New shrimp species discovered in SA

Picture: REUTERS Picture: REUTERS A NEW shrimp species has been discovered in False Bay, the University of Cape Town (UCT) said on Friday. The "stargazer mysid" was well-known to divers, but it was not until diver Guido Zsilavecz brought samples to the university that it was realised that the species had never been documented by marine biologists, UCT spokeswoman Kemantha Govender said in a statement. The shrimp, which measures a mere 10mm-15mm long, is commonly called "stargazer mysid" because its eyes seem to gaze permanently upwards. The "stargazer mysid" is the ninth Mysidopsis species found in southern Africa and is officially named Mysidopsis zsilaveczi after the diver who made the discovery. Mr Zsilavecz brought the shrimp to Emeritus Professor Charles Griffiths from UCT, who sent samples to Prof Karl Wittmann from the University of Vienna to confirm it was a new species. The creature is described in a joint paper by Prof Griffiths and Prof Wittmann, published recently in the Crustaceana journal. The crustacean’s apparently large, upward-staring eyes are a trick of nature, as shrimps don’t have a pupil or iris, Prof Griffiths said. The creatures have compound eyes like those of insects. The vivid, ringed patterns are thought to be there to make the eyes appear to belong to a much bigger creature, and hence to scare off predators, he said. Mr Zsilavecz also found a new species of nudibranch, a soft-bodied sea slug, at Long Beach in Cape Town. The flashy, fleshy creature has large green lobes and "wings" that resemble the Sydney Opera House. "Some 30 new marine species are found in South African waters annually," Prof Griffiths said. Sapa, With Bloomberg