It is feared by all swimmers as it has more than 10 different types of poison, but in the eyes of scholars the Portuguese caravel Physalia it’s a small treasure of biodiversity that sails on the surface of the seas.
This is demonstrated by a new scientific study published in the journal bioRxivin which an accurate analysis of the genome of this famous siphonophore is presented. A team of scientists has sequenced the entire genome of 133 samples collected worldwide.
The data was then combined with thousands of images of Portuguese caravels uploaded to the platform iNaturalist. The scholars evaluated parameters such as the size of the “sail” i.e. the floating sac, the tentacles and the color of each photographed specimen.
The overall results indicate the presence of 5 distinct lineages, with the identification of at least 4 species morphologically distinct, abundantly distributed in the southern hemisphere.
According to experts, 3 of these correspond to the hypotheses put forward in the 18th and 19th centuries about the species P. physalis , P utriculus And P. megalist. To these is added a new yet unnamed species Physalia sp. present in the Tasman Sea, in the Pacific.
But the evidence also suggests the existence of a potential fifth species, which however from a phylogenetic point of view is close to the P. utriculus and which therefore prevents an exclusive classification at the moment.
Our results indicate that, instead of one well-mixed cosmopolitan species, there are actually multiple species of Physalia with distinct but overlapping ranges, each composed of regionally endemic subpopulations that are connected by important ocean currents and wind patterns,” the study authors note.
It’s a big surprise for one incredibly interesting sea creaturewhich is mistakenly confused with a jellyfish.
However, the Portuguese caravel is not a multicellular organism, but is formed by the union of 4 different individuals called zooids which play different but essential roles for mutual survival.
I am a Portuguese caravel: if you meet me at sea, do not touch me
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