In the depths of the sea off Brazil, they find a new species of dragonfish
browse the sea surface off the coast of BrazilScientists searched the water depths in search of. They pulled out the net and found a trapped horned creature. When they took a closer look, they realized they had caught a new species.
Researchers spent a month searching for fish and invertebrates off the northeast coast of Brazil, according to a study published May 19 in the journal Ichthyology and Herpetology.
Scientists have discovered a new species while dredging in the Atlantic, according to a study. The photo shows a representative coast of Brazil. Photo by Joselito via Unsplash
Towards the end of the study, the researchers picked up the net and sighted a dark-colored fish. They identified the creature as a new dragonfish species: melanostomies.
According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, dragonfish are a species of deep-sea fish known as a “cunning predator.” They lie in wait, sometimes luring their prey with a “lure” attached to their chin and then lying in wait from ambush.
According to the researchers, the Melanostomias dio, the horned dragonfish, has a dark black body with speckles on the sides. The fish was about 7 inches long with a slender body.
The photos show the coiled dragonfish with its mouth open. The animal’s mouth is filled with sharp teeth.
The horned dragonfish with its mouth open. Photograph by Luciano Gomes Fischer
According to the study, the dragonfish’s chin barbel had a “unique” shape. The barbel extended beneath the fish in a thin thread that ended in a “bulb” from which two “horns” protruded. A close-up photo shows this barbel.
The shape of the dragonfish mullet reminded researchers of the “horns up” hand gesture. The new style is named after heavy metal singer Ronald James Padavona or Ronnie James Dio, who “popularized the hand gesture (horns up).” and was one of the “most influential” singers of the genre.
A closeup of the horned dragon mullet. Photograph by Luciano Gomes Fischer
According to the study, the new species is distinguished by the shape of its chin. No other related dragonfish has the same “horns”.
The lone horned dragonfish was “a little damaged” when it was caught, Bárbara Teixeira Villarins told McClatchy News. Deep sea fish are often harmed when caught with trawl nets.
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A drawing shows the entire body shape of the fish, including the caudal fins.
The new species was discovered in the Fernando de Noronha archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Rio Grande De Norte state. This state is about 1,510 miles northeast of Rio de Janeiro.
A drawing shows a horned dragonfish. Image from the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, DOI: 10.1643/i2022082
The researchers noted that there is a need “Further studies” to better understand the dragonfish and its distribution. As with “other groups of deep-sea fish,” the diversity of kitefish is poorly understood due to “low populations,” the study says.
The research team consisted of Bárbara Teixeira Villarins, Luciano Gomes Fischer, Artem Mikhailovich Prokofiev and Michael Maia Mincarone.