University of British Columbia researchers described Callipallene pilosuspedes and Tanystylum kiixin, two new sea spiders found in the Salish Sea near Vancouver at about 60 feet deep. They are the first sea spider species newly described from the area in nearly 100 years.
Published in Organisms Diversity & Evolution, the study reports that C. pilosuspedes has a triangular, three-lipped proboscis covered in sensory barbs and ovigers it also uses for grooming. T. kiixin's shorter limbs prevent consistent self-grooming, allowing grime to build up and provide a home for smaller parasites. Its name refers to an ancient Indigenous village near the discovery site; kiixin derives from a word for crashing ocean waves.
Study co-author Cormac Toler-Scott, a University of British Columbia zoologist, said he was interested in how climate change and human disturbance affect sea spiders. He said marine invertebrates in the Salish Sea are particularly at risk in part because little is known about which species live there and their lifestyles.
