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. Scientists discovered two bizarre new sea spiders that are “nightmare fuel”.

Right: A photo of a new species of sea spider, Tanystylum kiixin. Researchers at the University of British Columbia have identified two previously unknown species of sea spider, including one with hairy legs and striking red eyes. The discoveries mark the first new sea spider species formally described from the Salish Sea in nearly 100 years.

Published in Organisms Diversity & Evolution, the study combines detailed physical observations with genetic analysis to help fill major gaps in scientists’ understanding of these unusual marine animals. "I was interested in how sea spiders are impacted by climate change and human disturbance, because marine invertebrates in the Salish Sea are particularly at-risk, and I couldn’t find anything," said lead author Cormac Toler-Scott, who conducted the work as part of his master’s degree in zoology at UBC. "That’s largely because people don’t know much about what species exist here and what their lifestyle is." According to Toler-Scott, that lack of basic information affects many marine arthropods.