Giant deep-sea caudofoveate described in Zoosystematics and Evolution among top 10 marine species of 2024

Chaetoderma shenloong, a curious new species of giant deep-sea caudofoveate mollusc first described in Zoosystematics and Evolution, has been selected as one of the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS)'s top ten remarkable new marine species of 2024. In an annual tradition, WoRMS release their list of marine discoveries on Taxonomist Appreciation Day, a day dedicated to the scientists who name, define and classify all living things.

Christened by the WoRMS team as the 'Divine Dragon Glistenworm,' C. shenloong caught their attention with its impressive size, reaching over 150 mm in length, and its unusual habitat, a methane seep in the South China Sea. It is the first caudofoveate documented from chemosynthetic habitats.

The species' name, inspired by the mythical Chinese dragon Shén Loong, alludes to its long, scale-covered body and the challenges of studying such deep-sea creatures. “A well-known Chinese saying is ‘You shall never see the head and tail of "Shén Loong" at the same time,’ used to refer to something or someone being highly elusive, like caudofoveates living deep inside sediments,” the authors write in their paper.

Collected at a depth of 1,385 m, it is found in the Haima and Jiaolong Ridge methane seep sites in the South China Sea. The distant geographic distribution between C. shenloong and the other largest-bodied species in the class Caudofoveata, C. felderi (South China Sea vs. Gulf of Mexico) “may mean many more deep-sea giant caudofoveates remain to be discovered in all oceans around the globe but have simply been overlooked, which is not surprising given the caudofoveates are severely understudied,” the authors write.

The WoRMS selection of top ten marine species highlights the importance of taxonomy in understanding and documenting the incredible biodiversity of our oceans. For Zoosystematics and Evolution, this recognition underscores the role of our journal’s contributions to the field of biodiversity discovery and taxonomy.

Read the original research article here.

Learn more about the WoRMS Top Ten Marine Species of 2024 here.