Strange New Worm Found Off Spain’s Coast Can Shrinks to One-Fifth Its Size

Scientists have discovered Pararosa vigarae, a new genus and species of ribbon worm, off the Northwest coast of Spain. Nicknamed the accordion worm for its ability to shrink to one-fifth its normal size, it was found 30 meters deep in Ría de Arosa. Traditional taxonomy methods failed to classify the species due to limited external features, so researchers combined morphological and genetic data to identify this unique heteronemertean in the Lineidae family. This breakthrough highlights the importance of molecular tools in marine species discovery.