Psychedelic Sea Slug
Like other sea slugs, this new species, Phyllodesmium acanthorhinum, is strikingly colorful. Found in the waters off Japan, this inch (2.5-centimeter) long creature is considered a missing link between sea slugs that eat corals and those that eat coral relatives.
Top 10 New Species: Cartwheeling Spider, Psychedelic Sea Slug
The world's most fascinating plants and animals of 2014 also include a giant stick insect and a frog that gives birth to live tadpoles.
For 20 years, divers off the Japanese coast had wondered what was making mysterious "crop circles" on the ocean floor. In 2014, scientists discovered the culprit behind the intricate patterns—a new species of pufferfish, Torquigener albomaculosus.
Now, this marine artist is being honored as one of the Top 10 New Species for 2015. Since 2008, the State University of New York's International Institute for Species Exploration has recognized the weirdest and most fascinating plants and animals found in the past year.
In addition to the pufferfish, this year's lineup features a cartwheeling spider, a frog that gives birth to live tadpoles, and a sea slug with crazy colors.
The list highlights a small fraction of the approximately 18,000 new
