‘Massive’ sea creature with vivid coloring found near Japan coast. It’s a new species
Along the coast of an island in southern Japan sat a “massive” sea creature. Its colorful body stretched across the surface of a rock. Something about the sea animal caught the attention of visiting scientists.
It turned out to be a new species.
Researchers spent several years visiting multiple sites in southern Japan and northern Taiwan in search of corals, according to a study published June 24 in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys. They were looking for a lesser-known type of coral that grows away from reefs.
During their underwater surveys, researchers found over a dozen colorful corals living in the shallow water, the study said. Using a hammer and chisel, they broke off small sections for further study.
Initially, these colorful corals were identified as a known species. But when researchers tested its DNA and analyzed its structure under a microscope, they noticed some subtle yet “clearly distinct” features.
Researchers realized they’d discovered a new species: Paragoniastrea variabilis, or the variable encrusting coral.
Variable encrusting corals are considered “massive,” the study said, because these colonial animals can just keep expanding. Researchers did not provide size measurements.
Still, photos show the new species growing across moderately sized boulders. From afar, it almost looks like a cargo net sitting on the seafloor. Up close, its geometric structure looks like an irregularly shaped honeycomb.
Variable encrusting corals have a “smooth” but “rather uneven” surface, researchers said. Their coloring is “highly variable,” ranging from yellow to red to green.
One photo shows a coral with a dark brown outline and mint green peeking through. Another has a vivid orange-red outline with pale blue in between. Other photos show more uniformly green or brown or golden corals.
Researchers said they named the new species after the Latin word “variabilis,” meaning “variable,” because of its “considerable color variations.”
Variable encrusting corals live in warm water between depths of about 10 to 50 feet, the study said. So far, the new species has been found in Japan and Taiwan.
The new species was identified by its skeletal structure, other subtle physical features and DNA, the study said.
The research team included Daigo Kishi, Keiichi Nomura, Yoko Nozawa, Seiji Arakaki and Hironobu Fukami.
This story was originally published July 5, 2024 at 11:08 AM with the headline "‘Massive’ sea creature with vivid coloring found near Japan coast. It’s a new species."
