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Scientists confirm very first venomous crustacean

Lurking in underwater caves on the coasts of Caribbean, Canary Islands and western Australia is a blind crustacean that was discovered over 30 years ago, but only now has been confirmed as the only venomous crustacean known to science.

There are plenty of venomous creatures on this planet. However, looking at species of arthropods — insects, arachnids and crustaceans — science has identified plenty of the first two types that use venom, but they hadn't found any venomous crustaceans. Now, though, an international team of scientists has confirmed that a species of remipede — a crustacean that was discovered over 30 years ago — is actually the first.

The researchers discovered this after noticing a set of needle-like fangs in a species called Speleonectes tulumensis, and found that these fangs were connected to glands. Producing a three-dimensional model of this, they found that it was a venom delivery system, and studying the contents of the glands showed that it was similar to both spider venom and the venom of vipers and rattlesnakes.

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The venom that these crustaceans produce turns out to be a great adaptation to the fact that they're blind. It acts to break down the prey's insides, dissolving them so that they can easily be sucked up. However, it also acts as a paralytic, to keep the prey nearby so the blind crustacean doesn't need to go far to get its meal.

With this first confirmation of a crustacean species that actually does use venom, it may be followed by more, as scientists finally have a strong justification for following up on what has probably just been anecdotal evidence up until now.

(Photo courtesy: Natural History Museum of London)

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