Fungi > Phallaceae & Stinkhorns
Drewes’ Tiny Stinkhorn (Phallus drewesii) is one of the most remarkable and diminutive stinkhorn fungi in the mycological kingdom. Described in 2009 by mycologists from the California Academy of Sciences, this curious fungus was discovered on the remote volcanic...
Invertebrates > Cnidaria & Hydrozoans
The Zappa Jellyfish (Phialella zappai) is a fascinating miniature hydrozoan named in 1987 by Italian marine biologist Ferdinando Boero in honor of legendary American avant-garde musician Frank Zappa. Inhabiting the sunlit coastal waters of the Ligurian Sea in the...
Fungi > Boletaceae & Spongy Fungi
The SpongeBob Mushroom (Spongiforma squarepantsii) is one of the most eccentric and taxonomically fascinating fungal discoveries of the 21st century. Formally described in 2011 by mycologists from San Francisco State University, this bizarre tropical fungus was named...
Invertebrates > Hexactinellida & Glass Sponges
The Giant Monorhaphis Glass Sponge (Monorhaphis chuni) is an astonishing, ancient hexactinellid sponge inhabiting the cold, pitch-black abyssal plains of the Indo-Pacific. Standing anchored into soft ocean sediments like a monumental crystalline spear, this primitive...
