Knowledge story: Scientists in the United Kingdom have recently discovered a new species of marine organism in the country's waters. Previously, it was believed that there were only two types of marine slugs of the 'Plurobranchidae' species on Earth. However, none of them had been seen in the waters of the United Kingdom until now.
Slugs are creatures that resemble snails but without any external shell. Recently, scientists from the UK's Center for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) discovered the third species of marine slug in the UK's southwest region.
The newly discovered species is named 'Pluerobranchia britannica'. In 2018 and 2019, the first findings of this species were found in the Western Channel and the Celtic Sea by CEFAS and the Spanish Institute of Oceanography.
So far, scientists have found 14 samples of this new species, indicating that the creature's size ranges between two to five centimeters, and it belongs to a type known as 'side-gilled sea slugs'.
While other types of marine slugs are common, this particular species found in warm waters of the mid-Atlantic Ocean exhibits some distinct characteristics. Scientists believe that due to ongoing climate change, these new species of marine slugs are migrating towards the north.
Initially, researchers thought they had discovered a new lineage of a known species. However, further examination revealed that these were indeed distinct species.
Dr. Ross Bulimore, a marine biologist at CEFAS, stated, "We have only conducted brief examinations of two samples of 'Pluerobranchia', the newly discovered species. Previously, no species of this genus had been recorded in UK waters or in any northward-flowing currents, making this discovery even more exciting."
After thorough assessment in collaboration with the University of Cadiz in Spain, we can confirm that this is a new species. Dr. Juan Lucas Curraido, a professor of biology at the University of Cadiz, added, "Researchers from CEFAS contacted me to report their collection of a new species of marine slug, 'Pluerobranchia'. However, they remain cautious about its identification. I was truly astonished.
The first reason being that no species of this genus have ever been seen in British waters or in northward-flowing currents. Secondly, discovering a new species in European waters is truly thrilling.
Lucas suggests that this new species may also spread to the west coast of France, Spain, and northern Portugal.
Thank you for visiting our website 🙏
Share 
