Phoronid larvae were first described in 1846, ten years before scientists discovered the adults.
However, the larvae are very different from the adults, and the species has great diversity.
Researchers have collected over 50 larvae inPanama Bay and the Caribbean and tried to match their DNA with the DNA of adults stored in a gene bank. As a result, they found one larva whose DNA does not coincide with any of the known phoronid species.
Previously, scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute discovered parasitic wasps that gain control of spiders, turning them into zombies.