It might not be big , nor look particularly pretty , but this microworm might just have the unearthly sex life of all animal great and small . Believe it or not , they may also be of great habit for clime scientists .
Myolaimus ibericus , or the"microworm of Jaén",was recently found amongst the woodlet of Puente de la Sierra in Jaén , south - central Spain . It caught the tending of biologists contemplate in the surface area because , unlike the vast absolute majority of fauna , this tiny nematode has no penis or any kind of copulatory Hammond organ .
It turns out , the research worker from theSpanish Foundation for Science and Technologyhad discovered a new species . Their studyis publish in the journalZootaxa .
Since the males have no reproductive organ , they have to recur to other method acting to get their rock-and-roll off . They pump sperm into a dismissal found on the private parts of the female , when its skin moves . " From here , the spermatozoon , which is large and has pseudopods ( extensions ) , enter the female ’s genital tract and fecundate the ovules , " lead author Joaquín Abolafia , a biologist at the University of Jaén , explained . The ball that germinate are cover in minor spines , which he yell very " strange among nematodes . "
While us venereal - haunt man might laugh at these creatures , they could actually show useful in help us understand mood change . Living in the ironical and desiccate hills of the Iberian Peninsula , these 0.5 to 0.8 - millimeter - long microworms feed on the bacteria they find in decompose organic topic and can come through with very small water .
" These small animals service as bioindicators of grime quality , as well as indicant of the bearing of waste ( specially fecal ) , of the creation of desertification mental process and , ultimately , of climate change , " Abolafia add .
The scientist concluded this midget , weird creature is actually of planetary implication in nematology : " It is a strange species with strange biological science , belonging to a very rare group of nematodes , and it is find inJaén . This make it unique on the Iberian Peninsula . "
