Three new species of snailfish discovered miles beneath the ocean
The bumpy snailfish (Careproctus colliculi). Image: © 2019 MBARI
A team of researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, State University of New York at Geneseo (SUNY Geneseo), University of Montana, and Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute discovered three marine species previously unknown to science: the bumpy snailfish (Careproctus colliculi), the dark snailfish (Careproctus yanceyi) and the sleek snailfish (Paraliparis em). Found thousands of meters below the ocean’s surface off California, these elusive fish demonstrate remarkable adaptations for life under crushing pressure and darkness. They published their findings recently in the scientific journal Ichthyology and Herpetology.
“The deep sea is home to an incredible diversity of organisms and a truly beautiful array of adaptations,” said Mackenzie Gerringer, lead author of the paper, SUNY Geneseo Associate Professor and alumna of the UH Mānoa Marine Biology Graduate Program. “Our discovery of not one, but three, new species of snailfishes is a reminder of how much we have yet to learn about life on Earth and of the power of curiosity and exploration.”
“This project was a delight because it was led by one of my past graduate students and one of the new species was named after Dr. Paul Yancey, a long time collaborator and leader in understanding how deep-sea fishes are adapted to extreme pressures,” said Jeffrey Drazen, co-author and professor of Oceanography in the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST).
Fishes adapted to survival from tidepools to the deepest ocean trenches
Snailfishes belong to the family Liparidae. They typically have a large head, jelly-like body covered in loose skin, and narrow tail. Many snailfish species have a disk on their belly that allows them to grip the seafloor or hitchhike on larger animals, such as deep-sea crabs. Shallow-water snailfishes often cling to rocks and seaweed, curling up like a snail. Scientists have described more than 400 different species of snailfish worldwide. These fishes make their homes in a variety of ocean habitats, from shallow tide pools to deep-sea trenches. In fact, a snailfish holds the record for the deepest-dwelling fish. That species was described by Gerringer while she was a graduate student in Drazen’s Deep-Sea Fish Ecology Lab in SOEST.
New species from the deep
The researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis of the three unusual snailfish specimens collected offshore of California, combining imaging, morphological, and genetic approaches to compare these snailfishes to other known fishes.
The bumpy snailfish has a distinctive pink color, a round head with large eyes, wide pectoral fins with long uppermost rays, and a bumpy texture. The dark snailfish has a fully black body with a rounded head and horizontal mouth. The sleek snailfish is distinguished from other snailfishes by a long, black, laterally compressed body, absence of a suction disk, and prominently angled jaw.
Both the dark and sleek snailfishes were collected in 2019 by Drazen and colleagues during an expedition with the submersible Alvin at Station M, a research site offshore of Central California at a depth of approximately 4,000 meters (13,100 feet). The site has been studied for 33 years, the longest abyssal ecology time series in the world. The species name of the sleek snailfish, Paraliparis em, recognizes this unique research site and the people and programs that have supported the Station M time series.
The deep sea is the largest living space on Earth. The inky waters beneath the ocean’s surface teem with life, including many species unknown to science. With threats like climate change and mining putting deep-sea communities at risk, documenting the residents of this environment is more urgent than ever.
Funding for this work was provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation Division of Ocean Sciences, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) , David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and SUNY Geneseo Research Foundation.
Portions of this content are sourced from MBARI News.
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