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Callipallene pilosuspedes, a species of sea spider newly discovered in the Salish Sea by UBC researchers.
Photo Credit: Cormac Toler-Scott.
Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Callipallene pilosuspedes and Tanystylum kiixin
The Core Concept: Callipallene pilosuspedes and Tanystylum kiixin are two newly discovered species of sea spiders (marine arthropods) found in the Salish Sea, marking the first such documentation in the region in nearly a century.
Key Distinction/Mechanism: C. pilosuspedes features red eyes, hairy legs, a short proboscis, and dexterous ovigers (specialized limbs) used for grooming. In contrast, T. kiixin has smaller ovigers, rendering it unable to groom effectively and often leading it to host its own microscopic parasites. Both use a proboscis to consume fluids from hosts like jellyfish and hydroids, and males carry and rear the fertilized eggs on their own bodies.
Major Frameworks/Components:
- Morphological analysis of unique characteristics (e.g., ovigers, proboscis structure).
- Genetic sequencing to confirm species distinction and expand the database of marine arthropod DNA.
- Ecological assessment of parasitic relationships within marine environments.
Branch of Science: Zoology, Marine Biology, Taxonomy, and Genetics.
Future Application: Creating a comprehensive genetic database and identification guide will aid in tracking marine biodiversity and assessing the ecological impacts of climate change and human disturbance in coastal ecosystems.
Why It Matters: Identifying and understanding poorly studied marine invertebrates is critical for protecting key elements of vulnerable ecosystems, particularly as climate change threatens shallow-water habitats.
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| A photo of a new species of sea spider, Tanystylum kiixin, with eggs shown forming along the limbs. Photo Credit: Cormac Toler-Scott. |
If you’re swimming in the Salish Sea late at night and feel a skittering along your calves, tiny hairy feet tip-tapping their way higher and higher toward your face, don’t worry—it’s probably just the stuff of nightmares: hairy-legged, red-eyed sea spiders newly discovered by UBC researchers.
Two new sea spider species are the first described in the Salish Sea in almost a century. Their documentation and genetic analysis, published recently in Organisms Diversity & Evolution, help fill a gap in a poorly understood group of animals.
“I was interested in how sea spiders are impacted by climate change and human disturbance, because marine invertebrates in the Salish Sea are particularly at risk, and I couldn’t find anything,” said lead author Cormac Toler-Scott, who conducted the work as part of his master’s degree in zoology at UBC. “That’s largely because people don’t know much about what species exist here and what their lifestyle is.”
That’s the case for a lot of marine arthropods, Toler-Scott says. “In order to understand how marine invertebrates are being impacted by things like climate change and how we can better protect these key elements of the ecosystem, we have to be able to identify them.”
Horrifyingly Fascinating
Sea spiders evolved around 500 million years ago. Related to scorpions, spiders, and horseshoe crabs, they are arthropods that never left the ocean but look like their arachnid cousins, except for their leg count, which can get as high as twelve, and a sucking proboscis. They range in size from less than a centimeter to more than 70 centimeters in Antarctica, hunting in the deeps for smaller things to eat—just to make you feel happier about all of this.
“They’ve retained some weird traits,” said Toler-Scott. “A lot of the shallow-water species are quite small, and so they’ll live as parasites on larger organisms, and they use this weird apparatus called a proboscis to suck the juices out of their host.”
Sea spiders breathe through their skin, and the males rear the young. Females have ovaries spread throughout their limbs that produce eggs, which then "pop out" of a dedicated pore. During mating, the male will use limbs placed at the base of his head called "ovigers" to scoop up the eggs, dab them in a glue secreted from his legs, and stick them to his own body in clusters of egg sacs for rearing.
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The three-lipped, tendril-filled mouth of Callipallene pilosuspedes at 30 micrometers.
Photo Credit: Cormac Toler-Scott.
Sarlacc Pits and Parasites on Parasites
The new species were collected between September 2023 and August 2024 from dives up to 18 meters deep in a range of marine habitats and areas, including Quadra Island, Vancouver, Bamfield, and Victoria.
In tribute to the long, curved spines covering its lower legs, one of the new species is named Callipallene pilosuspedes, a play on the Latin for "hairy feet." It sports red eyes, a short proboscis with claws to grasp food before biting, and a triangular, three-lipped mouth covered in sensory tendrils—a tiny marine Sarlacc pit, if you will.
It also possesses highly dexterous ovigers that can function as grooming tools. Under a microscope, researchers observed the animal wrapping the appendages around its legs and using attached comblike spines to clean itself.
Before you decide to quit the ocean altogether, however, rest assured that researchers found only one specimen of this species.
The second new species, Tanystylum kiixin, is named after the ancient Indigenous village site near where specimens were first collected. Pronounced "kee-hin," the word comes from the sound of waves crashing at the base of the village site. Its egg-carrying limbs are much smaller and less dexterous, leaving the animal unable to groom itself effectively. Among the dirt and debris collected on the creature, researchers frequently found it covered with tiny parasites of its own, creating what Toler-Scott describes as “an ecosystem within an ecosystem within an ecosystem.”
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A protist parasite living on Tanystylum kiixin.
Photo Credit: Cormac Toler-Scott.
Officially Awful
The research represents the first comprehensive study of sea spiders in the Salish Sea using both detailed imaging and DNA analysis. Along the way, the team generated genetic data for several species that had never been sequenced before and created an identification guide for sea spiders living in the region.
The two new species have been registered in a global database, but more wait to be found, says Toler-Scott. “I only had one field season, but there’s definitely more diversity out there that we haven’t documented.”
So, never fear: more nightmare fuel awaits.
Funding: This research was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
Published in journal: Organisms Diversity & Evolution
Authors: Cormac Toler-Scott, Eunji Park, Heather Gordon, and Brian S. Leander
Source/Credit: University of British Columbia | Alex Walls
Edited by: Scientific Frontline
Reference Number: zoo092326_01
