A tiny new species of sea slug, smaller than a grain of rice, has been discovered off the coast of Keelung in northern Taiwan. The translucent marine creature, covered in distinctive black and yellow markings, has officially been named Thecacera sesama by researchers from National Taiwan Ocean University, the National Museum of Natural Science, and National Taipei University of Education.
The unusual name comes from the slug's resemblance to sesame seeds. "Taiwanese divers call it 'sesame' in Chinese and it is also small like a sesame seed, hence the name," the research team explained.
The tiny nudibranch measures less than three millimeters in length and was first spotted in 2019 by lead author Ho-Yeung Chan during a recreational dive.
Chance Discovery Led to New Species Identification
The discovery happened unexpectedly while Chan was still an undergraduate student. "During a recreational dive in the summer during the undergraduate study of HY Chan in 2019, he accidentally discovered Thecacera sesama sp. nov. in northern Taiwan waters," the researchers said.
