Marine biologists surveying deep waters off the coast of New Zealand have discovered six new species and one previously unknown genus of glass sponge. They live at depths of up to 4820 meters, in an area that is no longer illuminated by the sun's rays, according to ZooKeys .
Scientists also spotted two already known species that had never been seen in the oceans off the coast of New Zealand. These discoveries mean that the New Zealand region is much more diverse than previously thought.
Glass sponges are relatively rare. Their skeleton is made of silicon needles. This substance is contained in the sand from which glass is made – this is the reason for the name.
The waters around New Zealand are rich in biodiversity. But scientists, until recently, could not thoroughly study it. Members of the new expedition sent a remotely controlled underwater vehicle (ROV) to map the depths.
The machine is designed for diving to a depth of 6,000 meters. For 31 days, researchers explored the distant southern oceans, collecting over 200 sponge samples from the seabed.
Samples were sent for DNA analysis and morphological studies. The results showed that some of the specimens belonged to a completely new genus, which was given the name Nubes.
Also, the catalogs of biologists were replenished with new species Bathydorus poculum (depth 1150 meters), Scyphidium variospinosum (1630.5 meters), Caulophacus serpens (4816 meters), C. ramosus (4819 meters), Nubes tubulata (from 767 to 782 meters) and N. poculiformis (1285 meters).
“Our expedition found that the deep sea off the coast of New Zealand is much richer in species than was previously known,” the scientists concluded.
Earlier it was reported that scientists have found a new species of giant octopus. He lives in the Pacific Ocean.
