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Scientists have discovered a hammerhead flatworm species that looks a bit like a miniature king cobra, or perhaps an itty-bitty snake with a moustache. Researchers found the tiny creatures hunting snails in France and Italy, and they’ve named the invaders after the COVID-19 pandemic. These new hammerhead flatworms are among two newly described species found in countries that researchers believe are not part of their native range, so they were very likely introduced there by humans.
There are over 20,000 known species of flatworm
Scientists dubbed the first soil-dwelling predator species Humbertium covidum, with covidum being a reference to COVID-19 as an “homage to the numerous casualties” of the pandemic and because much of the 55-page study was written during lockdowns. “Due to the pandemic, during the lockdowns most of us were home, with our laboratory closed. No field expeditions were possible,” said Jean-Lou Justine, a professor at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris.”I convinced my colleagues to gather all the information we had about these flatworms, do the computer analyses and finally write this very long paper.”