Updated On: 07 February, 2026 09:50 AM IST | Frankfurt | Agencies
In a rare blend of science and public participation, researchers have named a newly identified deep-sea chiton Ferreiraella populi after an online naming campaign. The initiative, led by the Senckenberg Ocean Species Alliance along with Pensoft Publishers and science YouTuber Ze Frank, drew over 8,000 name suggestions from the public via social

Ferreiraella populi on woodfall. PIC COURTESY/Chong Chen
The Senckenberg Ocean Species Alliance, working with scientific publisher Pensoft Publishers and popular science YouTuber Ze Frank, invited the public to help name a newly identified deep-sea chiton (a type of marine mollusc).
The official scientific description of the species was published on Friday in the open-access Biodiversity Data Journal.