Schneier on Security

When I was a kid, I was taught Ontogeny Repeats Phylogeny, which led to many spectacular misconceptions, including the idea that embryo starts out as a lower order invertebrate, becomes a coelate like squid, repeats a gill creature stage, and slowly retraces evolution through gestation through amphibian, reptillian, to animal, and ultimately human form.

Genetic Code has now resolutely lain this false assumption to rest.
Taxanomic Speciation by structural differences may rest on a similarly slippery slope, also to be pushed over the edge by DNA realities.
(I refer to "As a taxonomist, Hochberg is hoping that this squid’s samples will shed light on whether California’s populations are the same species as the ones in Japan and others than show up as far south as Hawaii." )

Currently speciation is decided by gene matrix (DNA code), by color phase, be behavior, and even by politics. [The Endangered Species Act's "identifiable and distinguishable population in an identified region" which led to the spotted [recessive] feather phase of the barred owl being declared an endangered species, and, by some reports, shutting down the northwest timber industry.]

Under these criteria, sometimes a dalmation is a different species from a [Beverly Hills] chihuahua, and sometimes it's only a breed difference.

To rely on taxonony to speciate when we have DNA testing available seems so last millenium. Just ask the tiglons and the grolars.

"...Hochberg pulled out plastic-like pieces, which comprised what could be best described as a backbone..."

If you wish to see a minature version of what (I think) this is describing, go get a whole squid from your local seafood retailer. Pull the tentacles away from the body, together with the attached head and internal organs. The body -- a hollow cone -- is stiffened by a translucent, feather-shaped bit of cartilage that looks for all the world like a piece of transparent plastic. You can reach in and gently pull it out, and wonder.

Then make calamari.

"which means the esophagus travels through the brain."

Ouch, and I thought heart burn was bad enough....

Song about a self-loathing giant squid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RFEzpUsUBk

'...small chunks of food...or you'll blow your brains out.' < replace food with truth, how truth is handled, just like boiling a frog, about as pleasant as dissecting a giant squid as well.
In recent news migration to New Zealand is really picking up.

@Peter E Retep:
Reality doesn't nicely follow species boundaries anyway. You may end up with slight cline between/within (a) species. In it's most simple form, you have populations A, B, and C along a cline. Each can breed within itself (obviously), and B can breed with both A and B, but A and C do not produce fertile offspring. How do you assign the populations into species?

@FNORD
Good point.

By the way, has this ever been observed above the level of invertebrates?

I know about the cypress cross Mediterranean species appropriation by pollen, but that only approximates the example.
(And of course there is the recessive seedless varieties of fruits, but that hardly counts.)

Song about a self-loathing giant squid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RFEzpUsUBk

Strange, why not put the brain more out of the way? What's the advantage of a supra-esophageal doughnut-shaped brain for invertebrates? It does not seem like a very intelligent design.

"which means the esophagus travels through the brain."

Gives a whole new meaning to brain food...

@ Davi Ottenheimer

It does not seem like a very intelligent design.

Maybe it's the best the squids could do = = ;-)