can cause several complications including the condition known as elephantitis in which the limbs swell up and become severely disfigured.

Distribution:
At various stages in history the parasite could be found across most of the human inhabited world, however today it can only be found in third world countries.

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Nematoda
Class: Secernentea
Order: Spirurida
Family: Onchocercidae
Genus: Wuchereria
Species: Wuchereria bancrofti 

Image Links:
http://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/lymphaticFilariasis/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuchereria_bancrofti

Creature 347: Powelliphanta

Slimy yet satisfying

Powelliphanta is a genus of carnivorous landsnails known as the New Zealand amber snail.

They love to eat earthworms. They don't just eat them either, they slurp them up like spaghetti.  Watch it here:

Distribution:
The New Zealand amber snails are unsurprisingly endemic to New Zealand. Most species have a very limited geographic range.

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Heterobranchia
Family: Rhytididae
Genus: Powelliphanta

Image Links:

http://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/invertebrates/powelliphanta-snails/

Video Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xNxQfVNVR8

Creature 346: Anelosimus eximius

It's raining spiders
Anelosimus eximius is a species of colonial spiders.

Much like Tetragnatha guatemalensis they form large colonies which can contain thousands or even tens of thousands of individuals. This behaviour enables them to capture much larger prey items than other spiders of roughly the same size. Colonies can cover several square meters among tree canopies.

Given that a single female can lay dozens of eggs and that there are usually ten females for ever male in a colony, there can often be incredibly large numbers of juveniles hatching in a single colony. The juveniles disperse through the wind, like a lot of spiders and when the juveniles of a large colony hatch it can lead to a situation in which it appears to be raining spiders.

Distribution:
Anelosimus eximius can be found in South and Central America.

Classification:
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Arachnida
Order:Araneae
Family:Theridiidae
Genus:Anelosimus
Species: Anelosimus eximius

Image Links:

http://imgur.com/gallery/FEEK1

Video Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN9mQk8N5Mo

Creature 345: Arctica islandica

Old food

Arctica islandica is a fairly ordinary looking clam commonly referred to as the ocean quahog.

They are commonly harvested and eaten by humans and are commercially available and you may have eaten them yourself. However while most individuals will be very young, these clams can live hundreds of years. The record was a 507 year old specimen collected near iceland and named Ming because it originated from a time wjen the Ming dynasty was in control of China. It was accidentally killed by scientists on a survey and could possibly have survived a lot longer.

Distribution:
Arctica islandica can be found on the ocean floor of the North Atlantic.

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Veneroida
Family: Arcticidae
Genus: Arctica
Species: Arctica islandica

Image Links:

http://www.european-marine-life.org/14/photo-arctica-islandica-wb01.php

Creature 344: Euhaplorchis californiensis

Another mind altering parasite

Euhaplorchis californiensis is a flatworm parasite which has three different hosts.

These flatworms parasitise horn snails then killfish than shorebirds. No individual will see all three hosts in their lifetime, but the hosts all form separate parts of a reproductive cycle.

The horn snail picks up the infection from the droppings of infected shorebirds. Infected snails suffer a severe reduction in their fertility.  The parasites will multiply inside the snail for a few generations until they morph into a more mobile form. At this point they swim out into the marshes and find a killfish host.

They enter the body through the gills and invade the central nervous system of the killfish. They alter the brain chemistry and cause the killfish to behave erratically,  resulting in an infected fish being 30 times more likely to be preyed upon by a shorebird.

They infect the shorebirds gut, releasing the eggs into the feaces, and the cycle continues.

Distribution:
Euhaplorchis californiensis is found in saltwater marshes in Southern California.

Classification:
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum: Platyhelminthes
Class: Trematoda
Order: Opisthorchiida
Family: Heterophyidae
Genus:Euhaplorchis
Species: Euhaplorchis californiensis

Image Links:

http://telegraf.com.ua/zhizn/zdorove/558633-parazityi-sposobnyie-upravlyat-povedeniem-svoih-hozyaev-fotogalereya.html

Creature 343: Protaeolidiella atra

Nudibranch day

Just another nudibranch for again for you today.

This time it's Protaeolidiella atra, whose bizarre branching appendages form part of its digestive sy

Distribution:

Protaeolidiella atra is found in the Indowest Pacific.

Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Gastropoda

Order: Nudibranchia

Family: Aeolidiidae

Genus: Protaeolidiella

Species: Protaeolidiella atra

Image Links:

http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/protatra

Creature 342: Harrisimemna trisignata

Taking headbutting to a new level.

Harrisimemna trisignata is a moth commonly called Harris' three spot caterpillar or Harris' three spot moth.

The juvenile has found a pretty innovative use for the head from their previous malts. Instead of discarding them like most caterpillars would, they hang onto them and use them as a weapon.

Distribution:
The species is found across the east and center of North America.

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Harrisimemna
Species: Harrisimemna trisignata

Image Links:

http://beetleboybioblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/top-5-strangest-caterpillars.html

https://featuredcreature.com/meet-the-ugly-caterpillar-that-uses-old-dead-heads-as-weapons-and-cant-tell-its-butt-from-its-head/

Creature 341: Carcharias taurus

How to get ahead in life

Carcharias taurus is commonly known as the sand tiger shark or the grey nurse shark.

These large sharks can reach up to 3.2 meters long and usually live in large colonies. A feeding frenzy of these sharks can make for a difficult environment for smaller sharks which may struggle to get a fair share of the food. This had led to a fairly common condition in sharks which is called oviviviparity. They develop inside eggs, which are not laid by sit inside a pouch inside the shark. The egg hatches while still inside the pouch. In grey nurse sharks the young hatchlings don't leave immediately as it is useful to them to grow as large as possible before they are required to fend for themselves. After they hatch they consume the other hatchlings inside their mother's pouch. In every brood only one shark will survive after consuming all its siblings.

Distribution:
Sand tiger sharks can be found in temperate coastal regions all over the world.

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Lamniformes
Family: Odontaspididae
Genus: Carcharias 
Species: Carcharias taurus

Image Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_tiger_shark
http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/04/30/shark-dads-lose-babies-to-unborn-cannibal-siblings/

Creature 340: Sula

Sula is a genus of six species of birds.

The cammon name for these bizarre looking bird is booby. Boobys look like they should be in a comedy with their awkward appearance and their feet which dramatically contrast in color. They are large birds with some species nearly reaching 1 meter tall. on some islands like the galapogas boobies don't display much fear and like the dodo were used by sailors as easy meals.

Distribution:
Various species of boobies can be found throughout the world's tropical coastal areas, but they are most diverse in the East Pacific.

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
Order: Suliformes
Family: Sulidae
Genus: Sula

Image Links:

http://imgur.com/gallery/nhjtg56

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/red-footed-booby/

Creature 339: Phymatinae

Surprise!

It's about time we had another assassin bug, considering it has been a while since the last and after all an assassin bug is the most viewed post on my blog.

Phymatinae are a subfamily of assassin bugs commonly known as ambush bugs. Their speciality is camouflage and surprise attack on their prey. Their heavily armed raptorial forelegs and curved piercing rostrum enable them to take down prey which can get up to ten times larger than them.

Distribution:
Ambush bugs can be found anywhere,  but are most common bin tropical regions of Asia and the Americas.

Classification:
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Family: Reduviidae

Image Links:

http://www.carolinanature.com/insects/ambushbug.html

http://www.insectsofalberta.com/ambushbug_4.htm

Creature 338: Dracorex hogwartsia

The dragon king of hogwarts
Dracorex hogwartsia is a recognised dinosaur species which has been recently (2006) described.

It is the only species in the genus Dracorex, meaning dragon king. The specific epithet hogwartsia is a tribute to the Harry Potter series. Its spiky head and long muzzle probably gave it a dragon-like appearance.

The name might be pretty cool, but it may not exist forever.  Some scientists believe they it is not a separate genus or species but that it is the juvenile form of a species of Pachycephalosaurus. Apparently the bizarre horns and bumps on the head changed quite dramatically as the dinosaur matured. I have no idea which hypothesis is correct.

Distribution:

The only fossil which has ever been uncovered was found in South Dakota and is from the late Cretaceous.

Classification:
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
Order: Ornithischia
Family:Pachycephalosauridae
Genus:Dracorex
Species: Dracorex hogwartsia

Image Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracorex

http://visitcryptoville.com/2013/11/04/dracorex-hogwartsia-another-candidate-for-an-actual-dragon/

Creature 337: Trychopeplus laciniatus

Impressive camouflage

Trychopeplus laciniatus is a stick insect commonly known as the moss mimic walking stick.

This species blends in to the moss that grows on trees in the dense rainforest that they live in. I think it is a pretty impressive camouflage. The intricate structures on the outside are just part of the insects exoskeleton which has grown into all kinds of weird and wonderful shapes.

Distribution:
Moss mimic walking sticks are found in Costa Rica.

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Phasmatoidea
Family: Diapheromeridae
Genus: Trychopeplus 
Species: Trychopeplus laciniatus

Image Links:
http://entomologydiary.typepad.com/home/trychopeplus-laciniatus-phasmatodea-diapheromeridae.html
http://gallery.kunzweb.net/main.php?g2_itemId=20267

Creature 336: Dicyemida

Not everyone's unique

Dicyemida is a strange phylum of small parasitic animals that specialise on cephalopods. 

Their bodies are not very complicated, lacking most basic organ systems common in the rest of the bilateria such as a digestive or excretory system or even a brain. Individuals of the same species have exactly the same number of cells when they are adults. The larger species can grow up to 7mm long.

Distribution:
Juvenile Dicyemida are found on the ocean floor in temperate oceans. Adults are found inside cephalopods and are usually temperate but can sometimes be found outside temperate regions.

Classification:
Kingdom: Aminalia
Phylum: Dicyemida

Image Links:

Creature 335: Myzopoda

Myzopoda are a genus of bats commonly known as old-world sucker foot bats.

Like the South American sucker foot bats they have tiny suction pads on their wrists and ankles which enables them to latch onto objects, even smooth surfaces. However they are so distantly related from any other bats in that they have been given their own family. They are the most basal genus in their subfamily Noctilionoidea.

Distribution:
The genus only exists in Madagascar, but fossil evidence indicates they once existed in Africa.

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Myzopodidae
Genus: Myzopoda

Image Links:
http://www.supremelists.com/top-10-weird-looking-creatures
http://bats.mampam.com/madagascar/images/myzopoda/pages/36_jpg.htm

Creature 334: Ixodes holocyclus

A scary tick

Ixodes holocyclus is commonly known as the paralysis tick.

Paralysis ticks will usually not usually cause serious side effects in humans, but on occasion the neurotoxin they produce can cause serious symptoms which are similar to anaphylaxis. It can also cause muscle weakness, which if the tick is not removed will eventually progress to full blown paralysis. In extreame cases the tick can kill its host.

Distribution:
Paralysis ticks can be found along the east coast of Australia between the ocean and the great dividing range.

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Acari
Family: Ixodidae
Genus: Ixodes
Species: Ixodes holocyclus

Image Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixodes_holocyclus

Creature 333: Coleodactylus

Tiny floating Gecko

Chatogekko amazonicus is known as the Brazilian pygmy Gecko formerly in the genus Coleodactylus.

They only grow to around 24mm in size. This little lizard has strongly hydrophobic skin which enables it to walk on water indefinitely. They can even rest on water without falling in, but a well aimed raindrop can break the water's surface tension and cause the lizard to fall in.

Dustribution:
The Brazilian pygmy gexko is native to the Amazon rainforest.

Classification:
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
Order: Squamata
Family: Sphaerodactylidae
Genus: Chatogekko
Species: Chatogekko amazonicus

Image Links:

http://www.herpetofauna.com.br/LagartosBrasil.htm