57 Deep-Sea Species and Five Genera Reportedly Identified From Mar del Plata Canyon Samples
LIFEUnverifiedUpdated:
Samples collected mainly from Mar del Plata Canyon reportedly yielded fifty-seven new species and five new genera. The identifications came from a two-week taxonomy workshop in Buenos Aires.
Identifying specimens during a two-week taxonomy workshop
ScienceAlert reports that an international group of biologists examined material collected during an August 2025 Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition using the remotely operated vehicle SuBastian. The group identified 22 echinoderm species, 20 copepod species, 14 cnidarians, and one mollusc as new species, along with five new genera.
The source does not provide a comparable pre-workshop count or taxonomic baseline for these specimens.
The workshop reportedly classified the collected material as 57 new species and five new genera.
If confirmed, the classifications add named biodiversity records from a deep-sea canyon in the South Atlantic. The reported set spans animals including sea cucumbers, corals, crustaceans, and a tusk shell.
Sources
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