Researchers find new species of mud shrimp off coast of Panama

Researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute have discovered “several new, undescribed animals, genera and species never seen or photographed before” in the Pacific Ocean near Panama’s Coiba National Park.

One of the species is a mud shrimp, the Smithsonian said its news release.

“The team found the only known specimen of this new mud shrimp under a rock while snorkeling in shallow waters in the archipelago,” the Smithsonian said in the news release. “This is a phenomenal contribution to our knowledge of just one group of organisms. We are in the process of identifying what we found and will announce more new species soon.”

The discovery was a few kilometers from a new Smithsonian research station on Coibita Island.

Researchers Arthur Anker and Paulo Pachelle  also found a small clam “with a highly reduced shell, a huge mantle with papillae and long extensible foot, popularly known as a ‘yoyo clam,’” the Smithsonian said in the news release. 

This yoyo clam is the first to be discovered in the eastern Pacific. It's a representation of a new genus.