Crossword Genius

Mutant gene slimy on the surface (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

seemingly

'on the surface' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'mutant gene slimy' is the wordplay.
'mutant' is an anagram indicator.
'gene'+'slimy'='geneslimy'
'geneslimy' with letters rearranged gives 'SEEMINGLY'.

(Other definitions for seemingly that I've seen before include "Apparently" , "So it would appear" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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