A bizarre new predator has been discovered lurking 26,000 feet below the surface of the ocean and has been named after its black home.

The new crustacean was discovered deep in the Atacama Trench, which lies off the coast of Peru, researchers reported in the journal. Systematics and biodiversity.

This discovery of species, names Dulcibella camanchacamarks the first active predatory amphipod ever found at these depths.

“Dulcibella camanchaca is a fast-swimming predator that we named after ‘dark’ in the languages ​​of the Andean peoples to refer to the deep, dark ocean from which it originates,” study co-author Johanna Weston, an ecologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), said in declaration.

The Hadal Zone is the deepest layer of the ocean, extending between 19,700 and 36,000 feet deep. This layer of the ocean mostly includes deep-sea trenches and troughs and is home to some of the weirdest and craziest creatures on our planet.

The pressure at these depths can exceed 1,000 times atmospheric pressure at sea level, and temperatures hover just above freezing, making it one of the most extreme habitats on Earth.

Life in the Hadal Zone includes unique species such as amphibians, sea cucumbers, and xenophyophores, which often have evolved adaptations such as soft, compressible bodies to withstand immense pressures.

D. camanchaca is a small predator, measuring about 1.6 inches in length. Four specimens of the new species were collected from a depth of 25,925 feet in 2023 by the Integrated Deep-Ocean Observing System (IDOOS) expedition aboard the R/V Abate Molina.

The tiny creatures were then taken back to the Instituto Milenio de Oceanografía (IMO) at the Universidad de Concepción in Chile for genetic analysis, after which it was determined to be an entirely new species. These predators hunt and capture smaller amphipods in the trench as prey using specialized appendages.

Predation is relatively rare in the Hadal zone, most organisms feed on organic matter drifted from the upper layers of the ocean (marine snow) or rely on chemosynthetic bacteria to obtain nutrients.

“Most interestingly, the DNA and morphology data indicated that this species is also a new genus, highlighting the Atacama Trench as an endemic hotspot,” Weston said.

The discovery points to the unique biodiversity hidden even in the deepest parts of our ocean and how the isolation of trench environments can lead to unique adaptations.

“The collaborative and integrative approach of this study confirmed Dulcibella camanchaca as a new species and highlights ongoing biodiversity discoveries in the Atacama Trench,” Carolina González, study co-author and IMO researcher, said in a statement.

“This finding underscores the importance of continued exploration of the deep ocean, particularly in Chile’s backyard.

“We expect more discoveries as we continue to study the Atacama Trench.”

Reference

Weston, JNJ, González, CE, Escribano, R., & Ulloa, O. (2024). A new large predator (Amphipoda, Eusiridae) hidden in the abyssal depths of the Atacama Trench. Systematics and biodiversity, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2024.2416430