Antarctica waters are home to several marine species, some of which are still unknown to humans. One such species has now been discovered by researchers from the William &amp; Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science.&nbsp;

They have found a new species of Antarctic dragonfish in the peninsula, a new study published in the journal Zootaxa says. The dragonfish is called the Banded Dragonfish or Akarotaxis gouldae. It has been named after an Antarctic research and supply vessel called the Laurence M&nbsp;Gould. The vessel and its crew have made several scientific contributions and it recently went out of service.&nbsp;

The dragonfish has certain distinctive physical features, such as two dark vertical bands of colour on its body. It has a slender body, a wide snout, an elongated mouth and large oval-shaped eyes.

According to the study, the fish was discovered accidentally while researchers were sweeping the region for zooplankton. They found the larvae of the fish and took them to study them.

Initially, it was thought to be a different species of dragonfish, Akarotaxis nudiceps. However, as the fish grew, lead researcher Andrew Corso and his colleagues noticed something exciting.

<h2>What did they find?</h2>

The adult Akarotaxis gouldae had two distinct bands on the sides which are not present on Akarotaxis nudiceps. They were shocked to see that a species of fish had been living in the Antarctic waters but went by unnoticed.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/rare-sea-animals-known-for-hour-long-dives-spotted-in-antarctica-waters-754753">Rare sea animals known for hour-long dives spotted in Antarctica waters</a>

“There are two distinct bands on the sides of adult Akarotaxis gouldae that are not present on Akarotaxis nudiceps, so we were surprised that the species already existed in collections but had been previously overlooked,” Corso said.

Using a process called phylogeny and genetic testing, Corso and his co-author Thomas Desvigne found that the Banded Dragonfish had deviated from a separate species approximately 780,000 years ago.

“We hypothesise that a population of dragonfish may have become isolated within deep trenches under glaciers, surviving on food pushed in by the moving ice. Once the glaciers retreated, this subpopulation had become distinct enough to be reproductively incompatible with Akarotaxis nudiceps,” Corso said.&nbsp;

Desvigne is a researcher from the Institute of Neuroscience at the University of&nbsp;Oregon.

The researchers say that since Antarctic dragonfish live in deep waters, they haven't been studied much. Akarotaxis gouldae also seem to be limited to the water around the western Antarctic Peninsula, as per the study.

Antarctica waters are home to several marine species, some of which are still unknown to humans. One such species has now been discovered by researchers from the William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

Antarctica waters are home to several marine species, some of which are still unknown to humans. One such species has now been discovered by researchers from the William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science. They have found a new species of Antarctic dragonfish in the peninsula, a new study published in the journal Zootaxa says. The dragonfish is called the Banded Dragonfish or Akarotaxis gouldae. It has been named after an Antarctic research and supply vessel called the Laurence M Gould. The vessel and its crew have made several scientific contributions and it recently went out of service. The dragonfish has certain distinctive physical features, such as two dark vertical bands of colour on its body. It has a slender body, a wide snout, an elongated mouth and large oval-shaped eyes. According to the study, the fish was discovered accidentally while researchers were sweeping the region for zooplankton. They found the larvae of the fish and took them to study them. Initially, it was thought to be a different species of dragonfish, Akarotaxis nudiceps. However, as the fish grew, lead researcher Andrew Corso and his colleagues noticed something exciting. What did they find? The adult Akarotaxis gouldae had two distinct bands on the sides which are not present on Akarotaxis nudiceps. They were shocked to see that a species of fish had been living in the Antarctic waters but went by unnoticed. Also Read: Rare sea animals known for hour-long dives spotted in Antarctica waters “There are two distinct bands on the sides of adult Akarotaxis gouldae that are not present on Akarotaxis nudiceps, so we were surprised that the species already existed in collections but had been previously overlooked,” Corso said. Using a process called phylogeny and genetic testing, Corso and his co-author Thomas Desvigne found that the Banded Dragonfish had deviated from a separate species approximately 780,000 years ago. “We hypothesise that a population of dragonfish may have become isolated within deep trenches under glaciers, surviving on food pushed in by the moving ice. Once the glaciers retreated, this subpopulation had become distinct enough to be reproductively incompatible with Akarotaxis nudiceps,” Corso said. Desvigne is a researcher from the Institute of Neuroscience at the University of Oregon. The researchers say that since Antarctic dragonfish live in deep waters, they haven't been studied much. Akarotaxis gouldae also seem to be limited to the water around the western Antarctic Peninsula, as per the study.

Sea creatures that deviated from a species 780,000 years ago found in Antarctica

antarctic-dragonfish

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antarctic dragonfish

Sea creatures that deviated from a species 780,000 years ago found in Antarctica