Skip to main content

Panda shrimp (Melita panda), a black-and-white species of Melitidae (Crustacea, Amphipoda) from Japan

Panda shrimp (Melita panda), a black-and-white species of Melitidae (Crustacea, Amphipoda) from Japan

NEWS - A new member of the intertidal species Melita Leach, 1814 (Melitidae, Amphipoda), panda shrimp (Melita panda), was collected from Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. The researchers used nuclear 28S rRNA and mitochondrial COI gene analyses to support that the new species is closely related to M. koreana and M. nagatai.

Melita is found in marine, brackish and freshwater environments and includes 63 species worldwide, of which 16 have been recorded in Japan. In the 1990s, Shigeyuki Yamato discovered an unidentified specimen of the distinctive black-and-white coloration in the intertidal zone of Wakayama Prefecture.

Recently, a large number of specimens have been collected by Ko Tomikawa of Hiroshima University and Hiroyuki Ariyama of the Osaka Museum of Natural History. Detailed morphological analysis revealed that these specimens have not been described before. Molecular phylogenetic analysis has been used to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships among Melita species.

M. panda differs from M. koreana in having a black-and-white body coloration (vs. almost entirely gray), an anterodistal projection of the propodus of male gnathopod 1 that covers the dactylus (vs. not covering it completely), a propodus of male gnathopod 1 with three and one setae on the posterior edge and at the base of the anterodistal projection (vs. lacking but with a seta at the palmar corner) and a telson with lateral setae (vs. lacking).

M. panda differs from M. nagatai in having a black-and-white body color (vs. almost entirely gray), lacking setae at the base of the maxilla 1 of the palp article 1 (vs. having setae), having an anterodistal projection of the propodus of male gnathopod 1 that covers the dactylus (vs. not completely covering), propodus of male gnathopod 1 with three and one setae at the posterior edge and base of the anterodistal projection (vs. lacking but having setae at the palmar angle) and having a telson with lateral setae (vs. not having).

M. panda differs from M. bingoensis in having urosomite 2 with three (vs. having two) setae on each side, anterodistal projection of the propodus of male gnathopod 1 covering the dactylus (vs. not completely covering), coxa of female pereopod 6 deeper than wide (vs. wider than deep) and telson with lateral setae (vs. absent).

The researchers did not include M. bingoensis in the molecular phylogenetic analysis, but its morphological similarities also suggest it is phylogenetically close to M. panda. The new species gets its name from its black-and-white body color, which resembles the giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca.

Original research

Tomikawa K, Yamato S, Ariyama H (2024). Melita panda, a new species of Melitidae (Crustacea, Amphipoda) from Japan. ZooKeys 1212: 267-283, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1212.128858

Dlium theDlium

Popular Posts

Guinea grass (Panicum maximum)

Guinea grass or buffalo grass or green panic ( Panicum maximum ) is a plant species in Poaceae, annual grasses, growing upright to form clumps, strong, cultivated in all tropical and subtropical regions for very high value as fodder. P. maximum reproduces in very large pols, fibrous roots penetrate into the soil, upright stems, green, 1-1.5 m tall and have smooth cavities for diameters up to 2.5 mm. Propagation is done vegetatively and generatively. Ribbon-shaped leaves with a pointed tip, very many, built in lines, green, 40-105 cm long, 10-30 mm wide, erect, branched, a white linear bone, often covered with a layer of white wax, rough surface by hair short, dense and spread. The flower grows at the end of a long and upright stalk, open with the main axis length to more than 25 cm and the length of the bunches down to 20 cm. Grains have a size of 3x4 mm and oval. Seeds have a length of 2.25-2.50 mm and each 1 kg contains 1.2 - 1.5 million seeds. Guinea grass has two varieties. P...

Indian shot (Canna indica)

Puspa midra or Indian shot ( Canna indica ) is is plant species in Cannaceae, annual, shrub 0.5-2.5 meters high, depending on variety, erect stems, unbranched and leaf midrib arranged overlapping to form pseudostems and hermaphrodite flowers. C. indica forms a branched rhizome, 60 cm long which is divided into rounded segments and is covered in two stripes by pale green or purple scaly leaves. The rhizome has tubers that contain very large starch grains. The surface has transverse furrows, the underside appears white roots and numerous shoots. The leaves sit alternate and spiral or arranged in two rows, very large and divided into a leaf midrib, short stalk and blade. The strands are 30-60 cm long, 10-20 cm wide and have linear veins, green or purple-green, the base blunt or narrowly pointed and the apex immediately tapering or sharp. Hermaphrodite flowers, pedicels 0.2-1 cm long and red or yellow-orange, except in some cultivars 4.5-7.5 cm long. The sepals are triangular in shape a...

Indian rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia)

Sonokeling or Java palisandre or Indian rosewood ( Dalbergia latifolia ) is a species of plant in the Fabaceae, a large tree producing hardwood, medium weight and high quality, rounded leaves, thin and broad pods, highly adaptive, grows in dry and rocky landscapes with lots of sunlight. D. latifolia has medium to large size, cylindrical stems, up to 40 m high with a ring of up to 2 m, the bark is brownish gray and slightly cracked longitudinally. The crown is dense, dome-shaped and sheds leaves. The leaves are compound and pinnate oddly with 5-7 strands that have different sizes and appear alternately on the shaft. The leaves are round or elongated in width or heart, the upper surface is green and the surface is pale green. The flowers are small, 0.5-1 cm long and clustered in panicles. The pods are green to brown when ripe and are elongated lanceolate, pointed at the base and tip. The pods have 1-4 seeds which are soft and brownish. Indian rosewood grows at elevations below 600 m,...