In the South China Sea, scientists hauled in their trawl nets from the muddy seabed. When they searched the catch, they found a “slender” sea creature with a “razor-like” edge.
It turned out to be a new species.
According to a study published April 9 in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution, researchers were trawling the South China Sea in May 2021 when they found the “slender” clam.
The unfamiliar-looking shell intrigued researchers, so they searched museum archives for similar specimens, the study says. They found several matching shells, but no matching species records.
Looking closer at the sea creatures, the researchers realized they had discovered a new species: Cultellus exilis, or the slender razor clam.
Slender razor clams are “medium-sized,” measuring about 3 by 0.8 inches, the study says. Their two oval shells are described as “particularly slender, fragile and translucent,” sometimes “covered with bubbles of varying sizes.”
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A photo shows the creamy outer shell of a slender razor clam. Inside, the soft part of the shell’s body appears slightly yellowish.
Researchers said they named the new species after the Latin word “exilis,” meaning “slender,” because of the shape of its shell.
The new species belongs to a group of mussels called both “razor clams” and “jackknife clams” because of “their narrow, elongated shells and sharp edges,” the study said. These mollusks are “highly valued for their delicious taste and nutritional richness.”
So far, slender razor clams have only been found on the muddy seafloor of the South China Sea at a depth of about 180 feet, the study said. The South China Sea is a disputed body of water in Southeast Asia bordering Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
The new species was identified by its shell, texture, shape, coloration and other subtle physical characteristics, the study said. DNA analysis showed the new species had at least 12% genetic divergence from other razor clams.
The research team included Yanan Yu, Yingyi Jiao and Junlong Zhang.
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