‘Dancing’ creature emerges after rainfall — and discovered as new species in Thailand
A small creature crawled along the rain-dampened ground in a forest in Thailand. The animal’s “dance-like movement” caught the attention of researchers who took a closer look and discovered a new species.
Researchers spotted the animal in a limestone rock area of the Phu Pha Lom Forest, according to a study published May 19 in the journal ZooKeys. They surveyed the area after rainfall and discovered the creature “hiding on the ground and in the leaf litter.”
The animal was identified as a new species of “dancing” semislug: Cryptosemelus niger, researchers said.
Semislugs are slug-like molluscs with snail-like shells that are too small for them to live inside. Dancing semislugs are named for the “dance-like movements that it makes when it is disturbed or attacked,” researchers said.
When the new species was disturbed, “they escaped by quickly flipping and (wagging) their tail,” the study said. Researchers don’t know Cryptosemelus niger’s natural predators but suggested the “dancing” escape mechanisms might be used to avoid carnivorous snails found in the area.
Cryptosemelus niger has a “blackish body” with a “dark brown” shell and four antenna-like structures jutting out from its head, researchers said.
Photos show the animal’s coloring and the deep textured grooves on its skin. Among the soil and wood of its habitat, the semislug appears to blend in relatively well.
The new species was named after the Latin word for “black” because of its distinct coloring, the study said.
Researchers identified the new species by its morphological characteristics, specifically its tongue-like radula structure, genitalia and body coloring, the study said. They did not analyze the semislug’s DNA or compare its genetic composition to other species.
“Future studies on the (molluscs) of the northeastern part of Thailand require more surveys in overlooked and isolated natural areas,” the study said.
The Phu Pha Lom Forest is about 325 miles northeast of Bangkok and near the Thailand-Laos border.
This story was originally published May 22, 2023 at 2:26 PM with the headline "‘Dancing’ creature emerges after rainfall — and discovered as new species in Thailand."
