Context:
New species of deep-sea isopod discovered from Kerala named after ISRO.
Brucethoa Isro:
- Brucethoa Isro – Fish-parasitic crustacean, belonging to the genus Brucethoa
- Significance – 2nd species within this genus to be documented in India.
- Unique Features – Females of the species tend to be larger than males.
Isopods:
- Isopods – Order of invertebrates (animals without backbones) that belong to the greater crustacean group of animals
- Distribution – About half of the known species of isopods live in the ocean.
- Others live in coastal and shelf waters
- Features –
- Most are free-living, but a number of marine species are parasitic on other animals.
- Most morphologically diverse of all the crustacean groups, coming in many different shapes and sizes
Crustaceans:
- Crustaceans – Belongs to the large group of the Arthropods which include the crabs, shrimps etc.
- Features –
- Invertebrates with a hard exoskeleton
- Segmented body that is bilaterally symmetrical
- More than four pairs of jointed appendages
- An open circulatory system.
- Most are free-living freshwater or marine animals, but some are terrestrial (e.g. woodlice), some are parasitic (e.g. fish lice) and some do not move (e.g. barnacles)
Source: The Hindu
Previous Year Question
Consider the following kinds of organisms:
1. Copepods
2. Cyanobacteria
3. Diatoms
4. Foraminifera
Which of the above are primary producers in the food chains of oceans?
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2021 Prelims]
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 3 and 4
(d) 1 and 4
Answer: (b)
Explanation: Copepods and Foraminifera are not primary producers.
