24 New Deep-Sea Amphipod Species Discovered in Pacific

Researchers have discovered 24 new species of deep-sea amphipods, including an entirely new superfamily, in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a vast expanse of the central Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Mexico. The findings, published on March 24 in the journal ZooKeys, highlight the region's rich but poorly understood biodiversity at depths reaching 13,000 feet.

The amphipods, small shrimplike crustaceans that act as predators and scavengers on the ocean floor, were identified during a collaborative taxonomy workshop held in 2024 at the University of Lodz in Poland. Led by Tammy Horton of the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, United Kingdom, and Anna Jażdżewska of the University of Lodz, the team of 16 scientists and early-career researchers from institutions including the Natural History Museum in London, the Canadian Museum of Nature, and the University of Hamburg described the species across 10 families. Among the discoveries were a new family, Mirabestiidae; a new superfamily, Mirabestioidea; and two new genera, Mirabestia and Pseudolepechinella. The team also recorded the deepest known occurrences for several genera and produced initial molecular barcodes for rare...