Scientists believe they have discovered at least 20 new species in a deep section of the Pacific Ocean following a mission to retrieve monitoring devices from the region’s coral reefs.
The findings come after researchers from the California Academy of Sciences recovered 13 autonomous reef monitoring structures, known as ARMS, which had been stationed in deep coral reefs off Guam since 2018. These devices were placed up to 330 feet below the surface in an area of the ocean that receives very little light.
Over a two-week period in November, the team retrieved 2,000 specimens and identified 100 species in the region for the first time. Luiz Rocha, the academy’s Ichthyology curator and a member of the diving team, indicated that while the team expects to confirm more than 20 new species, the final tally could rise following further analysis. “It’s probably going to be higher than that because one of the things we do is we confirm everything with genetics,” Rocha said to NPR. “So we sequence the DNA of the species before we even really make absolutely sure that they’re new.”
The 20 new species found in the Pacific were discovered with DNA sequencing
Rocha explained that DNA sequencing is critical because “what we thought was not a new species ends up being a new species because the genetics is different. The potential new discoveries include crabs, sponges, ascidians, also known as sea squirts, and new gorgonians, a type of coral.
The expedition focused on the “upper twilight zone,” a depth ranging from 180 to 330 feet. This area, known scientifically as the mesopelagic zone, is difficult for scientists to study due to water pressure and the need for specialized diving equipment.
While Rocha said his team expected to make new discoveries in this hard-to-reach environment, some findings were unexpected. He expressed surprise at discovering a hermit crab attached to a clam, rather than the abandoned snail shells the animals typically inhabit.
“When they first showed me the picture of it, I’m like, ‘What, wait, what is that?'” Rocha said. He noted that the crab possessed “a lot of adaptations” that allowed it to utilize the clamshell. The retrieval in Guam marks the beginning of a broader two-year expedition. The team plans to recover 76 additional deep reef monitoring devices positioned across the Pacific Ocean, including locations in Palau and French Polynesia.
Despite the challenges of studying deep coral reefs, Rocha emphasized the necessity of understanding these habitats. “They should be protected and should have importance because they are home to hundreds of thousands of different species, and they should have as much right to exist as we do,” Rocha said.
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