Discovered species of worms that feed on stones

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It is unclear why they are doing these.

Researchers from northeastern University (USA) found in the Philippines a new kind of messin ‘ bivalve. Usually these worms feed on wood, but open being eaten by carbonate limestone, reports the Chronicle.info with reference to Around the world.

Shashen — sea bivalve molluscs from the family of ship worms. They have a long body that can reach 50 inches, with the fold at the front end — it allows you to drill wood. These mussels were considered as pests in the ancient world, as he gnawed the bottom of ships. Different people defended the court your way: the Egyptians painted, the Romans were studded with metal, and the Chinese were laid out between the double shell goatskin.

A few years ago, scientists heard about an unusual borer, which lives in the river Abacan occurring on the island of Bohol in the Philippine archipelago. They went there to check out the stories of local residents. In underwater limestone rocks they found holes, messin ‘ characteristic, and the worms themselves. The new species was named Lithoredo abatanica.

The researchers drew several major creatures and has conducted a number of tests. They studied the anatomical features of animals. Messin ‘ length varies from five to ten centimetres, they have no sharp teeth, used by their relatives for drilling wood, but they have cutters, similar to a spatula. In addition, they are characterized by long intestine. At the autopsy the experts found there the limestone — the same in which he found the worms. Placing clams in the aquarium, they saw that those releasing these stones from the siphon body for elimination of waste.

Why L. abatanica consume the stone is not yet known. Their relatives digesting comminuted wood thanks to symbiotic bacteria that live in the gills. Nutrition of new species remains a mystery. Scientists theorize that limestone can help them grind the plankton. On the other hand, perhaps these beings have learned to extract nutrients from the stones themselves, in a way that we don’t know yet. Now biologists working on genome sequencing L. abatanica. This will help to understand the functioning of their metabolism.

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