Tag: marine biodiversity

A Coral Among the Stars: New Species Discovered on Costa Rica’s Deep-Sea Seamounts

The coral was found thriving in large numbers on rocky outcrops that were almost entirely blanketed by brittle stars.

Scientists exploring seamounts off the coast of Costa Rica have discovered a new coral so genetically and morphologically distinct that it required the creation of an entirely new family for its classification.

Bright yellow and tree-like, the coral was found growing some 360 to 529 metres beneath the surface of the Pacific. The discovery is described in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

Map showing the geographic location of the collected samples within the Pacific Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Costa Rica. Made by Beatriz Naranjo (UCR).

The colonies, which can grow to over a metre tall, were collected using the remotely operated vehicle SuBastian aboard the research vessels Falkor and Falkor (too), operated by the Schmidt Ocean Institute, during expeditions to the seamounts off Isla del Coco and the Costa Rican Pacific margin in 2019 and 2023.

Researchers found the coral thriving in large numbers on rocky outcrops that were almost entirely blanketed by brittle stars, creating a shimmering, star-strewn seafloor from which the golden coral branches rose like glowing trees.

That image inspired the coral’s name. The new genus, Laurinque, comes from “Laurinquë”, meaning “golden tree” in Quenya, the Elvish language devised by J.R.R. Tolkien for The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, chosen in reference to the colonies’ bright yellow, tree-like form.

Laurinque elenya gen. et sp. nov., morphology of the holotype, in situ. Photographs by ROV SuBastian.

The species name, elenya, is Quenya for “stellar” or “of the stars”, a nod to the fields of brittle stars among which the coral was discovered. Together, the pairing evokes a scene the researchers likened to a mystical elvish landscape on the deep seafloor.

Working out where this coral belonged in the coral family tree proved unusually difficult. The team sequenced three genes commonly used to classify corals, and each one pointed to a different, unrelated family, an unusually high level of disagreement.

Holotype (ethanol preserved fragment) detail of anthocodiae and polyp arrangement of Laurinque elenya. Photographs by Fiorella Vásquez (UCR).

To settle the question, researchers turned to phylogenomics, analysing hundreds of genes at once. This revealed that the coral does not belong to any known family at all, but represents a unique evolutionary lineage most closely related to the family Eunicellidae, but distinct enough in both its genetics and its anatomy to warrant a new family, Laurinqueidae, and a new genus, Laurinque, built specifically to house it.

“I saw the octocoral garden for the first time in 2019 and I was impressed by the beauty of the landscape, which inspired, later the elvish name of the taxa. I thought the species could belong to a known family and genera, but after the preliminar morphological analysis I realised that it was something very different that I could not match with the known taxa.

In 2023 we collected more samples and thanks to the exhaustive molecular analyses made by my colleagues, Cathy McFadden, Catalina Murillo and Andrea Quattrini, we were able to determine the taxonomic placement of the stunning species, in one of the most enigmatic sites.”

Dr Odalisca Breedy of the Universidad de Costa Rica
Laurinque elenya gen. et sp. nov., in situ colonies in Las Gemelas II. Photographs by ROV SuBastian.

The research was led by Dr Breedy, working alongside an international team of collaborators. The expeditions were supported by the Schmidt Ocean Institute and a National Geographic Society research grant.

The discovery adds to a growing list of undocumented species being revealed on Costa Rica’s seamounts, and demonstrates how much of the deep ocean, which covers roughly two-thirds of the planet’s surface, remains unexplored.

Coral gardens such as these are considered vulnerable marine ecosystems, providing structurally complex habitat for a wide range of other deep-sea life.

Cover image

In situ colony of Laurinque elenya gen. et sp. nov. in Las Gemelas II. Credit: ROV SuBastian.

Original source

Breedy O, McFadden CS, Murillo-Cruz C, Yánez-Suárez A-B, Robert K, Quattrini AM (2026) A coral among stars: A new octocoral family (Anthozoa, Octocorallia, Malacalcyonacea) from seamounts in the tropical eastern Pacific. ZooKeys 1283: 253-272. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1283.191899

For more articles on zoology, visit the ZooKeys website and follow the journal on BlueSky and Facebook.

Sunrise Over the Seabed: New Shrimpgoby Species Named for the “Sunrise of Java”

Researchers have described a beautiful new species of shrimpgoby from the coastal waters off Banyuwangi, East Java, and given it a name that pays tribute to both its fiery colouration and birthplace.

Researchers have described a beautiful new species of shrimpgoby from the coastal waters off Banyuwangi, East Java, and given it a name that pays tribute to both its fiery colouration and its birthplace.

Published in the open-access journal ZooKeys, a team led by Kunto Wibowo of the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, part of Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), has formally described Tomiyamichthys oriens sp. nov., a small reef fish characterised by radiant orange blotches along its flanks and a pair of elegant filaments trailing from the first dorsal fin of males.

Holotype of Tomiyamichthys oriens sp. nov., male, 35.6 mm SL, off Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. Image credit: Kunto Wibowo et al.

The two specimens on which the description is based, a male and a female each measuring roughly 35.5 mm in length, were first brought to the researchers’ attention by the ornamental fish exporter CV Cahaya Baru, having been collected from sandy shallows off Banyuwangi. Both are now housed at the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense in Bogor.

The name oriens is where this discovery really shines. It is a Latin participle meaning “east” or “the rising sun”, chosen for two reasons. Firstly, it evokes the fish’s own vivid orange markings, said to recall the hues of a sunrise. Secondly, it honours the species’ place of origin: Banyuwangi sits at the easternmost tip of Java and is popularly known throughout Indonesia as “The Sunrise of Java”. The authors have given the fish the English common name Oriens Shrimpgoby.

Tomiyamichthys oriens belongs to a genus of shrimp-associated gobies found across the tropical Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to Fiji. Its closest known relative is T. hyacinthinus, a species only recently described from southern Japan. The two share a rare combination of features within the genus: nine segmented rays in both the dorsal and anal fins, and, in males, two elongated filamentous spines on the first dorsal fin.

Paratype of Tomiyamichthys oriens sp. nov., female, 35.5 mm SL, off Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. Image credit: Kunto Wibowo et al.

Despite this resemblance, the Indonesian fish can be told apart by a suite of subtle differences, including its number of pectoral fin rays, branched caudal fin rays, longitudinal scale rows and gill rakers, as well as finer details of its colour pattern. Genetic analysis of the mitochondrial COI gene reinforced the case for a distinct species, revealing a divergence of 3.1% between the Indonesian and Japanese fish.

The discovery adds to an already remarkable tally for Indonesia, which sits at the heart of the Coral Triangle and now hosts 13 recognised species of Tomiyamichthys, more than any other country. According to local fishermen consulted during the study, the new species favours sandy bottoms in shallow coastal water, though its relationship with the burrowing alpheid shrimps typically associated with the genus has yet to be directly observed in the wild.

The description brings the total number of valid Tomiyamichthys species worldwide to 21, underscoring how much remains to be learned about the small reef fishes that share Indonesia’s waters with its shrimp partners.

“It is always exciting to discover a species that is new to science. We hope this finding will inspire further exploration of Indonesia’s fish biodiversity, where many small and overlooked species are likely still awaiting discovery.”

Kunto Wibowo

Original source:

Wibowo K, Pratiwi HM, Dharmayanthi AB, Tjiptadi D, Tarmini W, Priyadi A, Kusumah RV (2026) Tomiyamichthys oriens, a new species of shrimpgoby (Teleostei, Gobiidae) from the coast of Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. ZooKeys 1283: 67-77. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1283.194940

For more articles on zoology, visit the ZooKeys website and follow the journal on BlueSky and Facebook.

Underwater Expedition Charts Seaweed Forests in the Remote Waters of Southern Patagonia

A multi-institutional team of researchers have successfully conducted the first comprehensive exploration of the intertidal and subtidal rocky ecosystems of Inútil Bay.

At the icy, wind-swept tip of South America lies Inútil Bay, a remote marine environment in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago that has long guarded its underwater secrets due to severe logistical and meteorological challenges. A multi-institutional team of researchers have successfully conducted the first comprehensive exploration of the intertidal and subtidal rocky ecosystems of Inútil Bay.

The expedition, supported by the Marine Program of Rewilding Chile, brought together specialists from CADIC-CONICET and the Universidad Nacional de Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) to conduct the first survey of benthic macroalgae in a region that had never been systematically studied before.

Marine expedition at Intuil Bay. Credit: Mariano Rodríguez.

The findings from this survey, recently published in the Biodiversity Data Journal, provide a missing piece in the biogeographical puzzle of sub-Antarctic coastal environments. Benthic marine macroalgae act as important ecosystem engineers, modifying the physical structure of coastal habitats to create complex environments that support rich marine food webs and exceptionally high levels of biodiversity.

Beyond their role as local habitat providers, these extensive algal communities contribute significantly to global climate mitigation, while also serving as sensitive indicators of environmental health and human-induced disturbances.

Operating across six distinct sampling locations along both the northern and southern coasts of the Inutil bay, the research team deployed scientific diving techniques, including the use of 25-metre line transects and photo-quadrats to document all macroalgae species distributions.

Marine expedition at Intuil Bay. Credit: Mariano Rodríguez.

This field methodology culminated in the documentation of 72 distinct macroalgal taxa, providing a major expansion of the known phytogeographic characterisation of the Magellanic region (Chile). The survey recorded 32 taxa in the variable intertidal zone and 58 taxa in the subtidal depths, comprising a diverse assortment of green, brown, and red algae.

While canopy-forming kelp species such as Macrocystis pyrifera and Lessonia flavicans dominated the underwater landscape alongside widespread species like Ptilonia magellanica, the researchers also catalogued rare and highly unusual specimens, for example, Microzonia velutina, a little brown macroalga. 

Microzonia velutina – a brown algal species. Credit: Mariano Rodríguez.

All collected specimens are preserved at the Rewilding Chile Herbarium in Puerto Varas, ensuring that this dataset remains available to support future monitoring of these ecosystems, the detection of invasive species, and conservation planning in southern Patagonia.

At the same time, we are making progress on a collaborative alliance with the National Museum of Natural History of Chile, where we have already deposited an icefish larva (Champsocephalus esox) collected on a previous expedition and the Microzonia velutina.

The Research Team

Cover image:

Marine expedition to Bahía Inútil (Intuil Bay). Credit: James Alfaro.

Original source:

Kaminsky J, Palacios M, Rodríguez M, Hüne M (2026) Sub-Antarctic subtidal and intertidal macroalgae in rocky ecosystems of Inútil Bay, Tierra del Fuego in Southern Patagonia. Biodiversity Data Journal 14: e183377. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.14.e183377

New Michelin Star Jellyfish Discovered in Japanese Aquaria

Malagazzia michelin is only the second species of its genus to be found in Japanese waters.

Researchers have reported the discovery of a new species of jellyfish, Malagazzia michelin, marking only the second species of its genus ever found in Japanese waters. Led by Takato Izumi of Fukuyama University, the discovery was a collaborative effort between marine biologists and staff from several prominent institutions, including the Tsuruoka City Kamo Aquarium and the Saikai National Park Kuju-kushima Aquarium. The full study is published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

First spotted in the shallow waters of Nagasaki and Yamaguchi Prefectures, the Malagazzia michelin jellyfish has subsequently been cultured and studied in captivity, providing scientists with a complete look at its entire life cycle from polyp to adult.

Sampling localities of Malagazzia michelin. A. Tabira and Sasebo, Nagasaki Pref. (indicated by black stars); B. Katasoe-ga-hama, Yamaguchi Pref. (by grey star). (Image credit: Izumi et al.).

A Unique Marine Resident

Malagazzia michelin is a small aquatic invertebrate characterised by a hemispherical, transparent umbrella that typically grows to between 12 and 20 millimeters in diameter. While it shares the four-lipped mouth and linear gonads typical of its genus, it is easily distinguished by a peculiar feature: enigmatic brown spots that resemble tiny oil droplets scattered across its reproductive organs and central stomach. DNA analysis has confirmed its status as a unique species, which is distinct from other known members of the Malagazzia family.

Enlarged view of the structures of living Malagazzia michelin. A, B. Closed lips; C. Open lips; D. Tentacles and tentacular bulbs; E–G. Gonads; F. Mature female; G. Mature male. Scale bar: 0.1 mm. (Image credit: Izumi et al.).

The species has been aptly named Malagazzia michelin as a playful nod to the famous Michelin Guide. As the jellyfish matures, the number of its distinctive brown spots increases, a process that researchers likened to a restaurant earning more “stars” for its quality. This celestial theme is also reflected in its new Japanese common name, ama-no-gawa-kurage (Milky Way jellyfish), which compares the white gonads and twinkling brown spots to a starry galaxy.

External view of the living medusae of Malagazzia michelin. A. Lateral view; B. Oral view; C. Lateral view of Kuju-kushima 3 with lighting; D–F. Kuju-kushima 1; D. Aboral view; E. Sketch from aboral side; F. Lateral view. Scale bar: 5 mm. (Image credit: Izumi et al.).
Polyps and juvenile–young medusae of Malagazzia michelin. A. Development of juvenile medusae; B–E. Polyps. Scale bar: 1 mm (thick); 200 µm (slender). (Photo credit: Izumi et al.).

Navigating the Confusion of Common Names

The formal scientific description of M. michelin addresses an interesting challenge in Japanese marine biology: the risk of common names. In Japan, ornamental jellyfish are often given descriptive common names, such as “salmon-roe laodicean jellyfish” (tsubuiri-sujiko-yawara-kurage), long before they are scientifically identified. This can lead to confusion – M. michelin, for instance, was previously misidentified in field guides as a member of the Laodicea genus, which is not closely related. Researchers emphasise that formal taxonomic work is essential to ensure that the biodiversity displayed in aquaria is accurately documented.

The discovery of Malagazzia michelin demonstrates the significant role that aquariums play as centres for scientific research and biodiversity discovery. By strengthening ties between public exhibitions and taxonomic research, scientists continue to bring the ocean’s most stellar species to light.

Original source:

Izumi T, Ikeda S, Nozoe Y, Goto S, Imamura N, Kinoshita T, Uchida H, Hamatsu Y, Akiyama H, Okuizumi K (2026) Discoveries from ornamental jellyfish in aquaria—description of Malagazzia michelin sp. nov. (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Leptothecata), second species of the genus from Japan. ZooKeys 1268: 13-32. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1268.173354

For more articles on zoology, visit the ZooKeys website and follow the journal on BlueSky and Facebook.

New ‘grumpy’ fish species discovered in the Red Sea

Found among coral reefs in the Red Sea, it has large canines and a fierce expression, even though it is only 2 cm long.

A team of researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and the University of Washington has discovered a new species of fish that seems perpetually displeased. The researchers decided to call this new species the grumpy dwarfgoby.

Despite its small size of less than 2 centimeters, the grumpy dwarfgoby has a surprisingly menacing appearance. Its large canines and fierce expression give it a rather intimidating look for such a small fish.

Lucía Pombo-Ayora, who gave the species its grumpy common name, comments on its distinctive appearance: “I imagine in its own tiny world, it is a fearsome predator. Its grumpy expression and large canines certainly make it look the part, despite its small size.”

A CT scan image of the skull of a grumpy-looking fish.

The species’ bright red coloration actually helps it blend into its natural habitat. It can be found on the walls and overhangs of coral reefs, covered in red coralline algae. There, it lives in small holes and crevices, using its large canines to capture tiny invertebrates. The grumpy dwarfgoby appears to be a relatively rare species, which is likely why it remained undiscovered until now.

The researchers found the first specimens in the Farasan Banks in Saudi Arabia, with additional specimens later found near Thuwal in the Red Sea. It was researcher Viktor Nunes Peinemann who first found it during a diving expedition to explore the coral reef fish diversity. Initially, the researchers thought they had rediscovered the fiery dwarfgoby, Sueviota pyrios, which is only known from a single specimen collected in 1972. However, upon closer examination, they realized they were dealing with an entirely new, undescribed species.

A photograph of a translucent-red grumpy-looking fish on a black background.

“The ongoing discovery of distinctive new species like this grumpy dwarfgoby shows how much biodiversity remains undiscovered in the Red Sea,” Viktor Nunes Peinemann explains. “This is concerning given the recent environmental changes in the region. In some cases, species could go extinct before we even describe them.”

The region is known for its high levels of endemic species and the Grumpy dwarf goby is another addition to this unique fauna. Much of the Red Sea has experienced major disturbances resulting from climate change in recent years, including widespread coral bleaching and mortality. The fact that new species are still being discovered in this rapidly changing environment highlights the urgency of continued research and conservation efforts, the researchers believe.

They have published their discovery in the open-access scientific journal ZooKeys.

Photos by Viktor Nunes Peinemann

Research article:

Nunes Peinemann V, Pombo-Ayora L, Tornabene L, Berumen ML (2024) The Grumpy dwarfgoby, a new species of Sueviota (Teleostei, Gobiidae) from the Red Sea. ZooKeys 1212: 17-28. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1212.121135

The race to discover biodiversity: 11 new marine species and a new platform for rapid species description

The initiative boasts the discovery of eleven new marine species from all over the globe, occurring at depths from 5.2 to 7081 meters.

Accelerating global change continues to threaten Earth’s vast biodiversity, including in the oceans, which remain largely unexplored. To date, only a small fraction of an estimated two million total living marine species have been named and described. A major challenge is the time it takes to scientifically describe and publish a new species, which is a crucial step in studying and protecting these species. The current scientific and publishing landscape often results in decade-long delays (20-40 years) from the discovery of a new species to its official description. As an alternative to this, the Ocean Species Discoveries initiative was launched, offering a new platform for rapid but thorough taxonomic description of marine invertebrate species.

Lepechinella naces, a newly described amphipod, on a black background.
One of the newly described species, Lepechinella naces.

Ocean Species Discoveries is coordinated by the Senckenberg Ocean Species Alliance (SOSA), a project of the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt. SOSA’s goal is to facilitate the discovery, protection, and awareness of marine invertebrate species before they become extinct.

The project coordinated 25 different researchers and produced data on thirteen marine invertebrate taxa, including one new genus, eleven new species, and one redescription and reinstatement. The species, which originate from all over the globe and at depths from 5.2 to 7081 meters, are brought together in an open-access publication in the Biodiversity Data Journal.

Only by leveraging the collective strengths of global progress, expertise, and technological advancements, will we be able to describe the estimated 1.8 million unknown species living in our oceans.

Prof. Dr. Julia Sigwart

This is the first of a series of publications related to SOSA’s initiative, in collaboration with Biodiversity Data Journal, presenting a revolutionary approach in new species descriptions, thanks to which the publication of new species takes years, sometimes even decades, less. The ARPHA publishing platform, which powers the Biodiversity Data Journal, further expedites species descriptions and their use in studies and conservation programs by employing a streamlined data publishing workflow. ARPHA automatically exports all species data, complete with images and descriptions, to GBIF—the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and the Biodiversity Literature Repository at Zenodo, from where other researchers can easily find and use them.

Dorsal, ventral, and lateral images of a newly described hydrothermal vent limpet, Lepetodrilus marianae, on a black background.

One of the new OSD species – a hydrothermal vent limpet, Lepetodrilus marianae. Photo credit: Chong Chen, Hiromi Kayama Watanabe, and Miwako Tsuda

One of the new species described in the Ocean Species Discoveries is Cunicolomaera grata, a curious amphipod whose burrows along the seafloor perplexed scientists. Another is a wrinkly-shelled limpet called Lepetodrilus marianae that lives on hydrothermal vents, underwater volcanoes in the deep-sea where temperatures can reach 400 degrees C. Normally, the descriptions for these two very different species wouldn’t be in the same publication, but this new publication format allows for species descriptions from different marine invertebrate taxa to be published together in one ‘mega-publication,’ offering a huge incentive for researchers to make their discoveries public.

Top: a newly described hole-making amphipod, Cunicolomaera grata, on a black background. Bottom: A photo of burrows on the ocean floor where the amphipod is presumed to live.
One of the new OSD species – a hole-making amphipod, Cunicolomaera grata. Photo credit: Anne Helene S. Tandberg and Anna M. Jażdżewska

“Currently, there’s a notable delay in naming and describing new animals, often because journals expect additional ecological or phylogenetic insights. This means many marine species go undescribed due to lack of data. OSD addresses this by offering concise, complete taxonomic descriptions without requiring a specific theme, refocusing attention on taxonomy’s importance,” says Dr. Torben Riehl, who is one of the researchers featured in Ocean Species Discoveries.

Top: Psychropotes buglossa, a newly described sea cucumber species. Bottom: Psychropotes buglossa grabbed by the mechanic arm of a remote-operated vehicle.

The reinstated OSD species – a purple long-tailed sea cucumber, Psychropotes buglossa. Photo credit: Amanda Serpell-Stevens, Tammy Horton, and Julia Sigwart

Reducing the time it takes to get from discovering a new animal to a public species description is crucial in our era of increasing biodiversity loss. The wrinkly-shelled limpet and two other species described in the Ocean Species Discoveries live in hydrothermal vent zones – an environment threatened by deep-sea mining. Another OSD species, Psychropotes buglossa, a purple sea cucumber (sometimes also called a gummy squirrel), lives in the North Atlantic, but similar species live in areas of high economic interest, where polymetallic-nodule extraction could soon endanger sea life. Threats like these risk driving species to extinction before we even get the chance to know and study them. Through efforts like SOSA’s Ocean Species Discoveries, we can get closer to understanding the biodiversity of our oceans and protecting it before it’s too late.

Dorsal and ventral views of a newly described species of deep-sea chiton, Placiphorella methanophila.

One of the new OSD species – a deep-sea chiton, Placiphorella methanophila. Photo credit: Katarzyna Vončina

“Only by leveraging the collective strengths of global progress, expertise, and technological advancements, will we be able to describe the estimated 1.8 million unknown species living in our oceans. Every taxonomist specialized on some group of marine invertebrates is invited to contribute to the Ocean Species Discoveries,” says Prof. Dr. Julia Sigwart in conclusion.

Research article:

(SOSA) SOSA, Brandt A, Chen C, Engel L, Esquete P, Horton T, Jażdżewska AM, Johannsen N, Kaiser 5, Kihara TC, Knauber H, Kniesz K, LandschoffJ, Lörz A-N, Machado FM, Martínez-Muñoz CA, Riehl T, Serpell-Stevens A, Sigwart JD, Tandberg AHS, Tato R, Tsuda M, Vončina K, Watanabe HK, Went C, Williams JD (2024) Ocean Species Discoveries 1-12 — A primer for accelerating marine invertebrate taxonomy. Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e128431. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.12.e128431

Ocean treasures: Two new species from ZooKeys highlighted by WoRMS

Two of 2023’s top marine species were first introduced to the scientific world on the pages of our journal ZooKeys.

Where would we be without taxonomists? We wouldn’t even want to imagine such a scenario, even though experts in taxonomy are declining at an alarming rate, just like some of the threatened species they describe.

Experts in insect taxonomy “threatened by extinction” reveals the first European Red List of Taxonomists

This Taxonomist Appreciation Day is a great excuse to marvel at the amazing species that biodiversity specialists continue describing across the globe. The World Register of Marine Species does that by publishing a selection of the top 10 marine species published each year – we’re proud to share with you that two of 2023’s top marine species were first introduced to the scientific world on the pages of our journal ZooKeys!

One of them is Tetranemertes bifrost, a beautiful ribbon worm from the Carribean whose description was published in ZooKeys.

Tetranemertes bifrost

The most spectacularly colored nemertean in the Caribbean, if not the world, it has a long, thin, thread-like body that can stretch much more than 200 mm long. Its head has a characteristic, narrow diamond or spearhead shape, vaguely reminiscent of a viper’s head.

Its name refers to the bright, colorful iridescent stripes and spots characterizing it. Bifrost, the rainbow bridge in the Norse mythology, reaches between Midgard, the human Earth, and Asgard, the realm of the gods. Some authors state that the name Bifrost means “shimmering path” or “the swaying road to heaven”, and that it might be inspired by the Milky Way.

This benthic marine worm usually lives in coral rubble, gravel, and shell hash. It can often be found stretched between nooks and crannies of the substratum.

Tetranemertes bifrost

Found near Bocas del Toro, Panamá, it is one of the first records of this genus in the Carribean sea.

In the 1970s, some 50 years before it was scientifically described, Smithsonian photographer Kjell Sandved took a picture of it draped over an unknown fan coral off Puerto Rico.

The second ZooKeys species featured in the selection is the whimsical Nautilus samoaensis.

Nautilus samoaensis

Nautiloids were in fact quite plentiful throughout the oceans at one point, based upon the fossil record. Today, they are represented by just a handful of species. Nautilus samoaensis and two other species got described as new to science in ZooKeys in early 2023, proving that Nautilus are more diverse than one could think.

Nautilus samoaensis has a beautiful shell; in fact, its shell color pattern is the most unique of all Nautilus species. It is composed of multiple, branching stripes that have a rearward projection after descending from the venter. No other known Nautilus species shows this color pattern. It lives near Pago Pago, American Samoa, where it has been found at depths between 200 and 400 m.

This marine species also ranked second in Pensoft’s Top 10 New Species selection for 2023.

Last year, we told you about the peculiarities of studying nautilus species, but these animals are actually under a serious threat from illegal fishing, as they are highly prized for their shells.

The Top 10 Marine Species is an initiative that brings awareness to the importance of the work of biodiversity scholars, so announcing it on Taxonomist Appreciation Day is only fitting; but it also highlights the need to better protect our oceans and the unique life that hides in there.

Protecting marine biodiversity: we take a look at science

In light of the UN’s High Seas Treaty, we look back at deep-sea science published in our journals.

Surely, March 2023 will be remembered with the historic agreement of UN member states to protect marine biodiversity in the world’s oceans. 

The so-called High Seas Treaty is a legal framework for the protection of marine biodiversity and responsible and equitable use of resources of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBJN). Its draft, published on the 5th of March 2023, is the outcome of two decades of negotiations, and is part of the international effort to protect a third of the world’s biodiversity by 2030.

An unwavering dedication to the protection and conservation of biodiversity will be required to see the firm landing of this hopeful step.

On this occasion, we look back at some impactful studies published in our journals that have made waves, hopefully in the right direction towards impactful conservation measures and actions.

Following President Barack Obama’s expansion of the largest permanent Marine Protected Area on Earth (Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument) in 2016, a new species of coral-reef fish was named in his honour. The fish is the only known coral-reef species to be endemic to the Monument, and, despite its small size, it carries wide-reaching cultural and political significance as a reminder of how politics go hand in hand with science.

Former President of the United States, Barack Obama, arriving on Midway Atoll Midway on September 1, 2016 to commemorate his use of the Antiquities Act to expand the boundaries of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Dr. Sylvia Earle gives President Barack Obama a photograph of Tosanoides obama on Midway Atoll, from the film “Sea of Hope: America’s Underwater Treasures” premiered on National Geographic Channel on January 15, 2017. See also the news story on National Geographic.

Other studies from our flagship zoology journal ZooKeys have focused on the benthic megafauna and abyssal fauna of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the Pacific Ocean.

The Clarion-Clipperton Zone, managed by the International Seabed Authority, has been targeted by deep-sea mining interests. In the context of heightened concern over potential biodiversity loss, scientific research is crucial for informing policy-makers and the general public about the risks and outcomes of such initiatives.

The Clarion-Clipperton Zone, central Pacific Ocean (purple box), spanning 6 milllion km2. Knowledge of marine biodiversity in the area is crucial for its protection.
Image source: A. Glover at al. (2016).

The rich biodiversity of the deep sea has also been documented in big-scale taxonomic inventories and checklists in the Biodiversity Data Journal.

Such examples are the publication of 48 new echinoderm records from the CCZ made during a single 25-day cruise, marking a ~25% increase of the echinoderm species records previously available in databases. Other notable contributions are the first image atlas of annelid, arthropod, bryozoan, chordate, ctenophore and mollusc morphospecies and the first image atlas of echinoderm megafauna morphospecies inhabiting the UK-1 exploration contract area and the eastern CCZ. 

The echinoderm Amphioplus cf. daleus Lyman, 1879. Image source: A. Glover at al.
Hymenopenaeus cf. nereus observed in the UK-1 exploration contract area.
Image source: Amon et al. (2017).

Going forward, the expansion of Marine Protected Areas should also ensure the implementation of policies for the methods of resource extraction and their equitable sharing and use among the world’s nations.

Over the next few years, we hope to see an ever increasing interest in biodiversity conservation - from the general public, stakeholders and policy makers, and, of course, research institutions.

 We need to love what we protect in order to be able to protect it.
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Novel tech for research & protection of marine biodiversity: Pensoft joins EU project ANERIS

Pensoft joins the ANERIS consortium as an expert in science communication with the goal to engage stakeholders and build an active community

Coastal and marine biodiversity has been declining at an alarming rate in recent years due to anthropogenic activity, climate change, ocean acidification and other factors. 

To help protect and preserve these precious ecosystems, the new research project under the name of ANERIS (operAtional seNsing lifE technologies for maRIne ecosystemS) and coordinated by the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC) was launched under the Horizon Europe program.

ANERIS aims to contribute to improving the understanding, monitoring and protection of these ecosystems through technological, scientific and methodological innovation in the fields of marine life-sensing and monitoring.

Pensoft is joining the ANERIS consortium as a leader of WP6 Exploitation, Communication and Networking. The Pensoft team is to develop and implement sustainable communication and dissemination strategies, which will ensure the impactful knowledge exchange between partners and external stakeholders.

In addition, Pensoft is responsible for the development of a long-lasting brand identity of the project, which shall be reached by establishing and maintaining a user-friendly and eye-appealing public website. The overall visual identity of ANERIS will be supported by a set of innovatively-designed promotional materials. 

The project

ANERIS project’s intro video: Towards a network of Operational Marine Biology

ANERIS launched in January 2023 and will be running until December 2026 with the support of EUR 10 million of funding provided by the European Union’s Horizon Europe program and the work on the project officially kicked off with the project’s first consortium meeting, which took place on the 8th and 9th of March 2023 in Barcelona, Spain. 

The joint mission of the ANERIS partners for the next four years is to build the next generation of marine-sensing instruments and infrastructure for systematic routine measurements and monitoring of oceanic and coastal life, and their rapid interpretation and dissemination to all interested stakeholders.

In total, ANERIS aims to pioneer 11 novel technologies related to marine ecosystem monitoring, data processing and dissemination:

  • NANOMICS – NAnopore sequeNcing for Operational Marine genomICS
  • MARGENODAT – workflows for the MARine GENOmics DAta managemenT
  • SLIM-2.0 – A Virtual Environment for genomic data analysis (ANERIS extended version)
  • EMUAS – Expandable Multi-imaging Underwater Acquisition System
  • AIES-ZOO – Automatic Information Extraction System for ZOOplankton images
  • AIES-PHY – Automatic Information Extraction System for PHYtoplankton images
  • ATIRES – Automatic underwaTer Image REstoration System
  • AIES-MAC – Automatic Information Extraction System for MACroorganisms
  • AMAMER – Advanced Multiplatform App for Marine lifE Reporting
  • AMOVALIH – Advanced Marine Observations VALidation-Identification system based on Hybrid intelligence
  • AWIMAR – Adaptive Web Interfaces for MARine life reporting, sharing and consulting

These technologies will be validated across four ANERIS case studies which aim to bridge the gaps between existing technologies and incorporate them into a functional technological framework:

  • High-temporal resolution marine life monitoring in research infrastructure observatories;
  • Improved spatial and temporal resolution of marine life monitoring based on genomics;
  • Large scale marine participatory actions;
  • Merging imaging and genomic information in different monitoring scenarios.

The final goal of the project through the creation and validation of these novel technologies and involving academia, industry, governments and civil society, is to build up the concept of Operational Marine Biology (OMB) to provide faster, higher quality, reliable, and accessible marine and coastal life data. OMB opens the door for near-real-time marine observations, data interpretation and decision making based on that data.

International Consortium

The interdisciplinary ANERIS consortium consists of 25 partnering organisations from 13 countries around Europe, the Mediterranean basin and Israel, bringing diverse expertise spanning from robotics, biooptics, marine biology and genomics, to programming and sustainability.

Many partners represent acclaimed scientific institutions with rich experience in collaboration in EU projects, specifically in the fields of marine research.

Full list of partners:

Visit the ANERIS website on https://www.aneris.eu/. You can also follow the project on Twitter (@ANERISproject), LinkedIn (/ANERIS Project) and Instagram (@aneris_project).

Scientists reveal the true identity of a Chinese octopus

Locals and fishermen had long been familiar with the species, but they kept mistaking it for a different species.

As they were collecting cephalopod samples in Dongshan island in China’s Fujian Province, a team of researchers came across an interesting finding: a new-to-science species of octopus.

A live individual of Callistoctopus xiaohongxu.

Actually, locals and fishermen have long been familiar with the species -but they kept mistaking it for a juvenile form of the common long-arm octopus (‘Octopus’ minor), whose trade is widespread throughout the country.

Only when a team of scientists from the Ocean University of China collected a batch of specimens misidentified by locals from Dongshan Seafood Market Pier as ‘O’. minor to study them, did it become apparent that this was in fact a separate, new species. That’s how it got its own name, Callistoctopus xiaohongxu, and a scientific description published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

A live individual of Callistoctopus xiaohongxu.

The scientific name xiaohongxu is a phonetic translation of the local Chinese name of this species in Zhangzhou, where it was collected. It is a reference to its smooth skin and reddish-brown colour, which are among its most distinctive features. At less than 40 g in its adult stage, C. xiaohongxu is considered a small to moderate-sized octopus.

A net-like web structure on Callistoctopus xiaohongxu.

The researchers also note that this is the first new species of the genus Callistoctopus to be found in the China Seas.

More than 130 different cephalopod species are recorded in Chinese waters. Тhe southeast waters of China, due to the influence of strong warm currents, provide ideal environmental conditions to generate abundant marine biodiversity, and the finding of C. xiaohongxu further confirms the high diversity of species in the southeast China sea, the researchers said.

Research article:

Zheng X, Xu C, Li J (2022) Morphological description and mitochondrial DNA-based phylogenetic placement of a new species of Callistoctopus Taki, 1964 (Cephalopoda, Octopodidae) from the southeast waters of China. ZooKeys 1121: 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1121.86264

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