Researchers have unveiled 14 new marine invertebrate species from ocean depths up to 6,465 meters through the Ocean Species Discoveries initiative. Coordinated by the Senckenberg Ocean Species Alliance, the project uses advanced lab techniques to accelerate taxonomy and documentation. The findings, published in Biodiversity Data Journal, include a record-breaking mollusk and a carnivorous bivalve.
Earth's oceans harbor vast biodiversity, but delays in formally describing new species have long hindered marine science. To address this, the Ocean Species Discoveries platform was launched as a data-rich system for concise, high-quality descriptions of marine invertebrates. Coordinated by the Senckenberg Ocean Species Alliance (SOSA) at the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, the initiative promotes global collaboration and efficient taxonomic publishing.
In its second major collection, over 20 researchers described 14 new species and two new genera, including worms, mollusks, and crustaceans, collected from depths of 1 meter to more than 6,000 meters. The work was published in Biodiversity Data Journal one year after the project's pilot paper. "Our shared vision is making taxonomy faster, more efficient, more accessible and more visible," the team stated.
Key discoveries include Veleropilina gretchenae, a mollusk from the Aleutian Trench at 6,465 meters, which is among the first in the class Monoplacophora to have a high-quality genome published from its holotype specimen. Another highlight is Myonera aleutiana, a carnivorous bivalve found between 5,170 and 5,280 meters, setting a new depth record for the genus. This is only the second bivalve species fully documented using non-invasive micro-CT scanning, which generated over 2,000 images revealing detailed soft tissue and internal structures.
The collection also features Apotectonia senckenbergae, an amphipod named for 18th-century naturalist Johanna Rebecca Senckenberg, discovered at 2,602 meters in the Galápagos Rift hydrothermal vent fields. Zeaione everta, a parasitic isopod from Australia's intertidal zone, forms a new genus due to its popcorn-like structures on the female's back. Additionally, Laevidentalium wiesei, a tusk shell from over 5,000 meters, was found with an attached sea anemone, a first for its genus.
These advances, enabled by tools like electron microscopy, molecular barcoding, and micro-CT scanning at SOSA's Discovery Laboratory, underscore the potential to better document and protect marine life amid biodiversity threats.