Brilliant sea slug nicknamed “Mystery Mollusk” discovered in Deep Ocean

The researchers discovered a new species of bright sea slug in the depths of the ocean midnight area.

The scientists of Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (Mbari) said on Tuesday in a press release that, although Bathydevius Caudactylus was classified as a marine slug, it was nicknamed the “Mystery Mollusk” because the creature was different from what had been encountered before.

The name of the genre Mystery Mollusk, Bathydevius, is a play on the “sly” nature of the deep animal that deceived researchers, the researchers said.

Bathydevius is the first nudibranche, or marine slug, known for living in the deep sea. The body of the sea slug is made up of a large gelatinous hood and a paddle -shaped tail. It can shine with bioluminescence.

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Bathydevius caudactylus is classified as a sea slug. (Mbari)

It lives at an extreme depth of 1,000 to 4,000 meters, or 3,300 to 13,100 feet, below the surface of the midnight area of ​​the ocean, creating a unique challenge for scientists who have worked for decades to catalog the mysterious animal.

“We have invested more than 20 years in understanding the natural history of this fascinating nudibranch species,” said Mbari’s main scientist Bruce Robison. “Our discovery is a new piece of the puzzle that can help better understand the biggest habitat on the earth.”

Bathydevius caudactylus can shine from bioluminescence, an ability which, according to researchers, is to dissuade predators in the deep sea. (Mbari)

The researchers discovered that Bathydevius has evolved to find unique ways to survive in its environment.

He uses a cavernous hood to trap crustaceans “as a plant of Venus flies trap”, like frosts, anemones and tunins. The mysterious creature also hides predators in sight, taking advantage of her transparent body.

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If it feels threatened, however, the sea slug lights up with bioluminescence to dissuade and distract hungry predators. The researchers once observed that the creature illuminates and detached a “brilliant finger projection of the tail, probably serving as a lure to distract a potential predator”.

Bathydevius Caudactylus is supposed to release his eggs on the seabed. (Mbari)

Bathydevius, like other nudibranchs, is hermaphrodite, with male and female sexual organs. The researchers said that the animal will descend in the seabed to spawn, using their muscular foot to anchor the muddy seabed before freeing their eggs.

Mbari scientists said it was only thanks to the advanced underwater technology of the installation that they were able to compile the most complete description of any creature on the high seas to date.

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“What is exciting for me in the Mollusk mystery is that he illustrates how much we learn when we spend more time in the deep sea, in particular below 2000 meters,” said Mbari’s main scientist, Steven Haddock. “So that there is a relatively large, unique and brilliant animal that is in a family previously unknown really highlights the importance of using new technologies to catalog this vast environment.”