Govind Tekale
Scientists have discovered three new species of snailfish living in the darkness of the Pacific Ocean at depths greater than 10,000 feet off California’s coast. The discovery includes a pink “bumpy snailfish,” a fully black “dark snailfish,” and a long-bodied “sleek snailfish.”
“The deep sea is home to an incredible diversity of organisms and a truly beautiful array of adaptations,” said Mackenzie Gerringer, associate professor at SUNY Geneseo who specializes in deep-sea physiology and ecology. “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.”
The research team, led by SUNY Geneseo with collaborators from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), the University of Montana, and the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, published their findings in the journal Ichthyology & Herpetology in late August.
The pink “bumpy snailfish” (Careproctus colliculi) was collected at 3,268 meters (10,722 feet) in Monterey Canyon using MBARI’s remotely operated vehicle Doc Ricketts. The other two species – the fully black “dark snailfish” (Careproctus yanceyi) and the “sleek snailfish” (Paraliparis em) – were collected by the human-occupied submersible Alvin at a location called Station M, about 130 miles off California’s coast, at depths around 4,119 meters (13,513 feet).
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To confirm these were indeed new snailfish, researchers used multiple identification methods including microscopy, micro-CT scans to examine internal structures, counts of physical features like fin rays and vertebrae, and DNA sequencing.
Each fish received a name reflecting its unique characteristics or honoring important contributions to deep-sea research. C. colliculi got its name from its distinctive bumpy skin, C. yanceyi honors deep-sea biologist Paul Yancey, and P. em references Station M’s long-term deep-sea monitoring program.
The snailfish family includes more than 400 described species living everywhere from shallow tide pools to the deepest ocean trenches. In fact, a snailfish holds the record for being the deepest-dwelling fish ever observed. Many snailfish have a suction disk on their belly that helps them grip the seafloor or even attach to larger animals like deep-sea crabs.
Despite living in extreme conditions – thousands of pounds per square inch and temperatures colder than a home refrigerator – these fish don’t match the frightening image often associated with deep-sea creatures.
“It’s pretty adorable,” Gerringer said about the bumpy snailfish, which measured about the width of a human hand. The adult female specimen has a round head, large eyes, and distinctive pink coloration.
Johanna Weston, a deep ocean ecologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution who wasn’t involved in the research, describes snailfish as “gregarious animals” with “beautiful colors” including blue, pink, white, and purple. “They also have a lovely little smile on their face,” she noted, contrasting them with grimmer-looking deep-sea predators like anglerfish.
Steven Haddock from MBARI emphasized that “documenting deep-sea biodiversity is critical to detecting any changes” in these remote environments.
The discovery was made possible by advanced underwater technology. The submersible Alvin allows scientists to personally visit these extreme depths, while the ROV Doc Ricketts is controlled remotely from a research vessel.
Despite this significant finding, scientists note that they currently have only one confirmed observation of the bumpy snailfish, highlighting how much remains unknown about life in Earth’s largest habitat.
“Our planet is a deep-ocean planet,” Weston said, pointing out that most of Earth’s animals live there. “So it’s really important for us to understand who they are and where they live and see them for their own beauty.”The researchers continue working to map the distribution of these newly discovered species and learn more about how they’ve adapted to survive in one of Earth’s most extreme environments.
