Earth’s ocean trenches are still shrouded in mystery, and for good reason. Sinking 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) below the surface, its dark, cold waters are under incredible pressure of up to 1,088 atmospheres (or 16,000 pounds per square inch). But despite the harsh conditions, strange creatures somehow thrive there. After decades of struggling to study them, scientists have finally begun to shed light on ocean trenches and their inhabitants.

In a new study, U.S. and Chilean researchers have introduced such a species: a swift, ghostly predator distinct from many trench dwellers living in the Atacama Basin on the west coast of South America. The name of this creature Dulcibella camanchaca, amphipod – a diverse group of shrimp-like crustaceans that usually feed on detritus or forage in marine or freshwater habitats. Researchers found four individuals of this species at a depth of 7,902 meters.

According to the authors of the study, D. camanchaca is the first large, active carnivorous amphipod found at this depth, from Universidad Concepcion in Chile and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in the USA. Its discovery in the Hadal Zone shows how little we still know about these strange undersea worlds. The trenches can hold biological secrets with valuable applications for humanity, as well as important information about their ecology and conservation needs.

Studying extreme habitats like this on Earth also sheds light on the search for alien life on oceanic moons like Europa or Enceladus. But for now, the discovery of this unique earthling is big news in itself. The authors note that all other amphipods found in the darkest depths of the Atacama Trench are scavengers, and although carnivorous species are known from other trenches, it is still an important discovery anywhere.

It seems especially in this case: D. camanchaca Not only does it come from a previously unknown species, but its morphology and DNA indicate that it is a newly discovered genus.

Two similar types of sidewinders are named after characters in the 17th-century Spanish novel.Don Quixote”So the team continued this tradition by naming the new species. Dulsibella In honor of a character named Dulcinea del Toboso (scientific pseudonym) Dulcinea I already got the error).

species name Camanchaca Researchers noted that this word translates as “dark” from the languages ​​of the indigenous peoples of neighboring Western South America. They chose this to indicate the dark depths in which this creature wanders.

“Dulcibella camanchaca” It is a fast-swimming predator, and we named it ‘dark’ in the languages ​​of the peoples of the Andean region to refer to the deep, dark ocean from which it originated,” says co-author Johanna Weston, an ecologist from Hadal, in WHOI.

The white coloration of amphipods is standard clothing in dark habitats such as caves or ditches. This specimen was just under 4 centimeters in size; this was more than twice the size of its most similar relatives. dorothea And cleonardo . It moves nimbly in pursuit of food, unlike the less mobile lateral fins.

D. camanchaca It hunts and eats with the help of special predatory appendages called scropods. Food options are limited in ocean trenches, but this species appears to prey on other smaller fins. The Atacama Trench extends 8 kilometers below the surface of the eastern Pacific Ocean and is formed by the slow collision of one tectonic plate against another.

While moats around the world are classified as the Hadal Zone, in real life they tend to be physically isolated from each other; like islands of negative space separated by strips of seabed. Like islands on the surface, each ocean depression can harbor its own unique wealth of endemic wildlife, teeming with creatures found nowhere else. Much more research will be needed to reveal the abundance and diversity of life in the trenches, but such finds could be of great importance.

Finding a new species is always a big deal, especially in such an extreme environment, discovering a genus is even rarer. But Weston explains that doing this in a place like the Atacama Valley adds unique intrigue because of what it might mean about other as-yet-unknown inhabitants of this dark land.

“Most excitingly, DNA and morphological data show that this species is also a new genus, highlighting the Atacama Basin as an endemic hotspot,” he says.

The new species was discovered during a 2023 research expedition that is part of Chile’s new Integrated Deep Ocean Observing System. Researchers collected samples using a lander or an untethered platform carrying scientific equipment (such as baited traps) to and from the Gadal region.

“Joint efforts and a comprehensive approach were confirmed in this study Dulsibella camanchaca “It is a new species and highlights ongoing biodiversity discoveries in the Atacama Basin,” says one of the lead authors, Carolina González, an oceanographer at the University of Concepcion.

“This discovery underscores the importance of continuing deep-sea ocean research, especially in Chile’s front yard. More discoveries are expected as we continue to explore the Atacama Basin.” The study was published on: Systematics and Biodiversity.