Belgica antarctica
Belgica antarctica | |
---|---|
Two Belgica antarctica adults | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Diptera |
Family: | Chironomidae |
Genus: | Belgica |
Species: | B. antarctica
|
Binomial name | |
Belgica antarctica | |
Distribution in Antarctica (red) |
Belgica antarctica, the Antarctic midge, is a species of flightless
Taxonomy and etymology
The first specimens of Belgica antarctica were collected on the
Belgica antarctica is the largest purely terrestrial animal native to the continent.[5][6][2]
Tolerance to extreme conditions
The flightlessness of B. antarctica may be an adaptation to prevent wind from blowing it into inhospitable areas.[6] It can survive freezing, but though local air temperatures may reach as low as −40 °C, this insect cannot survive temperatures below −15 °C. This is comparatively milder than other cold-adapted insects. The reason for this relatively low freezing tolerance is due to thermal buffering: just burrowing at a depth of 1 cm, temperature is stable between 0 and −2 °C for 10 months out of 12, and it seldom goes lower than −7 °C all year round. Ice and snow cover also helps keep the temperature stable.[7] Freezing tolerance is enhanced by cold hardening.[7]
To adapt to the cold temperatures, B. antarctica accumulates
Belgica antarctica not only tolerates, but also requires a freezing climate to survive: exposure of larvae to such mild temperatures as 10 °C is enough to kill them within a week.[7] Exposure to temperatures of 30 °C kills individuals in a few hours.[8] It can, however, resist partial desiccation, surviving the loss of up to 70% of body water.[8]
Lifecycle
B. antarctica spends most of its two-year lifecycle in four larval stages. Overwintering may occur in any instar. Terrestrial algae (particularly Prasiola crispa), moss, organic detritus, and microorganisms provide the food for the larval stage. The adults emerge in the spring and summer and live no more than 10 days; females mate in their first day of life and a few days later release eggs. The female secretes a jelly on the eggs that acts as a blanket of antifreeze, stops them from dehydrating, and acts as a food source once they hatch. Mating occurs in large groups of males, analogous to swarms of winged midges.[7]
Genome
As of 2014, B. antarctica has the smallest insect genome known, at 99 Mbp and 13 500 genes.
Species | Genome size | Coding DNA (genome percentage) | Transposable element percentage |
---|---|---|---|
Belgica antarctica | 99 Mbp | 19 Mbp (19.4%) | 0.12% |
Aedes aegypti | 1380 Mbp | 22 Mbp (1.6%) | 47% |
Drosophila melanogaster | 180 Mbp | 22.8 Mbp (13.6%) | 20% |
See also
- Gynaephora groenlandica, a species of Arctic moth whose larvae can survive temperatures below –60 °C
- Belgian Antarctic Expedition
References
- ^ Jacobs, [J.-Ch.] (1900). "Diagnoses d'insectes recueillis par l'expédition antarctique Belge: Diptères". Annales de la Société entomologique de Belgique. 44: 106–107.
- ^ Wikidata Q119841816.
- ^ Wikidata Q119841481.
- Wikidata Q119842165.
- .
- ^ a b Luke Sandro & Juanita Constible. "Antarctic Bestiary — Terrestrial Animals". Laboratory for Ecophysiological Cryobiology, Miami University. Archived from the original on 23 December 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
- ^ PMID 16424090.
- ^ PMID 18313070.
- ^ "Antarctic midge has smallest insect genome". BBC. 2014-08-12. Archived from the original on 2014-08-12. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
- PMID 25118180.
Further reading
- Rübsaamen, Ew. H. (1906). "Chironomidæ". Zoologie: Insectes. Résultats du voyage du S.Y. Belgica en 1897-1898-1899. Anvers: J.-E. Buschmann. pp. 77–83; Pl. 4, Figs. 2, 4–7; Pl. V, Figs. 9–19.
- Keilin, D. (1912). "Sur l'anatomie et le développement de Belgica antarctica Jacobs, Chironomide antarctique à ailes réduites". Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des séances de l'Académie des Sciences. 154. BHL page 7167537.
- Convey, Peter; Block, William (1996). "Antarctic Diptera: Ecology, physiology and distribution". European Journal of Entomology. 93: 1–13.
- Elnitsky, M. A.; Hayward, S. A. L.; Rinehart, J. P.; Denlinger, D. L.; Lee, R. E. (2008). "Cryoprotective dehydration and the resistance to inoculative freezing in the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica". Journal of Experimental Biology. 211 (4): 524–530. PMID 18245628.
- Lopez-Martinez, Giancarlo; Benoit, Joshua B.; Rinehart, Joseph P.; Elnitsky, Michael A.; Lee, Richard E.; Denlinger, David L. (2009). "Dehydration, rehydration, and overhydration alter patterns of gene expression in the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica". Journal of Comparative Physiology B. 179 (4): 481–491. S2CID 1732347.
External links
- Belgica antarctica discussed on RNZ Critter of the Week, 23 June 2023
- "Antarctic Bestiary". Miami University. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)