Sydney, Jan 11 (Inditop.com) A small marine creature, found in the murky mysterious depths of the Kermadec Ridge in New Zealand, is causing a stir among scientists.
The amphipod, now kept in ethanol at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research’s (NIWAR) collections, is believed to be a species never seen on dry land before.
Niamh Kilgallen of the institute said the amphipod had been collected by NIWAR scientists at the ridge, northeast of New Zealand, in 2002, but initially staff members had not believed it was a new species.
However, late last year staff at work reorganising and registering the 100,000 items held in the institute’s collection took another look.
There were only three known species of the type of amphipod they believed this one belonged to, but Kilgallen said its leg shape and ridges were different from those already known.
She was spending the summer trying to establish whether or not any other amphipod like this one had been found.
“It’s initially a bit of a buzz when you think you have something new, and then you get into the work and all the double-checking the other ones out there.”
The amphipod had become the collection’s “show-off piece” as it was in good condition and relatively large.
For Kilgallen, discovering that items found in deep waters were new to science was the most satisfying, said a NIWAR release.
“If it’s from the deep, it feels a little bit special. You can’t just go to the shore and pick it up out of the water.”
