Only 80 to 90 percent of Earth’s vast oceans have been explored, leaving countless species just waiting to be discovered. That’s where the Sustainable Seabed Knowledge Initiative: One Thousand Reasons campaign comes in. The project is designed to describe 1,000 previously unknown deep-sea species by 2030 in order to assess ocean biodiversity to protect species as the prospect of deep-sea mining expands.
Twenty-four new species of deep-sea crustaceans are now on the project’s growing list. The new species are detailed in a special edition of the journal Zookeys and were discovered in the remote Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ). This vast area of 1.7 million square-miles of deep ocean between the west coast of Mexico and Hawaii is home to numerous unknown species as well as minerals needed for many high-tech uses.
Meet the amphipods
These new species are amphipods—a diverse group of crustaceans made up of over 10,000 known species. Some amphipods are only millimeters in size, while the largest species Alicella gigantea is the size of a loaf of bread. They play a key role as a food source for larger animals and help decompose the bodies of larger creatures.
Amphipods are adapted to live in a wide range of habitats. Some live in damp caves or even woodlands on land, while most live in fresh and saltwater environments. Parasitic whale lice ride around on marine mammals, eating algae and keeping whales clean. Predatory amphipods hunt small worms and other invertebrates, while other species are scavengers that help recycle nutrients in marine ecosystems.
The new species were found while researchers were taking so-called “box samples” from the seafloor. During box sampling, scientists take a huge cube of mud from the seabed and bring it up to a ship to study its contents and get a sense of what’s lurking inside. After washing and separating the material from these particular cores, they found a variety of pale amphipods.
“These amphipods appear to have a range of different feeding styles,” Dr. Eva Stewart, a study co-author and deep-sea scientist at the Natural History Museum in London, said in a statement. “Some seem to be eating the mud and getting nutrients from that, while others have large claws, which suggest they might be predating other things that are living in the sediment.”
Naming the new amphipods after video games, family, and a short butt
Since amphipods are such a diverse group of animals, it only makes sense that their names follow suit. The scientists met for one week to determine the name for this exciting new batch of critters.
Mirabestia maisie and Astyra mclaughlinae are named after family members and colleagues, while Elimedon breviclunis is named for the animal’s short butt.
Pop culture inspired other names. Lepidepecreum myla reminded the team of Myla from the videogame “Hollow Knight.” According to the team, both the character and specifically Lepidepecreum myla “are just little arthropods trying to survive in total darkness.”
In addition to new species, the team also discovered a new family and superfamily. A superfamily ranks below an order and above family. For example, the superfamily Hominoidea (or apes) includes both the family Hominidae (humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans) and Hylobatidae (gibbons).
“To find a new superfamily is very rare, so this is a discovery we’ll all remember,” added study co-author Dr. Tammy Hortonopens. “But each species we describe is just as important, as they’re a vital step towards improving our understanding of this fascinating ecosystem.”
The Clarion-Clipperton Zone has the attention of big tech
Further study of these creatures will give us a better idea of how they are living in one of the most untouched places on Earth. Despite its remoteness, the CCZ has drawn a lot of interest due to the metallic nodules found on the ocean floor. These nodules often contain minerals used for solar panels and wind turbines. While deep-sea mining can help us reach environmental goals, this region is poorly understood and mining could risk damage to these important ecosystems.
“It’s estimated there are around 5,600 species in the CCZ, but around 90 percent of these are undescribed,” Stewart explained. “As a result, there are thousands of potential species that have been discovered over the past decade just waiting to be named.”
These types of discovery will be vital to understand the possible impacts of deep-sea mining in the future.
