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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/01/queensland-great-barrier-reef-coral-sea-110-new-fish-species-discovered>
"Marine scientists have discovered more than 110 new fish and invertebrate
species in the Coral Sea – a figure they believe could exceed 200 as more are
identified.
The species were found in waters between 200 metres and 3km deep in the Coral
Sea marine park, Australia’s largest marine protected area, which spans nearly
1m sq km to the east of the Great Barrier Reef.
The new-to-science species – including brittlestars, crabs, sea anemones and
sponges – were collected during a 35-day voyage on the CSIRO’s
Investigator
research vessel, which set sail from Brisbane last October. It travelled as far
as Mellish Reef, about 1,000km off the Queensland coast.
Dr Will White, a shark expert and the CSIRO voyage chief scientist, said the
expedition set out to learn more about the area’s deepwater biodiversity, for
which there was “very limited data”.
Specimens collected on board were subsequently identified during what White
believes were “likely the largest taxonomic workshops of marine animals ever
undertaken in Australia”.
White himself identified four new species – a skate, ray, deepwater catshark
and chimaera."
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*** Xanni ***
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mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
