Chromodoris Fentoni, Shell-Less Snail, Discovered Off Gulf Of Mexico

TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. -- A new marine species has been discovered in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced Thursday the discovery of Chromodoris fentoni, a type of shell-less snail known as a nudibranch (pronounced "nu-da-brank").

Biologists discovered the unusual creature after a fisherman donated specimens from the Gulf off Tarpon Springs to the commission and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg in 2009. Samples were then sent to the California State Polytechnic University, which verified the species had never been documented.

A curator at the Wildlife Research Institute says it's rare to find a species that is new to science.

The find was featured in the 2011 volume of the "American Malacological Bulletin" published Thursday.

The nudibranch has external gills and no shell.

Comments

[AllAmericanAmericanBoy]

10:42 AM on 04/03/2011

It will probably have the distinction of being the species that went from discovery to extinction faster than any other.

[Sisa]

11:20 AM on 04/03/2011

Indeed.... You don need to oil the pan to fry gulf seafood anymore.... Comes pre oiled right outta the water...

[AllAmericanAmericanBoy]

05:07 PM on 04/03/2011

Or you can head to the other coast where the nuclear waste water is cooking seafood to perfection.

[Buford]

10:23 AM on 04/03/2011

Perfectly ironical... this headline about a newly-discovered marine species on the same page as one informing us that radioactive water is spilling into the ocean in Japan.

We broke the damn planet.

[undsoweiter]

11:04 AM on 04/03/2011

I don't know, it's a pretty tough old planet. If current events are any indication, it'll outlive us.

[oceandvr]

10:18 AM on 04/03/2011

they are sometimes referred to as sea slugs and the only time they have a shell is during a larval stage.

fmi: http://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/fishstats/commercial-fisheries/nudibranchs-of-florida/

[mnnyer]

09:44 AM on 04/03/2011

It used to have a shell, then the oil spill happened and everything changed.

[UsedConn41]

10:36 AM on 04/03/2011

yup

[mnnyer]

05:51 PM on 04/03/2011

Wait until the Humans eating gulf seafood start "adapting".

[Terri Lorz]

09:25 AM on 04/03/2011

We had those in North Carolina. We called them slugs. Just kidding - Terri Jo Lorz

[Lao2stroker]

09:06 AM on 04/03/2011

And so rare, no photo exists! C'mon, a stock photo of the sea....lame.

OK, it's a nudibrach, but I still wanna see it.

[oceandvr]

10:05 AM on 04/03/2011

http://myfwc.com/news/news-releases/2011/march/31/nudibranch/

[HeevenSteven]

08:40 AM on 04/03/2011

Escargoil..

[Big0725]

09:04 AM on 04/03/2011

Nice!

[markhas2]

10:25 AM on 04/03/2011

ditto +!

[Roadrun]

07:51 AM on 04/03/2011

At first look I would think this a quick adapter. As the oceans acidify from absorbing CO2 the shell fish are the first to suffer. There has been much noted thinning of shells across the range of shellfish. People have wondered if our too rapid acidifying of the oceans would beat any critters ability to adjust.

This guy may be an example of fast evolution in process.

[AmericaninIndia]

02:21 AM on 04/03/2011

Didn't Chromodoris Fentoni play for the Red Sox some years back?

[Big0725]

09:06 AM on 04/03/2011

Naw! He sang with Pavarotti and Domingo. He was the third tenor!

[Sisa]

11:23 AM on 04/03/2011

I think he got cut ...too slow around the basses .... And never wiped his film off the training equipment.

[kat momma]

01:57 AM on 04/03/2011

Isn't a snail without a shell called a slug?

[charleslemos]

02:49 AM on 04/03/2011

Slugs are terrestrial, nudibranchs are marine.

[kat momma]

03:30 AM on 04/03/2011

Thanks for the clarification!

[DoctorLes]

12:53 AM on 04/03/2011

Probably had a shell before the gulf oil spill.

[Justtheobvious]

12:50 AM on 04/03/2011

This just in! The new snail has become extinct due it's hypersensitivity to oil spills.

[Freesia2]

12:20 AM on 04/03/2011

I don't like snails. :-(

They're slimey. I know they're needed but they're gross.

I was hoping for a new fish. :-)

[William Graham]

09:24 AM on 04/03/2011

Nudibranchs are among the most beautiful of creatures. Check out http://www.eol.org/pages/2538

[Freesia2]

12:36 PM on 04/03/2011

Oh how pretty. They look like Christmas tree ornaments.

Okay. Perhaps I'll have to rethink snails. I've been harsh and judgmental. :-) 

Thanks for the pictures William.

[ASHTON CRUZ]

12:01 AM on 04/03/2011

Sounds delicious with some melted garlicky butter on some crispy toast points! Noms!!!

[BigSlick674]

11:55 PM on 04/02/2011

Sea Cucumbers should not be treated as TOYS