Long white worm thing....

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Re: Long white worm thing....

Postby Spike » Jun 28, 2011 2:03 pm

I'm not sure about nematodes, but for other invertebrates, there is a world wide shortage of biologists interested in taxonomy. Not to mention a lack of funding for this very basic fundamental research. These days if you find a species you suspect is new, it may be years before you find an expert that can determine if it is new, and maybe several more years before they can get through their backlog to look at your specimen. Unfortunate but true. Those bio-cavers out there, if you want to help in the study of Speleology, but aint into rocks, survey, or anthropology, please, please consider picking a type of small critter without a spine and learning how to identify and describe them and their brethren. For instance, I find cave snails fascinating, and I find them in many Ozark cave streams. They are small, and I can't identify them. I have no idea if the ones I see are one of 3 known species, 1 of which is federally endangered and known only from one cave. I have no idea if the ones I see are new species or not, and I have no one to ask for help with. We often speculate that the are 1 of the more common species, but then again we think that one is common cause we often report it as the likely species, cause it's more common. Just a little bit of circular logic there. What we need is someone who is passionate about caves and cave critters who is willing to learn how to study them not just study them. Same goes for isopods amphipods, spiders(I've seen some wicked cool cave spiders that doing strange things deep in caves), millipedes, pretty much anything white small and underground.

Ok, rant over, still a neat worm.

Oh and we already have the MOU's in place for the public stuff and access lined up for the private, shovel ready so to speak.
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Re: Long white worm thing....

Postby captnemo » Jun 28, 2011 2:22 pm

Sungura wrote:If it's new, does that mean I get to name it 'cause I have the first photos of it? If so can I call it Slinky? 'Cause it reminds me of slinkies.


Usually naming something is much more complicated then that- one has to collect a representative sample, do lots of research to assure it is in fact a new critter, then a detailed description is published in a reviewed publication- the published name would be its official name. But hey if you wanna call it slinky sounds fine to me :)
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Re: Long white worm thing....

Postby Marduke » Jun 28, 2011 2:45 pm

Sungura wrote:If it's new, does that mean I get to name it 'cause I have the first photos of it? If so can I call it Slinky? 'Cause it reminds me of slinkies.


Just don't forget who found it, and poked it with a stick to make it move and prove it wasn't just a thread, like SOMEONE (the biologist with the camera) thought.... :wink:
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Re: Long white worm thing....

Postby onebat » Jun 28, 2011 6:29 pm

I saw one of those worms in a very shallow pool of water on a rock at a cave entrance, several years ago.
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Re: Long white worm thing....

Postby self-deleted_user » Jun 28, 2011 8:31 pm

Marduke wrote:
Sungura wrote:If it's new, does that mean I get to name it 'cause I have the first photos of it? If so can I call it Slinky? 'Cause it reminds me of slinkies.


Just don't forget who found it, and poked it with a stick to make it move and prove it wasn't just a thread, like SOMEONE (the biologist with the camera) thought.... :wink:


Nuh-uh, i'll give you that I thought the first one was a string but I poked it with a stick too!!!!! And I found the one I took a photo of, and two others that apparently you didn't see! :tonguecheek:

Do you hate the name Slinky? I thought it was a cute name. We could call it....Margura! That sounds fancy, and kinda like margarita..mmm...margaritas.
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Re: Long white worm thing....

Postby Buford » Jul 8, 2011 9:47 am

Was it round or flat in cross-section? Did it have eyespots or was the head totally unpigmented? If flat and with eyespots, it would likely be a, um, flatworm - a planarian. Otherwise, it's most likely a horsehair worm.

The juveniles of some species of horsehair worms (Nematomorpha = gordian worms) parasitize orthopterans like camel crickets, cave crickets, and cockroaches, all of which might be found in your cave. You have heard of the infamous 'brain fungus?' One species of gordian worm (Spinochordodes tellinii) that parasitizes orthopterans is just as insidious. It affects the insect's brain, causing it to seek water and drown itself, thus releasing the worm back into the water where it can mature and reproduce. Look for 'gordian knots' of male and female worms orgying in the water.
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