Branching worm discovered in Japan named after Godzilla's nemesis
International team led by Go"ttingen University describe new species Ramisyllis kingghidorahi

Date:
January 20, 2022
Source:
University of Go"ttingen
Summary:
Branching marine worms are bizarre creatures with one head but
a body that branches over and over again into multiple posterior
ends. Until now, only two species of these curious beasts, thought
to be extremely rare, were known. However, a third species has
now been discovered and described. The worm, named Ramisyllis
kingghidorahi after King Ghidorah, Godzilla's monster enemy,
was discovered in Japan.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Branching marine worms are bizarre creatures with one head but a body that branches over and over again into multiple posterior ends. Until now,
only two species of these curious beasts, thought to be extremely rare,
were known.

However, a third species has been discovered and described by an
international research team led by the University of Go"ttingen. The
worm, named Ramisyllis kingghidorahi after King Ghidorah, Godzilla's
monster enemy, was discovered in Japan. The findings were published in Organisms Diversity & Evolution.


========================================================================== Japanese researchers found the branching worm and sent images to
Professor M.

Teresa Aguado, University of Go"ttingen. Aguado immediately recognized
that this was a special discovery and organized a field trip to the
Island of Sado in Japan. The new species is named after King Ghidorah,
the three-headed, two- tailed, and monstrous arch-enemy of Godzilla,
both characters based on Japanese mythology and folklore. "King Ghidorah
is a branching fictitious animal that can regenerate its lost ends, so
we thought this was an appropriate name for the new species of branching
worm," says Aguado.

These branching worms live inside the internal canals of sea sponges. The
new discovery means that there are now three known species: Syllis
ramosa McIntosh, found in 1879 in the Philippines, which lives in
deep-sea glass sponges; Ramisyllis multicaudata, found in 2012 north
of Australia; and the new Ramisyllis kingghidorahi, from Japan. The two
most recently discovered worms inhabit different types of stony sponges
found in shallow water. "We were astonished to find another of these
bizarre creatures with only one head and a body formed from multiple
branching. The first worm was thought to be unique," Aguado says, "this discovery reveals a higher diversity of these tree-like animals than
anyone expected." A multidisciplinary team of scientists from Germany,
Spain, Australia and Japan described this new species by combining their expertise in morphology, internal anatomy, ecology, phylogeny, genetic divergence and mitochondrial genomics. The evolutionary relationships
obtained from molecular analyses reveal that the two most recently
found branching worms, from North of Australia and Japan, share a common ancestor. However, they also show high genetic divergence, together with ecological and morphological differences, mostly concerning the shape
of certain body segments. The asymmetrical branching body may have been inherited from their last common ancestor, which had probably already
adapted to live inside a sponge canal system. The capacity to produce new posterior segments throughout their whole lives (typical of many worms), together with their regenerative capacities and the worms' ability to
produce several simultaneous newly formed segments during reproduction,
may be the basis of the evolution of a branching body.

Many mysteries remain despite these worms having a history of over
a hundred years. Aguado explains: "Scientists don't yet understand
the nature of the relationship between the branching worm and its
host sponge: is it a symbiotic relationship where both creatures
somehow benefit? And how do the worms manage to feed to maintain
their huge bodies having just one tiny mouth in their single head?"
Further details and short clips about this fascinating worm
are available on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/MO1c23m6XkA, https://youtu.be/rwgil23MzyM, https://youtu.be/q2l_OgedY0I ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Go"ttingen. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Related Multimedia:
* Newly_discovered_branching_worm,_Ramisyllis_kingghidorahi ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. M. Teresa Aguado, Guillermo Ponz-Segrelles, Christopher J. Glasby,
Rannyele P. Ribeiro, Mayuko Nakamura, Kohei Oguchi, Akihito
Omori, Hisanori Kohtsuka, Christian Fisher, Yuji Ise, Naoto Jimi,
Toru Miura.

Ramisyllis kingghidorahi n. sp., a new branching annelid from Japan.

Organisms Diversity & Evolution, 2022; DOI:
10.1007/s13127-021-00538-4 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220120140700.htm

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