Gnathia jimmybuffetti

Gnathia jimmybuffetti is a species of isopod native to the Florida Keys.^[1] It was described by a team of researchers from the University of Miami and North-West University in 2023.^[2] This makes it the first new species of gnathiid to be discovered in Florida over the past 100 years.^[3]

Gnathia jimmybuffetti
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Isopoda
Family:	Gnathiidae
Genus:	Gnathia
Species:	G. jimmybuffetti
Binomial name
Gnathia jimmybuffetti Erasmus, Hadfield, Sikkel, and Smit, 2023

Etymology

Gnathia jimmybuffetti is named after American singer Jimmy Buffett.^[1][4] Isopods are a type of crustacean, a subphylum referenced in the title of Buffett's 1973 album A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean.

Description

Gnathia jimmybuffetti measures roughly three-millimeters in length.^[2] It possesses a slightly produced frontal margin, making it distinguishable from other species in the region.^[3]

Ecology

Diet

Gnathia jimmybuffetti is a parasitic isopod that feeds on mostly fishes. It feeds mostly on French grunts, Haemulon flavolineatum, bluestriped grunt, and Haemulon sciurus.^[3]