New Ruby Red Seadragon Species Discovered

Posted on February 20, 2015

Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have discovered a new species of seadragon. The new species was found during analysis of the seadragon collection at the Western Australia Museum. The ruby red seadragon has been named the Ruby Seadragon (Phyllopteryx dewysea).

The new species actually entered Western Australia Museum's collection in 1919 but remain undiscovered until now. The research team found evidence for the new species while analyzing tissue samples. The ruby red color is quite different from the orange tint found in Leafy Seadragons and the yellow and purple hues of Common Seadragons. The researchers hope to launch an investigation to find the colorful seadragon alive in the wild.

Here is the rotating 3D-model of the Ruby Seadragon:

Greg Rouse, curator of the Scripps Benthic Invertebrate Collection, says in a statement, "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. 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."

The researchers used a CT scan to obtain 5,000 X-ray slices that they assembled into a rotating 3D-model of the seadragon. The researchers believe the seadragon inhabits deeper waters than Leafy and Common Seadragons.

Biologist Nerida Wilson of the Western Australia Museum (WAM) says in a statement, "It has been 150 years since the last seadragon was described and all this time we thought that there were only two species. 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."

A research paper on the new seadragon can be found here in the journal, Royal Society Open Science.



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