Zyzzyzus rubusidaeus
One of many companies I like to supply right here on The Marine Detective, is to share phrases you’ll be able to attempt to randomly drop into conversations and annoy your folks. You’re welcome. It’s a activity I take very severely.
Sure, there actually is an animal with the scientific identify Zyzzyzus rubusidaeus and to me, they appear to be they’ve been designed by Dr. Seuss himself. Their widespread identify is the Raspberry Hydroid they usually have lovely predators too.
The widespread identify for Zyzzyzus rubusidaeus is the Raspberry Hydroid. They have been solely described as a brand new species in 2013 by northern Vancouver Island’s personal Anita Brinckmann-Voss who lived in Sointula. The analysis paper is at this hyperlink.
Their particular nudibranch prey are Pomegranate Aeolids. To my information, the one documentations for each species, thus far, are close to Telegraph Cove (Weynton Move) and Quadra Island (Discovery Passage). I can definitely attest to how lucky we’re to see them so predictably close to Telegraph Cove.
See beneath for extra details about each species. Oh, and if you happen to ever are in a position to make use of the phrase “Zyzzyzus” in a phrase sport due to this put up, I anticipate a thanks! 😉
Descriptor for the above picture:
Trifecta!
(1) Nudibranch species the Pomegranate Aeolid (Cuthonella punicea to 2.5 cm).
(2)Their solely identified prey, the stinging celled animals Raspberry Hydroids (Zyzzyzus rubusidaeus to five cm tall).
(3) The nudibranchs’ egg plenty / strings. As is the way in which with sea slugs, they most frequently lay their eggs on their prey. Speak about including insult to harm. I eat you and I lay my eggs on you so there will probably be extra of my sort to prey in your sort. 
Extra about hydroids:
Virtually all hydroid species are colonial. They’re carnivores. Hydroids are associated to jellies, anemones, and corals (phylum Cnidarian).
The copy of hydroids is exceptional. Colonies are male or feminine. They begin by reproducing asexually by budding off hydromedusa – tiny free-swimming, jellyfish-like variations of themselves. These produce both eggs or sperm. Fertilization of the eggs results in larvae which will choose the ocean backside and kind colonies.
Hydroids catch drifting prey with their polyps aided by their nematocysts (stinging cells). Not one of the hydroid species off our coast ship a sting that we people can really feel (irrespective of how delicate you’re 😉).
The meals will get distributed all through their single-sex colony.
And who likes to eat species of hydroids? Nudibranchs! Particularly, the aeolid sorts of nudibranchs – they’ve these bushy buildings on their backs (cerata). Many of those nudibranch species not solely depend on the hydroids for diet but additionally make use of their prey’s stinging cells! The nematocysts get integrated into the ends of the cerata.
Sources:
Brinckmann-Voss, A., & Calder, D. R. 2013. Zyzzyzus rubusidaeus (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Tubulariidae), a brand new species of anthoathecate hydroid from the coast of British Columbia, Canada. Zootaxa 3666: 389-397
