Creature 99: Ardeadoris cruenta

Another weird looking nudibranch

Description:
Ardeadoris cruenta  is a nudibranch, which doesn't have a common name. I introduced this group earlier in the post on Glaucus atlanticus. It is species like this one that make the common name for nudibranches (sea slugs) seem an inadequate description.

It swims by undulating the soft frilly exterior of the body. Watch it here.

The contrast of the red spots around the edge of the body with the pale lemon color of the body gives it a rather striking appearance. Those long thin feathery protrusions coming off the back are its 'gills'. The two antennae like projections are called Rhinophores. They are sensory receptors and they work by detecting traces of chemicals in the water.

Distribution:
Ardeadoris cruenta is known from the West Pacific ocean.

Classification:
Ardeadoris cruenta was previously classified as Glossodoris cruenta but was moved into the new genus by Johnson and Gosliner 2012.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Nudibranchia
Family: Chromodorididae
Genus: Ardeadoris
Species: Ardeadoris cruenta

Image Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardeadoris_cruenta#mediaviewer/File:Glossodoris_cruenta_3.jpg

Video Links:
http://youtu.be/QCBkl_Is7Zk

Creature 98: Larrea tridentata

The oldest living thing on earth.

Description:

 Larrea tridentata is a unimpressive looking desert bush which has many common names such as cresote bush, greasewood and gobernodora.

Cresote bush is technically the oldest living thing on Earth. When the plant gets to 30 to 90 years old its branches begin to die. At that point the plant splits in two and the old plant dies off as its clone lives on. The clonal colonies form rings of bushes. Individual bushes can grow up to 4 m tall, but usually don't grow more than 2 m tall. The oldest known specimen is known as king clown which lives in the Mojave Desert and is believed to be 11,700 years old. It is a ring of clonal bushes, the largest of which is 20 m in diameter.

These bushes are normally found with no other plants in the immediate vicinity due to its incredibly efficient systems for collecting water, which will starve other plants of access to water. The plant was used by native Americans as a herbal medicine.

Distribution:

Cresote bush is found in the Western Deserts of North America.

Classification:

Kingdom: Plantae

Phylum: Angiosperms

Class: Dicotyledon

Order: Zygophyllales

Family: Zygophyllaceae

Genus: Larrea

Species: Larrea tridentata

Image Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Clone#mediaviewer/File:King_Clone.jpg

http://www.fireflyforest.com/flowers/1384/larrea-tridentata-creosote-bush/

Creature 97: Rhacophorus vampyrus

Vampire flying frog

Description:
Deep in the rainforests of Vietnam on the tops of mountains lives the recently discovered flying amphibious fanged horror called Rhacophorus vampyrus otherwise known as Vampire Flying frogs. These arboreally adapted amphibians were discovered in 2008 and by the Australian Museum's Jodi Rowley.

The tadpoles of this frog have unusual fangs, which are for a purpose which we have not ascertained. The adults have extensive webbing between their toes which they use to glide between trees. They lay their eggs in  tree holes which have been filled with water at least 30 cm above the ground.

It is very difficult to find images of this species so I am getting them from the paper which described them.

Distribution:
The Vampire frog is found in the jungle of Vietnam at altitudes of around 1500 m and above.

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Rhacophoridae
Genus: Rhacophorus
Species: Rhacophorus vampyrus

Image Links:
A new tree frog of the genus Rhacophorus (Anura: Rhacophoridae) from southern Vietnam
J. L. Jodi,  L. E. Rowley, Thi Thuy Duong, Tran Thi Anh Dao, Bryan L. Stuart & Hoang Duc Huy.  Zootaxa 2727: 45-55
http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2010/f/zt02727p055.pdf

Creature 96: Trionychidae

What's the point in being a turtle?

Description: 

The main benefit of being a turtle is the hard shell you can hide inside to wait out almost any threat to you life. The family of turtles called Trionychidae are commonly known as soft shelled turtles because their shells are soft and flexible rather than armored with hardened scales. They can still retract their head back into their 'shell', but it does not afford nearly the same protection.

Most of them can only swallow food underwater and are strict carnivores. Most of them also have a snorkel like nose similar to that of the Mata mata turtle which was the subject of an earlier post. They excrete urea through their mouth, which effectively means they urinate through their mouth. 

Distribution:

Soft shelled turtles live in fresh water habitats in Asia, Africa and Eastern North America.

Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Sauropsida

Order: Testudines

Family: Trionychidae

Image Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantor's_giant_softshell_turtle#mediaviewer/File:Pelochelys_cantorii.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_young_Florida_softshell_turtle_(Apalone_ferox)_-_Flickr_-_Andrea_Westmoreland.jpg

Creature 95: Clathrus archeri

A fungus that looks like an octopus.

Description:
Clathrus archeri is a fungus commonly known as Octopus stink-horn. This name may sound funny but it is actually quite descriptive. The mushroom of this fungus somewhat resembles an octopus and they smell like rotting flesh.

The fleshy lobes which look like octopus tentacles unfold from an egg shaped fleshy pod which is usually mostly above ground. They emerge from the pod joined but separate out and unfold as they grow.

The smell is an attempt to attract insects such as flies which enjoy feeding off rotting flesh. Unlike in flowers which employ similar tactics,  these fungi are seeking disperses bot pollinators. Their gleba are sticky enough to attach themselves to insects.  Interestingly enough,  despite the fact that they don't smell too appetizing,  you can eat the pods from which the tentacles emerge. Those who have tasted it generally don't recommend it as it tastes similar to its smell.

Distribution:
Octopus stink-horn is native to Australia but it has been introduced into several other parts of the world.

Classification:
Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Phallales
Family: Phallaceae
Genus: Clathrus
Species: Clathrus archeri

Image Links:

http://www.kuriositas.com/2013/10/fungtopus-incredible-fungus-that-looks.html

http://www.treknature.com/gallery/photo12191.htm

Creature 94: Holoptilini

A bug which poisons its prey' s drinks

In an earlier post I showed you Acanthaspis petax, a member of one of my favorite families, Reduviidae or the assassin bugs. Today I am showing you another ant assassin bug which is an ant specialist, Holoptilini.

Description:
Holoptilini are sometimes called feather legged assassin bugs due to the ridiculous looking feather like formation on their legs.

Despite their appearance they are savage ant predators and like many other assassin bugs they have a cool trick for trapping and killing their prey. Like many good assassins, the Holoptilini take advantage of the ants favorite drink. These Assassin bugs excrete a sugary substance to attract ants who come over for a quick feed, but the sugary secretion contains a paralytic toxin. The toxin acts fast ant the ant is rendered helpless as the assassin bug pierces the ant with its rostrum and sucks it dry.

Distribution:
Holoptilini are found in the Australian and the oriental regions.

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

Image Links:

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-03/21/assassin-bugs-hairy-legs/viewgallery/333420

Creature 93: Macrocheira kaempferi

This Crab has arms the length of a person

Happy New Year.

Description:
Another oversized animal today, this time it is a deep sea crustacean Macrocheira kaempferi commonly known as the Japanese spider crab.

Their body size may be only around 40 cm long, but the length of their claws from tip to tip can be up to 3.8 m long in males. This gives it the longest leg span of any arthropod. Females have much shorter limbs. Japanese spider crabs can weigh up to 19kg. The Japanese spider crab can live up to 100 years old.

I took this photo of a specimen from the Bernice P. Bishop Museum in Hawaii.

Distribution:
The Japanese Spider crab is found off the coast of the Japanese islands, most commonly off the coast of Honshu. The Japanese Spider crab usually lives at depths of around 150-300 m. During breeding season they migrate up to depths of around 50 m and the freshly hatched nauplius live as plankton near the surface of the ocean. They migrate to the ocean depths when they reach adulthood.

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Family: Inachidae
Genus: Macrocheira
Species: Macrocheira kaempferi

Image Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_spider_crab#mediaviewer/File:Macrocheira_kaempferi.jpg