Local marine science researchers have found a new marine species in Qingdao's sea area.

The species, "Qingdao rubber head insect," only exists in seawater near Huangdao Island.

"We found it in the 1980s but didn't realize it's a new species,"  said Li Xinzheng, a researcher at the Institution of Oceanology, which is affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Research after the insect's initial discovery confirmed the uniqueness of the species, which developed 500 million years ago.

The institution set up 14 sampling stations at Jiaozhou Bay to trace the species, which feeds on tiny organisms in sea mud.

Li said the biggest specimen ever found was 10 centimeters long.

Classification of the insect brought the number of benthic aquatic animals — those near the sea floor — in Jiaozhou Bay to 552, Li said.

(Source: Qingdao Today)