Posted on 05/18/2015 9:05:18 AM PDT by Red Badger
A new research paper published in the open access journal ZooKeys reports on a discovery made during a Los Angeles class fieldtrip—a new species of marine pillbug (Crustacea: Isopoda). While documenting that new species, a second new species of pillbug originally collected 142 years ago by biologists on a wooden sailing ship in Alaska was discovered in a collection room at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM) by researchers Adam Wall and Dr. Regina Wetzer.
The Los Angeles discovery was made during a Loyola Marymount University field trip for an invertebrate zoology lab course taught by NHM researcher Dean Pentcheff. The new species wasn't discovered in one of California's pristine Marine Protected Areas, but a dirty, little, rocky beach at the very southernmost tip of the city of Los Angeles—less than a mile from the busiest port in America. "We discovered it clutching on for dear life to one of the five arms of a common sea star," said Pentcheff. "As soon as we saw this bumpy little guy, we knew it was something special that the researchers at NHM had to see, but my class and I had no idea we were looking at a new species."
This newly discovered marine pillbug (or isopod, as it is known to biologists) is directly related to the terrestrial pillbugs found in backyards. Despite their misleading common name, all pillbugs (including the ones in your backyard) are not insects at all. They are crustaceans specially adapted for living on dry land. Pentcheff knew the strange looking animal was an isopod but needed help learning more. He handed the specimen off to world isopod experts Dr. Regina Wetzer, Associate Curator and Director of the Marine Biodiversity Center, and Adam Wall, Assistant Collections Manager for Crustacea at NHM.
"Once we got the specimen to the Museum, we knew it was something unusual. But it was so small that we couldn't just use a normal light microscope to study it. We had to use a scanning electron microscope," said Adam Wall, lead author of the scientific paper describing the new discovery.
"It is amazing to think that you can discover a new species in one of the most urban places in the world like the Port of Los Angeles," says Wall. "What is even better is that it wasn't an older guy wearing a white lab coat or a marine biologist in SCUBA gear that discovered it. It was a group of college students and their teacher in a regular college class—true citizen scientists," said Wall.
Male and female of the newly discovered Los Angeles marine pillbug species, Exosphaeroma pentcheffi named in honor of the teacher that discovered the first specimen on a class fieldtrip. Credit: Kelsey Vo Bailey
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-05-species-marine-roly-poly-pillbug.html#jCp 
Colorized scanning electron microscope image of the new species from Los Angeles named in honor of the teacher that discovered it on a class field trip, Exosphaeroma pentcheffi. Credit: Kelsey Vo Bailey
“They are crustaceans specially adapted for living on dry land.”
Put a few handfuls in a tortilla, add some cocktail sauce, and see if they taste like shrimp!
I'd love to know how that micro-videograph was made.
Sea Roaches!...............
Hoo boy, sounds like an exciting time to be a zoologist...
Me too.
I know, and you wouldn’t believe how many people asked her to tell that story.
Not an insect, they are crusteacean!
..sea bear.
“New species of marine roly poly pillbug discovered near Port of Los Angeles”
So, this means the Port of Los Angles now has to be shut down permanently to “protect” this “new” species, right?
I got punished in daycare when I was a wee lad. I told this kid about my age that roly polys tasted like chocolate. Was punished by forced cloth diaper wearing, and Dad busted my butt when he picked me up that day.
I still laugh about that joke.......
Did your victim actually EAT a roly-poly?............................
Coming to the menu at Long John Silvers in 3....2....1.....
Quick close the ports! Cordon off LA!
Hey, that’s one way to get the LA illegals deported.
That’s it. Shut the port down. These creatures obviously cannot exist in this man-made polluted environment...
Yes, he ate a handful. That’s why I got in trouble....
Protein is protein. No harm done. You should have not been beaten..................well, maybe a little................
Male and female of the newly discovered Los Angeles marine pillbug species...
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Brings to mind that Far Side cartoon of the frog saying “Viva la difference!”
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