New species of marine snail found off Florida

Biologists discover new species in fisherman's catch

April 2011. Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), along with scientists from California State Polytechnic University, have identified a new marine species of nudibranch, Chromodoris fentoni, a type of shell-less snail found in the Gulf of Mexico.

FWC biologists first observed this nudibranch when commercial aquarium-trade fisherman Daniel Fenton donated sponges and other specimens to the FWC's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) in St. Petersburg in 2009. Fenton collected the specimens from the Gulf of Mexico, off Tarpon Springs. While sorting through the donation, FWRI biologists Nancy Sheridan and Joan Herrera observed the unusual creature.

"We were unable to identify one of the nudibranchs and realized that it was possible we were seeing something entirely new," said Sheridan. "The discovery was especially rewarding because it resulted from a cooperative effort between industry and science."

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