A newly discovered species of tardigrade, also known as water bears, was named after Dr. Samuel M. ‘Ohu Gon III.
The microscopic animals with short claws and unique outer plating was named Claxtonia goni to recognize Gon’s contribution to tardigrade research.
Gon is a Senior Scientist and Cultural Advisor for The Nature Conservancy. He collected this unique species of tardigrade from moss on Haleakala in 1985.
"When they land here and find an environment like Haleakala where there’s no predators or competitors, then they can turn into new species by the same phenomenon of island evolution that gave us our native honeycreepers, and our thousand different plants found nowhere else on Earth, and even more snails and insects," he said. "So tardigrades get added to the list of the things that make the Hawaiian islands biologically amazing."
"People say that it’s an honor when scientists name something after you, a new plant or animal, but when it’s a tardigrade, which is like one of the coolest animals on the planet, that’s gotta be something special," Gon told Hawaii Public Radio.
Gon brought the moss to entomology labs at the University of California, Davis where his colleague found over 30 distinct species of these tiny creatures.
High elevation lava habitats in Hawai?i help numerous species of tardigrades to thrive.
