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Scientists have discovered a new species of ctenophore, or scallop jelly, near Puerto Rico.
The new name of Duobrachium sparksae was discovered two and a half miles below sea level by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries research team. It was found during an underwater expedition using a remotely operated vehicle in 2015 and filmed by a high-definition camera.
NOAA Fisheries scientists Mike Ford and Allen Collins spotted the ctenophore and recognized it as a new species. This is the first time that NOAA scientists have identified a new species using only high-definition video, according to NOAA.
“The cameras of the Deep Discoverer robot are capable of obtaining high resolution images and measuring structures smaller than a millimeter. We do not have the same microscopes that we would have in a laboratory, but the video can give us enough information to understand the morphology in detail, such as the location of their reproductive parts and other aspects, “Collins said.
Scientists also claimed that there was another unique quality to the discovery. During the expedition, they were unable to collect samples, so video evidence is all they have.
“The naming of organisms is guided by the international code, but some changes have allowed video-based descriptions of new species – certainly when the species are rare and when harvesting is impossible,” Ford said. “When we made these observations, we were 4,000 meters deep, using a remote vehicle, and we didn’t have the ability to take a sample.”
There are between 100 and 150 species of scallop jellies, and despite their name, they’re not related to jellyfish at all, according to the NOAA. The species is carnivorous and many are highly efficient predators that eat small arthropods and many types of larvae.
The researchers said it wasn’t possible to observe the animal for long at first, so there’s still a lot about this new species that they don’t know yet. Their findings were recently published in the journal Plankton and Benthos Research.
“We’re not sure yet of their role in the ecosystem,” Ford said.
“We can consider that it plays similar roles to other ctenophores near the ocean floor and also has some similarities to other ctenophores in open ocean areas,” he said.
The videos are now part of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Collection and are accessible to the public.
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