Utah Researchers Identify 1.5-Millimeter Great Salt Lake Worm as New Species

8 articles · Updated · SciTechDaily · May 29

Diplolaimelloides woaabi, a free-living nematode under 1.5 millimeters long, was formally described from Great Salt Lake microbialites after researchers first detected nematodes there in 2022.
Three years of follow-up work used 18S DNA sequencing, scanning electron microscopy and anatomical analysis to confirm the worm as a distinct species and only the third known animal group in the lake’s hypersaline waters.
Researchers found the nematode mainly in the top few centimeters of algal mats on microbialites, where it feeds on bacteria; they also detected genetic signs that a second nematode species may be present.
Its origin remains unclear: scientists are weighing whether it is an ancient survivor from the Cretaceous inland seaway or a more recent arrival transported by migratory birds.
Because nematodes react quickly to environmental stress, the species could become a bioindicator as the Great Salt Lake faces drought, water diversion, shrinking water levels and rising salinity.

Is a new worm in Utah's Great Salt Lake an ancient ocean survivor or a modern hitchhiker on birds?

As the Great Salt Lake shrinks, can this newly discovered worm serve as the crucial warning sign to save it?

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