New sea spider species have turned up in shallow water around Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, on one of the most studied coastlines in Canada. One has hairy feet, red eyes and a mouth split into three lips. The other can barely groom itself, so it wanders around covered in dirt, debris and parasites. They're the first new sea spiders described from these waters in about a century, and until now, nobody had given them a name.
Marine biologist Andrew Lewin starts with the group itself. Sea spiders aren't true spiders or arachnids. They're pycnogonids, an ancient lineage about 500 million years old. They breathe through their skin, their guts branch into every leg and help pump oxygen around the body, and the dads carry the eggs. Then comes the search. Cormac Toler-Scott of the University of British Columbia spent one field season, from September 2023 to August 2024, collecting sea spiders around Quadra Island, Vancouver, Victoria and Bamfield at depths down to about 18 metres. Under the microscope, two didn't match anything on record: Callipallene pilosuspedes, Latin for "hairy feet," and Tanystylum kiixin, named for Kiix̣in, the ancient village and former capital of the Huu-ay-aht First Nations near Bamfield.
Andrew walks through how scientists prove a species is new, using body details and DNA, and why a species without a name is invisible to conservation. The hairy-footed species was found exactly once in a whole field season. Naming animals like these builds the baseline scientists need to spot losses early along a coastline. Your local shoreline probably has a few surprises too. Tell us in the comments what lives on the coast near you.
Chapters:
0:00 - Hairy Feet, Red Eyes and a Parasite Problem
1:47 - How Sea Spiders Feed and Breathe
3:39 - New Species 1: Callipallene pilosuspedes
5:28 - Why a Name Matters
6:53 - Your Shoreline Has Surprises Too
Takeaways:
Two new sea spider species were described from shallow water around Vancouver, Victoria, Quadra Island and Bamfield in British Columbia.
They're the first new sea spiders described from these waters in about a century.
Sea spiders are pycnogonids, not true spiders or arachnids, with a lineage going back about 500 million years.
Sea spiders breathe through their skin, and their guts branch into their legs and help move oxygen around the body.
Male sea spiders carry the eggs on special limbs called ovigers until they hatch.
Callipallene pilosuspedes has hairy feet, red eyes and comb-like spines for grooming. Only one specimen was found.
Tanystylum kiixin can barely groom itself, and its name honours Kiix̣in, the ancient village and former capital of the Huu-ay-aht First Nations.
The team confirmed the new species with microscope work and DNA, sequenced several known species for the first time, and built an identification guide.
A species without a name doesn't show up in surveys, so its losses go unnoticed. Naming builds the baseline for protection.
You can help by photographing small shore life, logging it on iNaturalist, joining a local BioBlitz, and supporting natural history museums and university collections.
Catch Ocean Decoded Live Monday to Thursday at 5 pm Eastern, hosted by Andrew Lewin. Subscribe and hit the bell. Go deeper with the How to Protect the Ocean and Beyond Jaws podcasts.
#OceanConservation #MarineBiology #SaveOurOceans #ProtectTheOcean #OceanAwareness #BluePlanet #ConservationMatters #ScienceForChange #SustainableOceans
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