8 months ago
New worm species found in Utah's Great Salt Lake
Scientists found a new type of worm in Utah's Great Salt Lake.
This worm, called Diplolaimelloides woaabi, is only found in this lake and nowhere else in the world.
The lake is very salty, and before this discovery, only two other animals, brine shrimp and brine flies, were known to live there.
The worm was named by Shoshone elders, who are the original inhabitants of the land.
The scientists think this worm is important for the lake's environment and might help us understand changes in the area.
It took three years to confirm that this was a new species.
A new species of nematode, Diplolaimelloides woaabi, was discovered in Utah's Great Salt Lake.
The worm is endemic to the lake and not found anywhere else on Earth.
The lake's hypersaline environment was previously home to only two other multicellular animals: brine shrimp and brine flies.
The worm was named by Shoshone elders, acknowledging their ancestral lands.
The discovery took three years to confirm taxonomically, with the initial expedition in 2022 and confirmation in 2025.
- Who
- Scientists from the University of Utah and Weber State University
- What
- Discovery of a new species of nematode (roundworm) in the Great Salt Lake
- Where
- Great Salt Lake, Utah
- When
- Discovered in 2022, confirmed in 2025
- Why
- The worm is believed to play an important role in the lake's ecology and could be a bioindicator of environmental change
Key facts
- Species Name
- Diplolaimelloides woaabi
- Location
- Great Salt Lake, Utah
- Discoverer
- Julie Jung
- Discovery Year
- 2022
- Confirmation Year
- 2025
- Environment
- Hypersaline
- Other Species
- Brine shrimp, brine flies
Quotes
Julie Jung
Lead author of the study and researcher at Weber State University
“they were almost sure that it was a new species of nematode from the beginning. However, it took three years of additional work to taxonomically confirm that suspicion.”
wionews.com
