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– Odd sea creature with vivid eyes and ‘canine-like’ teeth discovered as new species
By Aspen Pflughoeft
Scientists found a freckled sea creature with “canine-like” teeth on giant barrel sponges in Indonesia and discovered a new species. Photo from Getty Images / iStockphoto
In the crystalline waters off the coast of Indonesia, an “unusual” freckled creature swam near a large sea sponge. Its bright eyes scanned the surrounding reef and the diver hovering nearby.
The diver didn’t realize it right away, but she was looking at a new species.
Christiane Waldrich, the owner of a dive resort in Bali, photographed some odd fish while scuba diving near her resort and alerted scientists, according to a study published Nov. 1 in the peer-reviewed Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation.
Researchers saw Waldrich’s photos and decided to investigate. They eventually caught several of these freckled fish and, after taking a closer look, realized they’d discovered a new species: Bathygobius mero, or the sponge frillgoby.
A Bathygobius mero, or sponge frillgoby. Photo from Christiane Waldrich via Allen, Erdmann and Ichida (2024)
Sponge frillgobies are considered “small,” reaching about 1.5 inches in length, the study said. They have “rounded” snouts, notched tongues and rows of teeth, including some “canine-like teeth.”
Photos show the new species’ vivid eyes and “dense covering of reddish-brown freckles.” The mix of pink, white, and red-brown hues helps the fish blend in with its surroundings.
A Bathygobius mero, or sponge frillgoby. Photo from Christiane Waldrich via Allen, Erdmann and Ichida (2024)
Sponge frillgobies live between 30 feet to 100 feet down and on the outer surface of giant barrel sponges, scientifically known as Xestospongia testudinaria and pictured above, the study said. Researchers saw up to 20 fish around “a single sponge.”
The new species’ sponge-dwelling habitat is “unique” and “unusual,” researchers said. Frillgobies are usually “relatively drab” fish found at shallower depths and typically “free-living on sand or hard surfaces of the reef environment.”
A Bathygobius mero, or sponge frillgoby. Photo from Christiane Waldrich via Allen, Erdmann and Ichida (2024)
Thousands of new species are found each year. Here are three of our most recent eye-catching stories.
→ ‘Big’-eyed creature with ‘elongated limbs’ seen clinging to cliff
→ ‘Large’-eyed creature with ‘heart shaped’ tongue found in swamp
→ 2-foot-long predator with ‘large’ nostrils found lurking in trees
Researchers said they named the new species “mero” after the Indonesian Marine Education and Research Organisation (MERO) that funded their work. The new species’ common name refers to its preferred habitat.
So far, sponge frillgobies have been found at two sites in Indonesia, one site in Australia and one site in the Philippines, the study said.
A Bathygobius mero, or sponge frillgoby. Photo from Christiane Waldrich via Allen, Erdmann and Ichida (2024)
The new species was identified by its preferred habitat, coloring, fins and other subtle physical features, the study said. Researchers did not provide a DNA analysis of the new species.
The research team included Gerald Allen, Mark Erdmann and Nisha Ichida.
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