New Hairy-Legged, Three-Lipped, Red-Eyed Sea Spider Species Discovered
The discoveries fill a gap in Salish Sea research and include one species with red eyes and another named for an ancient Indigenous village.
- Researchers at the University of British Columbia identified two new sea spider species, Callipallene pilosuspedes and Tanystylum kiixin, during dives in the Salish Sea between 2023 and 2024.
- These discoveries mark the first newly described sea spiders from the Salish Sea in nearly 100 years, representing a significant gap in the region's marine biodiversity documentation.
- C. pilosuspedes features red eyes and is named for its 'hairy feet,' while T. kiixin derives its name from an ancient Indigenous village site; both were collected from depths up to 18 metres.
- Lead author Cormac Toler-Scott notes that T. kiixin cannot groom itself effectively due to shorter limbs, often hosting tiny parasites he describes as 'an ecosystem within an ecosystem within an ecosystem.'
- Toler-Scott emphasizes that taxonomy is essential for understanding local biodiversity and believes many undocumented species await discovery along the West Coast of Canada, one of the world's most diverse coastlines.
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Canadian researchers discovered two new species of sea spiders in the Pacific Ocean off North America.
Scientists discovered two bizarre new sea spiders that are “nightmare fuel”
Scientists discovered two strange new sea spider species in the Salish Sea, including a hairy-legged, red-eyed species that can groom itself with comb-like appendages. Another is frequently covered in tiny parasites, and researchers say many more undiscovered sea spiders may still be hiding in the region.
New hairy-legged, three-lipped, red-eyed sea spider species discovered
By Amarachi Orie, CNN (CNN) — If the sight of a spider already makes your skin crawl, you might find the two sea spider species newly discovered by scientists even more unnerving. Researchers in Canada discovered two previously unknown sea spider species during scuba dives, up to 18 meters (59 feet) deep, between September 2023
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