Science | species Top 10 Newly Discovered Species Including a mushroom named for SpongeBob By Dustin Lushing Posted May 27, 2012 9:17 AM CDT Copied SpongeBob SquarePants has a mushroom in his name. (AP Photo/Nickelodeon, file) Roughly 18,000 new species were discovered last year, and scientists at Arizona State University have compiled a list of their 10 favorites. A sample, from the Arizona Republic: Pterinopelma sazimai: A blue tarantula... that's also iridescent. Spongiforma squarepantsii: A mushroom that resembles a sponge. It's also named for a certain cartoon character. Crurifarcimen vagans: A giant millipede the size of a sausage, discovered in Tanzania. Rhinopithecus strykeri: A monkey with barely any nose, discovered in the mountains of Myanmar. It sneezes every time it rains. Click for the full list. Read These Next The 'Great Housing Reset' is apparently on its way. Rogan has some words on Trump's insulting presidential plaques. Family outing on tour boat ends in terror. Travel writer Rick Steves ends 2025 on the heroes list. Report an error