Rare sea slug spotted in UK waters for first time

Volunteer Jenny Mallinson was surveying the shore when she found the rare sea slug

A rare Warty Doris sea slug has been found in the UK for the first time.

The slug was spotted by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust shoresearcher volunteer Jenny Mallinson at Hythe in Hampshire - another three were found off Netley.

Further searches are being carried out at other sites off Southampton Water to see how widespread the species is.

The slug is usually found off France, Belgium and Spain, and in the waters of the Mediterranean, Adriatic and west Atlantic.

After the first find, three more slugs were found during a beach search near Royal Victoria Country Park in Netley

The wildlife trust said: "It's a rare privilege to discover a first.

"Jenny's sighting was verified as the first record of the species in the UK."

Ms Mallinson said "Seven tenths of our planet is seawater, with new species being discovered all the time.

"What is exciting is that simply by going to our local beach at low tide, we could all make such discoveries."

The yellow-brown slug, which lives under stones, gets its name from the lumpy shapes all over its body.

Shoresearch is The Wildlife Trusts' national citizen science survey of the intertidal shore.

Volunteers are trained to identify and record the wildlife on shores across the UK.