New species found in Argentine canyon

A deep canyon off the coast of Argentina has revealed 57 previously unknown marine species, according to reports from the Schmidt Ocean Institute and the Ocean Census program. The identification took place in Buenos Aires in October 2026, where twenty taxonomists worked for two weeks to catalog the species collected from the Mar del Plata submarine canyon.

Samples collected in 2025

The samples were collected during the summer of 2025 aboard the ship Falkor (too) by Daniel Lauretta's team from CONICET, using the remotely operated robot SuBastian, which descended beyond 3,500 meters depth. The canyon is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon.

Diverse marine life cataloged

The catalog includes 20 copepod species, 22 echinoderms, 14 cnidarians, and a scaphopod mollusk, with five new genera added. Among the copepods, 10% of the samples examined were found to belong to unknown species. The star attraction among the echinoderms is a horned sea cucumber nicknamed Loki, filmed at 2,577 meters depth.

Species made publicly available

The sea cucumber and the other 56 animals have been added to NOVA, the open-access platform of the Ocean Census program, making the records accessible to any laboratory. The canyon's biodiversity is attributed to the meeting of warm subtropical waters from Brazil and cold, nutrient-rich waters from the sub-Antarctic.

Unique habitats identified

This crossroads supports rare biological productivity, including deep corals and unknown sea feathers. Fourteen corals and unknown sea feathers have also been identified. The deep corals and sea feathers build habitats for many other animals, with two of them attracting particular attention: the sea feather Pseudumbellula and the orange octocoral Orstomisis. These could provide insights into how such structures form in the absence of light.

Research ongoing

However, an entire family still awaits confirmation from genetic analysis. The inventory of the Argentine canyon is only beginning, with pending genetic analyses and the need to add all specimens to the collections of the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences in Buenos Aires. These will join samples collected as early as 2012.

Future expeditions planned

Daniel Lauretta is also preparing a campaign for February and March 2027 in another canyon. The 2025 expedition broadcast its images live, with over four million people following the live dives. A bright orange starfish, nicknamed Patrick after the character from SpongeBob SquarePants, captivated viewers but does not belong to any new species. The biologists left it on the mud at 1,500 meters depth.