In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers from the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have identified a new species of vampire squid, marking only the second known species in the world.
The team collected a specimen similar to Vampyroteuthis infernalis in September 2016 at depths between 800 and 1,000 meters in the South China Sea. Through meticulous morphological and phylogenetic analyses, they found notable differences in the squid's tail shape, lower beak, and photophores position compared to the known species.
Lead author Qiu Dajun explained that V. infernalis was first described by German marine biologist Carl Chun in 1903 and typically inhabits depths of 600 to 900 meters across the temperate and tropical Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans, where oxygen levels are low.
The newly identified species, named Vampyroteuthis pseudoinfernalis Qiu, Liu & Huang, sp. nov., was officially published in the journal Zoological Systematics. This discovery not only expands our understanding of deep-sea biodiversity but also provides valuable insights into the evolutionary adaptations of these enigmatic creatures.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
