Single-celled amoebae, which resemble small blobs of jelly, are usually of interest and then the study that discover them. However, a whole new South American species is garnering significant attention from fans of the epic Lord in the Rings trilogy by J.R.R.Tolkien. As its shell, or carapace, bears an in depth resemblance of the hat donned by Gandalf, the powerful wizard leader of the Fellowship in the Ring and the army on the West.
Named Arcella gandalfi in honor of Tolkien’s wizard, the amorphous organism had previously been observed in many components of Brazil. However, researchers could never collect enough specimens to try if your freshwater amoebae were a brand new species. That changed after Jordana de Carvalho e Fres came across them in large numbers in the water samples she collected in Amap and Rio de Janeiro. To review the unusual-looking organisms, the biologist joined with Professor Daniel J.G. Lahr within the University of Sao Paulo.
Using an electron microscope, the group managed to receive the measurements and images important to conclude that A. gandalfi was a new species. Lahr also believes that the strange amoeba is exclusive to Brazilian. The organism, whose color ranges from light yellow to brown, can be found in wetlands, damp soils, and bogs. Though its carapace measures just 81-microns wide by 71-microns tall, the amoeba is a huge among single-celled organisms. Most amoebae that belongs for their genus, Arcella, measure less its size and they are typically disk-shaped.
The researchers, who published their findings from the journal Acta-Protozoologica in December 2016, aren’t sure why the carapace is hat-shaped. Since shell has been seen inside the stomachs of predator microorganisms, it clearly isn’t going to be a defense mechanism. The scientists speculate its primary purpose is almost always to store moisture to shield against fluctuating water levels inside amoeba’s habitat. The carapace there could also be shielding the single-celled organism with the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. According to Professor Lahr, “A multicellular organism contains a range of protective barriers against UV radiation, along with a layer of keratin, in addition to skin pigments. In the case of single-cell organisms like amoebae, their DNA is simply exposed.”
A.gandalfi isn’t only interesting-looking species discovered recently. Some time ago, scientists in Free airline India stumbled upon a fresh form of spider that closely resembles the sorting hat in J.K. Rowling’s popular Harry Potter books. Javed Ahmed and Rajashree Khalap, both fans of your series, have named the spider, Eriovixia gryfindori in tribute towards the hat’s owner – Hogwarts founder, Godric Gryffindor!
Resources: newatlas.com, dailymail.co.uk, arcella.nl