Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – @BednarChuck
Research on the two existing types of seadragons has led to a startling discovery – the existence of a new, previously unknown third type of the aquatic creature, according to research published in the latest edition of the journal Royal Society Open Science.
Previously, the only two types of seadragons known to exist were the leafy seadragon and the weedy (or common) seadragon. However, scientists from the University of California, San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Western Australia Museum (WAM) identified a third type of seadragon while analyzing tissue samples to better understand the creatures.
Meet: the ruby seadragon
According to CNET, the ruby seadragon (Phyllopteryx dewysea) had a deep red color that stood in stark contrast to the orange hues of leafy seadragons and the yellow and purple colors of the weedy seadragons. After the discovery, the researchers requested the full specimen that the tissue samples had been obtained from, as well as photos taken when it was first collected.
Since the seadragon was an older, preserved specimen, the researchers created a virtual model of it using 5,000 X-ray slices from a CT scan. The model allows them to see what the creature looks like, allowing the study authors to confirm that it was indeed a new species. They also found that its skeleton had several features that were distinct from the other two types of seadragons.
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“It has been 150 years since the last seadragon was described and all this time we thought that there were only two species,” said WAM marine biologist Nerida Wilson. “Suddenly, there is a third species! If we can overlook such a charismatic new species for so long, we definitely have many more exciting discoveries awaiting us in the oceans.”
“We’re now in a golden age of taxonomy and these powerful DNA tools are making it possible for more new species than ever to be discovered,” added Greg Rouse, curator of the Scripps Benthic Invertebrate Collection. “That such large charismatic marine species are still being found is evidence that there is still much to be done. This latest finding provides further proof of the value of scientific collections and museum holdings.”
A quest to find a living specimen
Presently, all they have to work from is the genetic evidence and a computer model of the new species, according to CNET. However, the researchers are now hoping to launch an expedition in order to find specimens of the ruby seadragons living in the wild. They predict that the creatures will be found in deeper water than their relatives, as their darker red color would be absorbed in these light-restricted waters and would serve as good camouflage.
Further research revealed a ruby seadragon that had been discovered from a Perth beach about 100 years ago, Wilson said. “This new seadragon first entered the Western Australia Museum’s collection in 1919, and lay unidentified for almost a century,” she added. “Recognizing this new species demonstrates how museum collections underpin biodiversity discovery.”
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The original ruby seadragon was a male carrying several dozen babies, and was identified by Scripps graduate student Josefin Stiller as part of her research on the other two seadragon types along the coast of Australia. Stiller studies migration patterns and genetic diversity to help bolster seadragon conservation efforts, according to the university.
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