Researchers from the institute Senckenberg am Meer in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, along with others from Portugal and Spain, have discovered a new species of fish named Gaidropsarus mauritanicus. The fish probably remained undiscovered until now due to its protection-seeking behavior and small size.
The species is from the rockling family, a cod-like fish that can be found in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans. The fish is only about 73 millimeters long and lives in the deep-water coral reefs off the coast of Mauritania, a country in Africa.
More than a quarter of commercially caught marine fish in the world belong to the cod family, including Atlantic cod, Atlantic pollock, and haddock. They are important because they help sustain the economy.
“However, the order Gadiformes also includes much smaller, mostly unknown and poorly studied fish families, such as the rocklings (Gaidropsaridae), which are of little commercial value but have a remarkably wide range,” said Alexander Knorrn from Senckenberg am Meer.
The new species was collected at a depth of about 1,952 feet. This is where the largest deep-water coral complex, the “Mauritanian Wall,” is located. It stretches for roughly 360 miles, with a height between 262 and 328 feet.
“The fish species was also observed during eight remotely operated vehicle dives along the Mauritanian coast at depths between 613 and 416 meters [approximately 2,011 and 1,365 feet],” Knorrn said.
Gaidropsarus can be distinguished from its counterparts by its large eyes and head, which consist of about a quarter of the creature’s body length, as well as its pink coloration and elongated ventral fins. Genetic analyses verified that the species was previously undescribed.
A number of other live deep-sea animals were caught along with the small fish, including various corals, larger sponge colonies, brittle stars, snails, bivalves, and more.
Video footage also showed that Gaidropsarus was the only fish that sought shelter underneath a branched, whitish bryozoan, a tiny animal much like coral.
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The research team suggested that this demonstrated territorial behavior. When combined with the fish’s habit of seeking protection and its small size, it isn’t surprising that it has remained elusive for so long.
Coral reefs in the deep ocean are crucial because they serve as hunting grounds for predatory species, nurseries, and centers for reproduction.
Many organisms, such as fish, crabs, snails, sponges, and bivalves, find food and shelter in them. Additionally, the reefs are CO2 reservoirs.
However, deep-water corals are in trouble. Ocean acidification, oxygen deficiency, and overfishing are threatening the reefs.
“With the name Gaidropsarus mauritanicus, we would like to emphasize that Mauritania has a unique and enormously species-rich marine ecosystem in urgent need of protection,” said Professor André Freiwald, the head of marine research at Senckenberg am Meer.
The study was published in the Journal of Fish Biology.
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