DATE2024.03.19 #Press Releases
Discovery of a new species of starfish the Sazare-suna-hitode
-A new discovery from the local Iwaki sea after 104 years! -
Fukushima Marine Science Museum
School of Science, The University of Tokyo
Announcement Summary
A new Luidia species collected on March 8, 2021, during a trawl survey by the research vessel Iwaki-Maru (Fukushima Prefectural Fisheries and Marine Science Research Centre) was described through collaborative research with Dr. Itaru Kobayashi (Project Academic Specialist, Misaki Marine Biological Station), Mr. Masaki Yamamoto (University of Tokyo), and Dr. Toshihiko Fujita (National Museum of Nature and Science).
The genus Luidia usually inhabits sandy bottoms in world tropical to temperate oceans, and 48 species (6 in Japan) are known. Many Luidia species are known to be active predators of mollusks etc., but the ecology of this new species is unknown, and further research is still awaiting. This is the first time in 104 years that a new species of the genus Luidia has been discovered in Japan.
Figure: 'A new Luidia species collected off the coast of Iwaki, Japan named "Sazare-suna-hitode” in Japanese.
For more information, please visit the website of Fukushima Marine Science Museum (in Japanese).
Journal
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Journal name Cambridge University PressTitle of paper