In the deep-sea off Western Australia, two fascinating species previously unknown to science have been both discovered and now described by scientists preparing to depart on another voyage of biodiversity discovery to the Coral Sea.

Specimens of both the West Australian Lanternshark and a new species of porcelain crab were collected during a CSIRO-led 2022 voyage of the CSIRO research vessel, RV Investigator but later described by a separate team of researchers only last month.

The new species of lanternshark was discovered at depths to 610 metres during a series of biodiversity surveys for Parks Australia in the Gascoyne Marine Park area off Western Australia. It’s a small shark (the largest known specimen measuring at just 407mm) with large eyes to help it see in the ocean depths. It has a slender body with dorsal fins each with a sharp spine.

One of the more fascinating characteristics of lanternsharks is their ability to glow. 

“Lanternsharks are bioluminescent, with light produced by photophores located on their belly and flanks, which is where their common name comes from,” said Dr Will White, an ichthyologist from the CSIRO Australian National Fish Collection, and a member of the team involved in describing the new shark species.

The species name given to the new lanternshark – E. westraliensis – is in reference to Western Australia, where the species is found. This is the third new shark species described using specimens collected on the same 2022 voyage, joining the Painted Hornshark and Ridged-egg Catshark, both of which were announced in 2023.

Meanwhile, it was Dr Andrew Hosie, curator of Aquatic Zoology from the Western Australian Museum, who was involved in describing the new crab species. 

“The new species of porcelain crab lives a symbiotic life with sea pens, which are a group of soft corals related to sea fans, where they will hide among the ‘leaves’ of the host,” Dr Hosie said. 

The crab is small, measuring at around 15mm in length, and is an opalescent white-yellow in colour. This makes it well-adapted to hide within the white leaves of its sea pen host. The new crab was found during surveys along the Ningaloo coast at depths to 122 metres.

“Porcelain crabs are known as filter feeders, feeding on plankton by using modified mouthparts with long hairs to sweep the water for small pieces of food such as plankton, rather than the typical crab method of grabbing and pinching food with their claws,” Dr Hosie continued. 

The lanternshark and porcelain crab are the latest in a long line of nearly 20 new species to have now been described with the help of specimens collected on the 2022 voyage, including the Carnarvon Flapjack Octopus which was announced earlier this year. Incredibly, researchers estimate that there are potentially up to 600 new species still waiting to be described from the voyage. 

The deep-sea is still largely unexplored and biodiversity surveys of these habitats are vital to increase our understanding of the marine life that dwells in the depths of our oceans.

Researchers expect to discover more species new to science during an upcoming CSIRO-led voyage on RV Investigator to survey the deep-sea biodiversity of the Coral Sea Marine Park for Parks Australia. The voyage brings together many of the same researchers from the 2022 voyage, along with new collaborators and partners.

RV Investigator is part of the Marine National Facility, national collaborative research infrastructure funded by the Australian Government and operated by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency.

Click here for more from the Oceanographic Newsroom.