In 2019, researchers surveying the seafloor off the coast of California came upon three unusual species of small fishes with large heads: one with bumpy pink skin, and the other two both black in color.
The team collected the fish using underwater research vehicles and later analyzed their DNA and bodies. Their analysis showed that all three are new-to-science species of snailfishes, a group known for their big heads, gelatinous bodies covered in loose skin, and narrow tails.
Snailfishes belong to the family Liparidae and are named for the ability of some shallow-water species to attach to rocks using suction cups on their bellies and curl up like snails. Many snailfishes also inhabit the deep ocean, where they might use their suction discs to grip the seafloor or other animals like deep-sea crabs.
The three newly described species were all found at the dark depths of 3,268-4,119 meters (10,722-13,514 feet) of the eastern Pacific Ocean.
One of these species is the bumpy snailfish (Careproctus colliculi), with a pinkish skin, rounded head, big eyes and an “unusual bumpy skin texture.” It was found close to the seafloor less than 100 kilometers (60 miles) offshore from Monterey Bay, California.
The other two species, both black, were collected on the same dive by a research submersible, nearly 300 km (190 mi) off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. One is the dark snailfish (Careproctus yanceyi), which has a rounded head and horizontal mouth. The authors write they named it to honor marine biologist Paul Yancey’s “contributions to the field of deep-sea biology and fish physiology.”
The other is the sleek snailfish (Paraliparis em), with a long, laterally compressed dark body and a slightly oblique mouth. It lacks a suction disk otherwise typical of snailfishes. This species was named for the place where it was collected: Station M, a long-term deep-sea observatory operated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Scientists have regularly used the underwater station to study deep-sea communities and ocean conditions.
“The deep sea is home to an incredible diversity of organisms and a truly beautiful array of adaptations,” Mackenzie Gerringer, study lead author and a marine biologist at the State University of New York at Geneseo, said in a statement. “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 and of the power of curiosity and exploration.”
Johanna Weston, a deep ocean researcher at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who wasn’t involved in the study, told The New York Times that while the deep sea might seem scary, there are “gregarious” animals living down there — snailfishes, which come in “beautiful colors” and “have a lovely little smile on their faces,” are a case in point.
Banner image: The newly described pink bumpy snailfish. Image courtesy of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI).
