Our knowledge of the deepest-water fishes in the world is being altered by a new little blue snailfish.
An international team of scientists examined the Atacama Trench in 2018, a vast trench that parallels the Andes Mountains in depth and stretches along the west coast of South America. The team, which included scientists from Newcastle University, used free-falling landers to collect samples from the few deep-sea species that congregated around cameras and baited traps. Three different types of hadal snailfish were discovered by Newcastle University’s two lander systems, but one of them stood out from the others.
The small blue fish does not resemble other hadal snailfish when observed at a depth of between 6,000 and 7,600 metres. It mimics other species of snailfish that are found dwelling in much shallower waters because of its huge eyes and stunning colour. To determine where the new species belongs within the snailfish family, the team employed DNA barcoding and the 3D x-ray method known as microcomputed tomography (micro-CT).The discovery that the new species is a distinct Atacama Trench coloniser surprised the team. The newly discovered species is a part of the Paraliparis genus. Rarely found deeper than 2,000 m, this genus’ species are notably prevalent in the Southern Ocean in the Antarctic. Importantly, this is the first instance of this genus being discovered in the hadal zone. The new species was given the name Paraliparis selti, which translates to “blue” in the Kunza language of the Atacaman natives. The description can be found in the Marine Biodiversity journal.
Dr. Thom Linley, the study’s primary author and a visiting scholar at Newcastle University, stated: “I find this family of fishes to be utterly fascinating. I love to show people that the world’s deepest fishes are actually quite adorable because they are not at all what we expect from a deep-sea fish. It is composed of sapphire glass and stainless steel that is inches thick to allow me to transport a camera down to where these animals reside. Then it shows these delicate, lovely animals that are ideally suited to this harsh habitat. We can only awkwardly visit these animals for a brief period of time using engineering-built force.
