New Species Discovered

Two cephalopod species have been discovered in the coastal waters of the Okinawa Islands in Japan – the Ryukan pygmy squid (Idiosepius kijimuna) and Hannan’s pygmy squid (Kodama jujutsu).
INSPIRED BY JAPANESE FOLKLORE

The Kijimuna are mischievous, red-haired spirits who, according to Japanese folklore, are said to live in banyan trees
The scientific name of the Ryukan pygmy squid was named after the feisty, red-haired forest fairies believed to reside in the banyan trees of Okinawa. Like its namesake, the squid is tiny, has red colouration, and spends most of its time attached to the vegetation in shallow seagrass beds close to shore.

Ryukan pygmy squid (Idiosepius kijimuna) n. sp. a, c: swimming; b: attached to vegetation
Hannan’s pygmy squid is named after the Kodama spirits who live in ancient trees, and whose presence indicates a healthy forest. The squid uses its small arms to grapple with prey larger than itself, alluding to the movements that resemble the Japanese martial art jujutsu, which involves grappling and using the opponent’s strength against him. The squid also raises and curls its arms above its head, like a martial arts pose!

Hannan’s pygmy squid (Kodama jutjutsu) using its tentacles to “grapple” with its unfortunate prey
The discovery and documentation of the two species was made possible through the collaboration between scientists and underwater photographers. It was the images of Shawn Miller, Keishu Asada and Ryan Hannan (Kodama jujutsu takes its common name from him) that kickstarted the interest and subsequent research that catalogued the species.
HARD TO FIND
Both species, each measuring only about 12 millimetres in length, were a challenge to find. Morever, both species are only active at night, and the Ryukan only shows itself in the winter! The Kodama is even more elusive, and is only found in coral reefs.
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Scuba Diver oceanplanet No.128