In the South Atlantic, off the coast of Argentina, an oceanographic campaign and subsequent work by an international group of taxonomists have led to the discovery of 57 marine species new to science , in addition to five previously unknown genera. The findings come from the Mar del Plata submarine canyon, a deep-sea area explored during the Continental Slope IV mission, carried out by CONICET researchers aboard the R/V Falkor (too), a research vessel of the Schmidt Ocean Institute.
The confirmation came after biological samples were analyzed at the Species Discovery Workshop, an initiative of The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census in partnership with the Schmidt Ocean Institute. The workshop was coordinated locally by MartÃn Brogger and Valeria Teso, researchers from CONICET (Argentina's National Scientific and Technical Research Council) , and brought together some twenty taxonomy specialists from Latin America and Europe at Maimonides University in Buenos Aires. The initial estimate was around 40 species, but detailed examination of the specimens raised it to 57.
An expedition followed by thousands of people
The Continental Slope IV campaign lasted 21 days in August 2025 and included the participation of scientists from the National Scientific and Technical Research Council. The expedition used the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian, which descended to a depth of approximately 3.900 meters to collect images and samples of organisms inhabiting the seabed.
One of the most striking aspects was its live broadcast. The dives drew around four million simultaneous viewers and accumulated nearly 22 million views on digital platforms. This window into the deep sea allowed the public to follow scientific work rarely seen in the media in real time.
The campaign's chief scientist, Daniel Lauretta, a CONICET researcher at the Bernardino Rivadavia Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences, emphasized that international cooperation in taxonomy is essential, especially in groups with few active specialists. According to his assessment, the workshop accelerated the identification of new species and helped train taxonomists beginning their careers working with deep-sea fauna.
To identify the specimens, integrative taxonomy techniques were used , combining the study of morphological characteristics with genetic analysis. The discoveries were recorded directly in Ocean Census NOVA, an open data platform dedicated to newly described marine species, making it easier for other teams to consult and verify the information.
Which animal groups have been identified
The 57 confirmed species are divided into several groups. There are 20 copepods , tiny crustaceans that play a vital role in marine food webs; 22 echinoderms, including sea cucumbers and crinoids; 14 cnidarians, such as octocorals, sea pens, and stony corals; and one scaphopod mollusk. Five new scientific genera have also been added to this list , encompassing corals, sea cucumbers, and crustaceans.
One of the most talked-about discoveries is the sea cucumber nicknamed Loki, whose scientific name is Peniagone sp. It is a deep-sea holothurian with horn-like appendages , a feature reminiscent of the Norse god. Experts estimate that up to ten new species of holothurians were identified during the workshop, and Loki was one of the most striking due to the images and videos obtained on the seabed.
In the case of copepods, taxonomists only examined about 10 percent of the collected samples . Even so, the work led to the description of twenty new species within that group, which gives an idea of ​​the volume of material that still remains to be studied. Those in charge of the workshop acknowledge that many samples from the field campaign have not yet undergone complete analysis.
Among the corals, the workshop points to the possible existence of two new genera and a new family , although these results are awaiting confirmation through genetic analysis. Also noteworthy are the sea pen Pseudumbellula sp. and the orange-red octocoral Orstomisis sp., two organisms that provide key information about deep-sea ecosystems capable of generating habitat for other species.
Open science and intercontinental cooperation
In addition to the species count, the workshop has had a direct impact on regional scientific capacity. The processed physical specimens will be permanently preserved in Argentine institutional collections , such as those of the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences, affiliated with CONICET. This preservation will allow future research to revisit the specimens to confirm or expand upon the descriptions.
The participation of taxonomists from Latin America and Europe reinforces the international nature of the project. Michelle Taylor, scientific director of Ocean Census, noted that the discovery of 57 species and five genera in a short time demonstrates the speed and power of collaborative taxonomy . She also pointed out that the deep sea is among the least understood ecosystems on the planet.
From the Schmidt Ocean Institute, its executive director, Jyotika Virmani, highlighted the value of combining cutting-edge technology with shared scientific expertise. In her view, these results enhance our understanding of marine life in the South Atlantic and, thanks to Ocean Census, are now available to the global community, including European teams working on ocean biodiversity.
Lauretta has emphasized the need to maintain and transmit this knowledge. Argentina has one of the largest communities of taxonomists in the region, distributed throughout the country and specializing in a wide variety of groups. Preserving these skills and training new generations is, according to the researcher, essential for the work to continue in the future.
Next stop: the Ameghino and Almirante Brown cannons
CONICET, through the Argentine Deep Sea Studies Group, and the Schmidt Ocean Institute are already preparing the Continental Slope V mission . Scheduled for February and March 2027, it will last approximately 23 days and will focus on the Ameghino and Almirante Brown submarine canyons, located off the coast of Chubut province, about 600 kilometers from the shore.
The goal is to explore a little-studied area of ​​the Southwest Atlantic and reach depths exceeding 4.000 meters. Scientists hope to find high biodiversity and potentially new species, as well as vulnerable marine ecosystems . The expedition will maintain an open science format, featuring the ROV SuBastian and live educational broadcasts.
The team is expected to include 19 researchers from Argentine institutions, mostly from CONICET, along with specialists from several national universities and the Argentine Naval Prefecture. The new expedition will seek to expand upon the findings from the Mar del Plata Canyon and, likely, add more species and genera to a catalog that is still far from complete.
The outcome of this scientific event has several layers: an Argentine expedition that showcased the deep sea live, an international workshop that raised the number of new species to 57 and the number of new genera to five, an open platform for sharing data, and a forthcoming mission in 2027. All of this suggests that the South Atlantic still harbors a much greater biodiversity than previously known.
