Scientists Discover 24 New Deep-Sea Species—Including an Entirely New Branch of Life
A deep-sea expedition uncovered 24 new species in the Pacific Ocean, including a rare new superfamily.
A team of international researchers has identified 24 species previously unknown to science lurking in one of the most remote and mysterious places on Earth—the deep Pacific Ocean floor.
Among the discoveries is something even rarer: an entirely new superfamily, a high-level classification that represents a distinct new branch on the tree of life. The findings were published March 24 in a ZooKeys special issue.
A hidden world between Hawai’i and Mexico
The creatures were found in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, or CCZ, a vast stretch of the central Pacific Ocean floor between Hawai’i and Mexico spanning about 6 million square kilometers. It remains one of the least understood ecosystems on the planet—with more than 90% of its species still unnamed, according to the researchers.
The 24 new species are all amphipods, small crustaceans that play roles as predators and scavengers across the deep-sea environment. The team described them across 10 amphipod families and also identified a new family, Mirabestiidae, a new superfamily, Mirabestioidea, and new genera Mirabestia and Pseudolepechinella. Researchers also recorded the deepest known occurrences of several genera and produced the first molecular barcodes for some rare species.
“To find a new superfamily is incredibly exciting, and very rarely happens so this is a discovery we will all remember,” Tammy Horton, who co-led the study, said.
“With more than 90% of species in the CCZ still unnamed, each species described is a vital step towards improving our understanding of this fascinating ecosystem,” she added. “Describing the species encountered during these studies is a critical step in documenting the rich biodiversity of the CCZ, enabling us to communicate effectively about the fauna.”
A global team working together
The study was led by Anna Jażdżewska and Tammy Horton. The work was carried out during a 2024 taxonomy workshop at the University of Lodz in Poland, bringing together 16 researchers focused on identifying amphipod species from the region.
The effort involved institutions including the National Oceanography Centre, the University of Lodz, the Natural History Museum in London, the Canadian Museum of Nature, NIWA, the University of Hamburg, Senckenberg and the University Museum of Bergen. The collaborative approach was designed to speed up the typically slow process of species identification.
“This was a truly collaborative process that allowed us to achieve the ambitious goal of describing more than 20 species new to science within a year – something that would not have been possible if each of us worked independently,” Jażdżewska said. “The team’s findings provide information that is crucial for future conservation and policy decisions, and it highlights how important it is for this work to continue.”
The project is part of the International Seabed Authority Sustainable Seabed Knowledge Initiative and the “One Thousand Reasons” project, which aims to describe 1,000 new species by the end of the decade. At the current pace of about 25 species per year, amphipods in the eastern CCZ could be nearly fully cataloged within the next decade.
What’s in a name?
The researchers brought creativity and heart to naming their discoveries. Some species were named after team members, including Byblis hortonae, Thrombasia ania and Byblisoides jazdzewskae. One species, Mirabestia maisie, was named after Horton’s daughter. Another, Eperopeus vermiculatus, was named in honor of the World Register of Marine Species.
One species, Lepidepecreum myla, was named after a video game character and described as “are just little arthropods trying to survive in total darkness.”
Perhaps the most poetic name went to Pseudolepechinella apricity, inspired by a word meaning the warmth of the winter sun.
“Apricity means the feeling of the warmth of the winter sun, and it is one of my favorite words,” Horton said. “It was very apt to use during the workshop as we discussed our findings in the warmth of the February sun amid the snow of the Polish winter in Lodz. It was certainly fitting to also use it for one of our amphipod discoveries.
“We came together as research colleagues, but the spirit of collaboration and shared experience shone through, so it was important to recognize that in our work.”
Conversation
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