In the burning sand of the desert, shrimp

Unsure if the shrimp is a new species, Dr. Rajai asked Martin Schwentner, lead author of the paper and a researcher at the Museum of Natural History in Vienna who studies similar crustaceans in Australia, to take a look. When Dr Schwentner compared the genetics and morphology of shrimp to the four known species in the genus Phallocryptus, he determined that the shrimp was a new fifth species. Morphological differences between the neo-shrimp and the imaginary Mongolian shrimp Phallocryptus tserensodnomi, it was slight: a longer frontal member, curved antennae.

According to Dr. Alonso, the researchers did not conclusively distinguish between the morphology of the new species and those of P. tserensodnomi, found in Mongolia, and P. spinosa, found elsewhere in Iran. Alireza Sari, a crustacean biologist at the University of Tehran, said he suspects many of his earlier discoveries of P. Spinoza may have been P. fahimii.

“Morphology is difficult,” said Dr. Schwentner. “But the genetic difference made it clear that it was a different species.”

Although shrimp live well in the desert, a 10-day stay in a Lot is an achievement for any human being. Temperatures range from 122 degrees Fahrenheit during the day to 35 degrees Fahrenheit at night. The team had enough water to drink and wash their hands once or twice a day. Dust storms often lasted in their cars for hours at a time, and even smashed several cameras as tiny dust grains scratched the lenses. Dr. Rajai said: “The first five days, if Loot are beautiful and exciting.” “So it’s annoying.”

One night, a dust storm wrapped up, unexpectedly, in greasy raindrops. He said, “We couldn’t help her, we started dancing.” “I felt like I lost part of my soul in the desert.”

Researchers named the new fairy the shrimp after Dr. Fahimi, the expedition’s herpetologist, who died in a plane crash in Iran a year after the flight to Lot. When researchers began publishing their findings from the expedition, they also memorialized Dr. Fahim as the spider Oecobius fahimii, as well as a snake.

The lake in which P. fahimii swam, which was once the size of two pools, has since evaporated, and no one can be sure when it will fill up again. Until then, the eggs remain in the sand waiting.

[Like the Science Times page on Facebook. | Sign up for the Science Times newsletter.]