the see-through salp that stunned NZ fisherman

Had earlier posted about aquarium fish and a special one at that…. Pterophyllum is a small genus of freshwater fish from the family Cichlidae known to most aquarists as "Angelfish". Angelfish  are considered popular tropical freshwater aquarium fish - one of the most beautiful specie of tropical freshwater aquarium fish.    It was about  ‘pink fluorescent angel fish’ !  - yes pink in colour, bright fluorescent and can be viewed without a backlight – a fish specie – Angel variant -  created by a joint project between Taiwan's Academia Sinica, National Taiwan Ocean University and Jy Lin, a private biotechnology company. The ones known as ‘Pink Angel Delight’ are genetically-engineered angelfish that glow in the dark go on display in Taiwan.

Those fish unveiled at a news conference for the 2012 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo dazzled making glow-in-the-dark display … it was gene mutation and artificial one at that……. Nature is the most attractive creator… and here is one of a jelly fish that stunned fishermen at Karikari peninsula – which is  land mass of two relatively distinct parts  of New Zealand.  Here is an interesting report that appeared in Daily Mail of a fisherman stunned by his catch of a wobbly shrimp-like creature – because it was completely see-through

Here is the report majorly reproduced : A fisherman from New Zealand was left baffled when he caught this see-through shrimp-like creature swimming near the surface of the ocean. Stewart Fraser was fishing with sons Conaugh and Finn 43 miles north off the North Island's Karikari Peninsula when he spotted the translucent 'shrimp' floating near the top of the water. Mr Fraser said: 'I was in two minds whether to haul it in, but curiosity got the better of me and I decided to take a closer look. 'It felt scaly and was quite firm, almost jelly like, and you couldn't see anything inside aside from this orange little blob inside it.

Mr Fraser said: 'We have no idea what it could have been but it was quite something and I'd never seen anything like it before.' However, Deborah Cracknell, research lead from the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, told MailOnline she believes the creature is a Salpa maggiore (Salpa maxima). Paul Cox, director of conservation and communication at the National Marine Aquarium, said: 'Little is known about these salps, however, they are often found in colder seas, with the most abundant concentration found in the Southern Ocean. 'The salp is barrel-shaped and moves by contracting, pumping water through its gelatinous body.  It strains the water through its internal feeding filters, feeding on phytoplankton from the upper sunlit layer of the ocean. They have an interesting life-cycle with alternate generations existing as solitary individuals or groups forming long chains.

'In common with other defenceless animals that occupy open water - jellies and hydroids for example - the translucence presumably provides some protection from predation. Being see-through is a pretty good camouflage in water.'

Strange are the ways of nature.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

22nd Jan 2014.

Acknowledgement : Salpa maxima news and photo : www.dailymail.co.uk