New Mite Species Named After Jennifer Lopez
Posted on July 15, 2014
A new species of pontarachnid mite species has been discovered in Bajo de Sico, a coral reef in the Mona Passage off Puerto Rico. The researchers named the water mite, Litarachna lopezae, after singer Jennifer Lopez. The researchers say they named the mite after JLo because they enjoyed her music while they were writing the research paper.
Vladimir Peeic, lead author of the study from the Department of Biology, University of Montenegro, says in a statement, "The reason behind the unusual choice of name for the new species is that J.Lo's songs and videos kept the team in a continuous good mood when writing the manuscript and watching World Cup Soccer 2014."
The researchers say not much is known about pontarachnid mites. The mite was found at a depth of 70 meters. This is the deepest pontarachnid mites have been found so far to date. The researchers say there is enough light at this depth for photosynthesis. The Bajo de Sico is a mesophotic coral ecosystem inhabited by macroalgae, sponges and scleractinian coral species.
A research paper on the mite was published here in ZooKeys.