Scientists misidentified it as one other species till they carried out genetic checks The brand new species of fish lives off the coast of get together vacation spot Phuket, Thailand Ghost sharks are elusive fish that dwell deep under the ocean world wide READ MORE: ‘Freaky’ ghost shark found with sexual organ on its head
The ‘ghost shark’ is so not often seen within the wild, that recognizing one is sort of like seeing a ghost.But a staff of scientists not solely spied a never-before-seen species of the elusive fish, in addition they hauled it as much as the floor from practically half a mile down within the Andaman Sea off the coast of Thailand, close to the resort vacation spot Phuket.The newly described specimen has black, feathery fins, a tail as sharp as a stinger, and gigantic inexperienced eyes practically one-third the size of its head.Genetic testing revealed that it was a brand new species, bringing the world’s variety of identified ghost shark species up from 53 to 54. This newly recognized species of ‘ghost shark’ is 276mm lengthy (10.9 inches) and has eyes that make up nearly one-third of its head size. A world staff of scientists collected it throughout a deep-sea expedition on behalf of the Thailand Division of Fisheries and the Meals and Agriculture Group of the United Nations. READ MORE: The unusual intercourse lives of ghost sharks Males have retractable hooked intercourse organs on their head, and females can retailer sperm for years. They caught it in a trawling web dragged alongside the seafloor by a ship, throughout an expedition in 2018, when in addition they caught two different associated species.Their depth measurements indicated it was between 772 and 775 meters down when it was caught (2,533 to 2,543 toes), practically half a mile.After they initially examined it, the staff misidentified the 11-inch-long fish as a identified species of ghost shark, the longspine chimaera – Chimaera aff. macrospina.However after nearer examination, together with genetic testing, they’ve now concluded that it’s actually a brand new species: Chimaera Supapae, named for fish researcher Supap Monkolprasit.Monkolprasit was a Thai ichthyologist who devoted her life to finding out cartilaginous fish like ghost sharks till she died in 2013.Though the creature is known as a ‘shark,’ it’s not in the identical group as the large apex predator. This ghost shark belongs to the order of fish known as Chimaera, so named as a result of its members typically appear like they’ve been sewn collectively from the components of different fish – just like the legendary Greek beast that was half lion, half goat, and half dragon.Genetic testing helped reveal the truth that scientists have been truly a brand new species of ghost shark.Samples from the specimen have been sequenced, then in comparison with genetic sequences from eight different ghost shark species, together with 5 that lived within the area.It was a troublesome activity, as a result of the DNA of the deep-sea fish had begun to degrade after scientists had hauled it to the floor.These tentacula belong to a species of ghost shark relative known as Neoharriotta pinnata. Hid close to their pectoral fins, the spiny organs are used to carry a feminine in place throughout mating.Members of the ghost shark order have been discovered which can be as a lot as 4 toes lengthy, however scientists suspect they’ll develop as much as six in some casesBut they acquired sufficient, and once they in contrast over 1,000 base pairs of DNA to the opposite sharks’ sequences, it was clearly not a match.Based mostly on their examinations, they decided that it’s an immature male. Now that they recognized it, the scientists can describe the way it’s totally different from different ghost shark species: ‘huge head with a brief snout,’ oval eyes that make up 32.2 % of its head size, and ‘deciduous pores and skin.’Curiously, deciduous pores and skin that flakes off simply has been advanced in prey species like mackerel to assist them slip out of the grasp of predators.So maybe the brand new ghost fish has some bigger deep-sea predators.Notably, male chimaeras have sexual organs on high of their head – a construction known as a tentaculum. This, together with two others hid close to their pectoral fins, is used to carry a feminine in place throughout mating. As a result of they typically dwell round deep-sea continental slopes and ocean ridges, ghost sharks may be caught by backside trawling.The darkest depths of the ocean maintain many secrets and techniques, and the extra scientists discover, the extra they understand how a lot they’ve but to find. ‘Evolutionarily, these chimaeras are amongst a few of the oldest lineages of fishes with the lineage going again 300-400 million years,’ lead examine writer David Elbert, program director of the Pacific Shark Analysis Heart at San Jose State College in California, instructed LiveScience.’The invention of latest species like this chimaera tells us how little we all know concerning the marine setting and the way a lot remains to be to be explored.’ The staff printed its findings within the journal Raffles Bulletin of Zoology.