Scientists have named an intersex spider after genderfluid character Inazuma in animated pirate series One Piece.
It may not be the same as finding long-lost treasure, but a team of researchers at the Chulalongkorn University Museum of Natural History, in Thailand, discovered the new species of “half-male, half-female’ spider in Bangkok.
The new specimens, now known as Damarchus Inazuma, are gynandromorphic, meaning they display both male and female sexual characteristics.
Depending on the sexual dimorphism – the differences between males and females – of a species, gynandromorphic animals can look striking.
Damarchus Inazuma spiders, much like the outfit of their namesake, are distinctly “split” in half. Their cephalothorax – the head and thorax – displays female orange characteristics on the right, and the white male traits on the left.
The species is part of the genus Damarchus, which hail from Asia and were first discovered in 1891.
Researchers chose the name, according to their recently published study, to represent the “bilateral asymmetry” of the spider’s coloration.
“This colour arrangement closely mirrors the sexual dimorphism observed in this species, with males exhibiting white coloration and female displaying orange,” the study says.
While the study says Inazuma has the “ability” to switch genders, this is more to do with their presentation than innate powers.
Gynandromorphism is common among insects, particularly in species of butterfly and moth. It has also been observed in chickens, and reptiles such as lizards.
In 2019, a photo of a gynandromorphic Northern Cardinal bird went viral for its distinct colouration: the feathers on the left wing were a pale beige, similar to a female, while on the right, they were a striking red – more like a male’s.
Writing for the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance, Elise Brosnan said the two halves of a gynandromorphic creature are “closely related as brother and sister”.
A gynandromorphic human is not possible because our sexual development is down to hormone regulation. However, variations in sex characteristics are still common, and it’s estimated that at least 1.7 per cent of the world’s population is intersex.
First appearing in chapter 536 of the One Piece manga and episode 438 of the anime adaptation, Inazuma is the deputy commander of the G Army. The commander, Emporio Ivankov, has the ability to change a person’s gender at will.
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