Brand New species discovered in Cambridgeshire
Tuesday 24th July 2012
New species of flatworm - credit Brian Eversham
A flatworm with between 50-60 eyes has been discovered at Shepreth L Moor nature reserve in Cambridgeshire.
The flatworm is believed to be a completely new, undescribed species to Britain and was found by Chief Executive of the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, Brian Eversham.
Leading biology expert Dr Hugh Jones believes the flatworm is of antipodean descent but may carry out DNA testing to determine its exact ancestry.
Dr Jones has only seen one specimen of the species in the Netherlands in April this year before Mr Eversham’s discovery.
It is thought the flatworm could have originated from New Zealand or Australia.
Brian Eversham said, “I was taking wildlife pictures one Sunday morning and turned over a log to reveal this rather cute flatworm.”
“It is likely to be a close relative of a species found in Northern Ireland called Kontikia andersoni. Britain is one of the best countries for documenting wildlife so it’s quite unusual to find a species here which has not been seen before.”
Tagged with: Species, Cambridgeshire, Flatworm, New species