A new species of sea slug has been discovered in UK waters by a British Center for Environment, Food and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) research vessel. Sea creature, named Pleurobranchia brittanicaBelongs to the group of shellless marine molluscs.
Remarkably, this group is usually found in warm waters such as the Mediterranean Sea and Senegal.
Ross Bullimore, a marine biologist at CEFAS, participated in the discovery. He recognized the sea slug as something special as soon as he saw it. “It was like turning on a light bulb,” he said Report.
After reporting the animal, Bullimore collected a 5cm-long specimen and took it to the laboratory for genetic and morphological analysis.
Therefore, the results confirmed that it is a new species to science. Soon, the animal was described in an article published in the journal Journal of Zoosystematics and Evolutionary Sciences.
What does a sea creature look like?
The newly discovered sea slug has feathery gills on one side of its body and is reddish-brown in color with white markings.
Although seemingly harmless to humans, it is a predator that feeds on worms and other invertebrates such as anemones. According to the researchers, it can be considered an “indicator species” that can help monitor the health of marine ecosystems and the effects of climate change.
“We see the presence of a species that has always been recorded in warmer waters. This may indicate that this group of species is capable of further expanding its range as conditions become more favorable or more suitable for it,” Bullimore explained.
So, according to the researcher, the discovery shows that there is still much to learn about life in the seas that bathe the UK. “Finding a new non-microscopic species is very exciting. It shows that there is still work to be done,” he declared.
As a result, scientists believe that new species can contribute to knowledge of marine biodiversity. Also, it helps protect coastal habitats threatened by pollution, overfishing and global warming.
