Dardanus balhibuon – Species Splash
When this specimen was collected, it was mistaken for another species. It was only upon closer inspection of the museum material some years later that Dr. Machel Malay realized it was the discovery of a new species.
In 2018, UP Associate Professor Dr. Machel Malay published the report describing Dardanus balahibuon together with Dr. Dwi Listyo Rahayu of the Indonesian Institute of Science and Dr. Tin-Yam Chan of National Taiwan Ocean University. The species is named for its long and thick tufts of setae, which gives Dardanus balahibuon its characteristically hairy appearance. While it is morphologically similar to the common species Dardanus lagopodes and Dardanus sanguinolentus, phylogenetic analysis showed that Dardanus balahibuon is genetically very distinct. The specimen was found on Pamilacan Island, Bohol during the 2004 Panglao Expedition. It is named after the Boholano word for “hairy”.
Link to Dardanus balhibuon on the World Register of Marine Species.
Photo by Dr. Tin-Yam Chan