Scientists discover a new pink Sea Anemone that builds and expands shells for hermit crabs | - The Times of India
Researchers exploring the deep Pacific waters off Japan have identified a striking pale-pink sea anemone, named Paracalliactis tsukisome, which exhibits a rare and remarkable behaviour. Instead of merely hitch-hiking on a hermit crab’s shell, this anemone actually secretes a hard, shell-like extension — called a carcinoecium — that grows to enlarge and reinforce the crab’s housing. Found at depths of 190–500 metres, the species forms a mutualistic partnership: the hermit crab gains a stronger, expandable home and can grow larger; the anemone benefits by gaining mobility and feeding on the crab’s waste and ambient organic particles. Advanced imaging (micro-CT) revealed the anemone’s shell-building happens in a consistent directional pattern, a surprising feat for a radially symmetric animal. The discovery highlights how even simple organisms in the deep sea can evolve highly specialised cooperative behaviours and challenges assumptions about how shell-forming structures evolve in soft-bodied animals.
The Key points
- The newly discovered pale-pink anemone is formally named Paracalliactis tsukisome.
- It lives in a partnership with hermit crabs off Japan’s Pacific coast at 190–500 m depth.
- The anemone secretes a carcinoecium — a shell-like structure — that expands the crab’s “home”.
- This structure allows the crab to skip frequent shell-changes and to grow larger.
- The anemone benefits by gaining mobility and access to the crab’s waste and organic particles.
- Micro-CT imaging showed the shell-building proceeds in one direction, hinting at spatial control in the anemone.
- The species was confirmed via morphological and DNA analyses to be distinct from known relatives.
- The name “tsukisome” is drawn from classical Japanese poetry and refers to the pale pink colour of the anemone.
- The discovery adds new insight into how mutualistic relationships and body asymmetry may evolve in marine invertebrates.
- The work underscores the complexity of deep-sea ecosystems and how even “simple” animals can perform architecture-like tasks
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