New species

New deep-sea worm species identified

Marine scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have discovered a new species of deep-sea worm in the waters near a methane seep about 50 kilometres off Costa Rica's Pacific coast.

Named Pectinereis strickrotti, the worm hails from the ragworm family and is distinguished by their feathery appendages that carry its gills. It was first discovered by Greg Rouse and Bruce Strickrott in 2009 when they were inside the submersible Alvin during an expedition at a depth of 1,000 metres.

Palaeohypotodus bizzocoi tooth.
Palaeohypotodus bizzocoi tooth. /McWane Science Center.

Scientists discover fossilized remains of new ancient shark species

Palaeohypotodus, pronounced pale-ee-oh-hype-oh-toe-duss, translates to "ancient small-eared tooth," a reference to the shark's distinctive small needle-like fangs found on the sides of its teeth. Spearheaded by Jun Ebersole, Director of Collections at McWane Science Center in Birmingham, alongside David Cicimurri, Curator of Natural History at South Carolina State Museum, and T. Lynn Harrell, Jr., Paleontologist and Fossil Collections Curator at the Geological Survey of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, the team named the new species in honour of the late Dr.

Ryukyuan Pygmy Squid, photographed in the wild.

Meet two new species of pygmy squid

The deep, emerald waters surrounding Japan's Okinawa Islands are a haven for marine life, and is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. Within this vast biodiverse haven, scientists have discovered two new species of pygmy squid lurking beneath the surface: the Ryukyuan Pygmy Squid and Hannan's Pygmy Squid.

These two species have now been described and catalogued, with names that connect them to Japan's cultural heritage. Findings have been published in the Marine Biology journal. 

Life reconstruction of Olympicetus thalassodon hunting their prey, with plotopterid birds in the background
Life reconstruction of Olympicetus thalassodon hunting their prey, with plotopterid birds in the background

Ancestor of early toothed whales had "weird" teeth

Today, researchers are using the fossils of the Olympicetus thalassodon an early toothed whale which existed around 26.5 and 30.5 million years ago, to better understand the early history and diversification of modern dolphins, porpoises and other toothed whales. 

The new species of catshark has shiny white irises, which is unusual of a deep-sea species
The new species of catshark has shiny white irises, which is unusual of a deep-sea species

New shark species discovered off Australia

Most sharks give birth to live young, but a few species, known as oviparous sharks, lay eggs. The new species could be identified because researchers noticed something interesting about its egg cases, pouches that attach to a surface in the ocean and hold onto a fertilized shark eggs as it develops.

A deep-sea batfish
A deep-sea batfish

New species discovered off Western Australia

While on a mission to map the volcanic geography of Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park off Western Australia, researchers aboard the vessel Investigator also surveyed the deep-sea life in the Indian Ocean Territories.

In doing so, they came face-to-face with many fascinating, and some previously unknown, species.

Besides filming videos of the vast marine life amidst the summits of seamounts, the team also collected specimens from depths as deep as five kilometres below the surface.

We have discovered an amazing number of potentially new species living in this remote marine park

Dr Tim O’Hara, Chief Scientist of the expedition and Senior Curator, Marine Inveterbrates at Museums Victoria Research Institute

During the expedition, the researchers had been sharing their discoveries with more than 850 school students and community members in Australia through real-time livestreaming.

The expedition was a collaboration between Museums Victoria Research Institute and CSIRO, in partnership with Bush Blitz, Parks Australia, Australian Museum Research Institute and the Western Australian Museum.

New subspecies of bottlenose dolphin identified

A new bottlenose dolphin subspecies has been identified, and it is found only in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, according to a study published in the Journal of Mammalian Evolution.

Called the Eastern Tropical Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus nuuanu), it is smaller than other common bottlenose dolphins, and is likely to prefer the deep offshore waters between southern Baja California and the Galapagos Islands. 

A gummy squirrel (Psychropotes longicauda) - one of the new species discovered
A gummy squirrel (Psychropotes longicauda) - one of the new species discovered

More than 35 new deep-sea species discovered

More than 35 potentially new deep-sea species have been discovered at the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the central Pacific. 

Ranging from starfish and segmented worms to sea cucumbers and various types of coral, these specimens were collected using a remotely operated vehicle.

In total, 55 benthic specimens were collected from seamounts and abyssal plains. Of these, 39 were found to be potentially new to science, with nine that were referable to known species. 

Named after Godzilla's nemesis, King Ghidorah, the newly discovered branching worm's scientific name is Ramisyllis kingghidorahi. Its head is at the right of the image.

Scientists describe new branching worm, name it after Godzilla's nemesis

The sea worms, which lived inside their host sponges, were discovered by researchers in Japan. Images of the worms were then sent to Professor M. Teresa Aguado at the University of Göttingen, who subsequently organised a field trip to further investigate the species.

A distinctive feature about the worm—the third species of branched sea worms ever discovered—is the fact that it has dozens of regenerative posterior ends that look like tree branches as they spread out from the main body.

New scorpionfish “Scorpaenodes barrybrowni.”

New Caribbean scorpionfish discovered

Researchers from the Smithsonian’s Deep Reef Observation Project (DROP) have discovered a new scorpionfish species off the Caribbean island of Curaçao. Inhabiting depths between 95 m and 160 metres, it is the deepest-living member of its genus found in the western Atlantic Ocean. “The 50-300 m tropical ocean zone is poorly studied -- too deep for conventional SCUBA and too shallow to be of much interest to really deep-diving submersibles,” said DROP lead scientist Dr. Carole C. Baldwin.