The blood-sucking parasite found off coral reefs in the Caribbean has been named after legendary musician Bob Marley. The exact name of the crustacean that feeds on fish blood is Gnathia marleyi.
Paul Sickel, a biologist at the University of Arkansas, decided to give such an unusual name to a subspecies of crustaceans. It was this scientist, a fan of Bob Marley, who discovered the blood-sucking crustacean and in such an unusual way wished to express his love for the musician's work.
“I decided to name this type of crustacean, which is also a real wonder of nature, in honor of the magnificent Bob Marley because of my admiration for his music,” explained Paul Sikkel, associate professor of the university and marine ecology specialist. - The sea parasite is a unique Caribbean species, just like Marley himself.
Bob Marley is a very eccentric Jamaican musician, vocalist, composer. He passed away in 1981, but despite this, Robert Nesta Marley (his full name) is still considered the most popular reggae performer.
According to the website of the National Science Foundation, NSF (US National Science Foundation), Gnathia marleyi is the only animal that has been discovered in the Caribbean in the last 20 years. Unknown to science, crustaceans are similar to the blood-sucking forest ticks, which have long been known to man. These marine animals belong to the family Gnathiidae, a parasite species whose habitat is limited to coral reefs.
Juveniles of the crustaceans Gnathia marleyi live and grow among coral debris, in sponges and algae deep at the bottom. They wait for the fish, stick to it, and it becomes the carrier of the Marley parasite. Adults, on the other hand, according to Paul Sikkel's observation, can go without food at all for two to three weeks or longer.
Family members of Bob Marley and the record company Island Records, solely owning the rights to the musician's recordings, do not comment on the decision to name the sea parasite after the Jamaican legend, writes The Christian Science Monitor.
