Cloned saltwater creatures hatched from decades-old eggs turn out to be new species
.png "The newly-discovered species Artemia amati from Kazakhstan.")
An extinct creature has risen from the dead, well, sort of. The creature — which once swam in salty water in Kazakhstan — was hatched from decades-old eggs, cloned and identified by scientists as a new species.
The discovery came from a group of researchers studying Asian species of Artemia, a type of saltwater crustacean, according to a study published in the Journal of Crustacean Biology.
Artemia, also known as brine shrimp, are a group of crustaceans found in “highly saline inland waters” worldwide, according to Britannica.
The researchers wanted to “unravel” the mystery of two “undescribed” groups of brine shrimp found in Kazakhstan and Tibet, the study said. Eggs from these brine shrimp were originally collected decades ago.
Samples of these shrimp eggs were collected from an unidentified area of Kazakhstan in 1988 and a lake in Tibet, China, in 2001. The samples were held and preserved at the Institute of Aquaculture from Torre de la Sal in Spain, the study said.
Researchers obtained these brine shrimp eggs and hatched them in a laboratory, the study said. The saltwater creatures were then cloned several times to create a larger population for researchers to analyze.
The body shapes and DNA of the adult brine shrimp were then analyzed — leading researchers to discover two new species, the study said.
The new species of brine shrimp from Kazakhstan was named Artemia amati, researchers said. The creature has a whitish-yellow coloring, photos shared with McClatchy News on April 22 show. The animal has eyes and antenna-like structures on its head. The central part of its body has long, hair-like legs and its lower body extends in a tail-like way.
Artemia amati are less than an inch long, with males growing slightly larger than females, the study said. Females of the species were identifiable based on their rounded, oval-shaped “brood pouch” where eggs are held before hatching.
No new records of Artemia amati crustaceans have been documented in the last 30 years. Consequently, researchers believe the animal “has become extinct in the wild” and exists only in eggs held at scientific collections.
Researchers also identified another new species of brine shrimp from Tibet: Artemia sorgeloosi. Photos show the creature’s yellow-white color and body shape similar to the brine shrimp from Kazakhstan. Artemia sorgeloosi can be distinguished based on its triangular brood pouch and unique DNA, the study said.
The researchers recommended further research on the species from Tibet to understand its “diversity and distribution.”
.png "artemia sorgeloosi (female).png")
The new species were named after professors who contributed to the study of Artmia, the study said. Artemia amati was named after professor Francisco Amat of Spain. Artemia sorgeloosi was named after Patrick Sorgeloos of Belgium.
This story was originally published April 24, 2023 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Cloned saltwater creatures hatched from decades-old eggs turn out to be new species."
