Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi

Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Nematoda
Class:	Secernentea
Order:	Tylenchida
Family:	Panagrolaimidae
Genus:	Tarantobelus
Species:	T. jeffdanielsi
Binomial name
Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi Schurkman et al. 2022

Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi is a species of nematode, and is one of only two species known to infect tarantulas. ^{[1] [2]}

History

T. jeffdanielsi was discovered in 2018 when a wholesale breeder noticed white discharge in the mouths of their tarantulas, and strange behavior prior to death. This discharge were the nematodes in the tarantula's oral cavity. ^{[1] [2]}

Biology

The nematodes infect the oral cavity of a tarantula. The host will begin to lose control of its appendages and fangs, causing starvation and a 'tip toe' like walking behavior. ^{[1] [2]} The nematodes only infect the tarantula's mouth, suggesting they may feed on bacteria that lives on tarantulas rather than the actual tarantula. ^[3]

Taxonomy

T. jeffdanielsi was named after actor Jeff Daniels for his role in the 1990 movie Arachnophobia . ^{[1] [2]}

References

1. Schurkman, Jacob; Anesko, Kyle; Abolafia, Joaquín; De Ley, Irma Tandingan; Dillman, Adler R. (2022-01-17). "Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi n. sp. (Panagrolaimomorpha; Panagrolaimidae), a Nematode Parasite of Tarantulas" . Journal of Parasitology. 108 (1): 30–43. doi:10.1645/21-42. ISSN   0022-3395. PMID   35038325. S2CID   246352651.
2. Brandon Specktor published (2022-01-20). "Parasitic worm forces tarantulas to tiptoe, then starves them to death". livescience.com. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
3. "Scientists discover tarantula-killing worms: New parasite named after actor Jeff Daniels -- ScienceDaily". ScienceDaily. 2022-01-29. Retrieved 2022-01-29.