Question More than 110 new species from the Coral Sea revealed

Title: More than 110 new species from the Coral Sea revealed
Published: 1st of April, 2026
Author: Ms Andrea Wild
Published Via: CSIRO 

From the Article: 
Marine taxonomists have identified more than 110 fish and invertebrate species from the Coral Sea that are new to science, with that number likely to exceed 200 as more cryptic species are identified.

Brought together by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and  The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census , the taxonomists identified fish and invertebrates collected late last year by scientists on board CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator. They were discovered between 200 to 3,000m deep in the Coral Sea Marine Park, which comprises nearly a million square kilometres of mostly unexplored, deep-water marine environments.“To ensure high-quality data is visible to the global community in real-time, the taxonomists at the workshops input the species data directly into  the Ocean Census Biodiversity Data Platform , the world’s first open-access digital gateway for newly discovered marine species,” Dr Taylor said.“During what were likely the largest taxonomic workshops of marine animals ever undertaken in Australia, other notable discoveries included species of brittlestars, crabs, sea anemones and sponges that are new to science,” Dr White added.“These incredible discoveries, made possible by the impressive deep-water survey capabilities of RV Investigator, reveal the extraordinary life in our oceans and are crucial for protecting Australia’s marine biodiversity,” Dr White said.Biodiversity samples from the voyage are now lodged in collections around the country including CSIRO’s Australian National Fish Collection and State museums.This research was supported by a grant of sea time on RV Investigator from the CSIRO Marine National Facility which is supported by the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). It includes support from Parks Australia, Bush Blitz and The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census, and in collaboration with a network of leading museums, universities and research institutes.From Dr Claire Rowe, Collection Manager Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum (Voyage and workshop participant):“Jellyfish specimens are usually fixed in formalin in order to preserve their morphological characters. This preservation method makes DNA extraction more challenging compared to fresh tissues. Voyages such as the recent one to the Coral Sea allow us to take tissue samples from the jellyfish before they are fixed in formalin, and it is exciting to get samples from these deep-sea specimens!”“A lot of the species collected have either not been sequenced before, or not been sequenced from Australian waters. As a result, sequencing these samples and combining the results with the morphological data will allow us to determine how the different species and populations are related, and help us confirm if there are any new species. This is necessary for jellyfish as it can be difficult to identify new species based on morphological characters alone.”Read More Here: www.csiro.au/en/news/All/News/2026/April/More-than-110-new-species-from-Coral-Sea-revealed