The shape of the newly discovered water bear in Japan

The new species is found in the Japanese park, which looks like a caterpillar, and the eggs have strange shapes.

Kazuharu Arakawa, a molecular biologist at Keio University in Japan, discovered a new water bear in a small moss sample from his parking lot in Tsuruoka city, according to Live Science. Scientists call this water bear Macrobiotus shonaicus (M.shonaicus). This is the 168th water bear discovered in Japan. Research results are published in PLOS One magazine on February 28.

The shape of a water bear in nature.(Photo: iStock).

Water bears are famous for their ability to survive tough. They can survive in supercooled environments (about -200 degrees Celsius), extremely hot (149 degrees Celsius), even in vacuum with continuous radiation in space. The body of the water bear looks plump with eight legs and a round mouth. Their body length is usually less than a millimeter.

"Most water bears are described as living on mosses and lichens. So any moss is an attractive place for water bear researchers. But it's amazing to find a new species around. around my apartment, " said Arakawa.

The water bears in the moss pattern that Arakawa took from the parking lot were quite special. They can survive and reproduce in the laboratory environment. Arakawa analyzes the genetic sequence of M. shonaicus but finds that the results do not match the gene sequence of previously known water bears.

Body length of water bear M.shonaicus from 318 - 743 µm. They appear to resemble a plump moth with an O-shaped mouth. The most bizarre feature is probably M.shonaicus's egg. Scattered on the spherical egg surface are protrusions that look like glass upside down. The first part of each glass radiates small fibers like pasta, Arakawa said.

Egg surface of Macrobiotus shonaicus when viewed under a microscope.(Photo: Daniel Stec).

M.shonaicus belongs to a group of water bears called hufelandi . They all have eggs that are egg-like in M.shonaicus. Macrobiotus hufelandi is the first water bear in the world discovered in 1834. It was originally discovered in Italy and Germany, but Macrobiotus hufelandi and its relatives have recently been found globally.

Arakawa said, we need to collect more water bears to understand their diversity and adaptation over time."M.shonaicus is the ideal animal to study the reproduction and behavior of water bears," Arakawa said.