133/150: Arctic Isopods – Cold and Calculated

Animalia: Arthropoda: Malacostraca: Isopoda: Arcturidae: Arcturus baffini (Sabine, 1824)

Arctic isopods are unique crustaceans living in the Arctic Ocean, with over 50 species. Most are small, ranging from 0.5-1.5 cm in length, but some, like Arcturus baffini, can grow beyond 10 cm! Making them large organisms in a cold environment. These isopods are poor swimmers, instead they crawl along the ocean floor with their legs. Most are scavengers while others are known to be parasitic. They often burrow in sediments creating small underwater tunnels. Most immature arctic isopods are held in a specialized chamber in their mother until they are developed enough to leave. The immature Arcturus baffini are different in that they will hold onto their mother’s antennae until they reach maturity. #Canada150 #Biodiversity150

Here’s the barcode sequence information for this species:

Process ID: NNMC238-08

nucleotide sequence

TTGCTTTCCCCCGAATAAATAATATAAGGTTTTGGTTATTACCTCCTGCGCTGATTCTTCTCTTAGCCAGGGGGTTAATTGAGAGGGGCGCGGGAACGGGCTGAACTGTCTATCCTCCCCTATCTAGTAAGATTTCACACGCAGGAGCTTCTGTGGATTTAGCTATTTTCTCTCTTCATTTAGCGGGAGCTTCCTCTATTTTAGGCGCTGTGAATTTTATTACCACAGTGATTAACATGCGTAGCCCTGGCATAAGATTCGACCGCCTTCCGTTATTTGTGTGGTCTGTATTTATCACGGCCGTCTTATTATTGTTAGCTCTTCCTGTGCTGGCGGGGGCTATTACCATGCTCCTGACAGACCGTAATTTGAGCACTTCTTTCTTCGACCCTAGCGGGGGAGGGGATCCTGTCCTATATCAGCA

amino acid sequence

AFPRMNNMSFWLLPPALILLLASGLIESGAGTGWTVYPPLSSKISHAGASVDLAIFSLHLAGASSILGAVNFITTVINMRSPGMSFDRLPLFVWSVFITAVLLLLALPVLAGAITMLLTDRNLSTSFFDPSGGGDPVLYQX

Learn more about it’s BIN (Barcode Index Number): BOLD:AAJ7844