New Planktonic Species Discovered Off Oregon Coast: Basket-Star Larvae Described in New Paper
Marine biologists have discovered a new planktonic organism off the Oregon coast — the larval stage of a basket star — described in a paper published October 2, phys.org reported.
Basket stars are echinoderms famed for their branching arms as adults. The newly found larval form had never been scientifically described; researchers confirmed its identity through morphology and DNA sequencing.
The team said the find enriches understanding of Northeast Pacific plankton diversity and shows larval dispersal in deep-sea species remains poorly understood. The paper appears in a peer-reviewed journal.
Oregon State University and other institutions have long surveyed marine biodiversity in the Northeast Pacific. Researchers say the deep sea likely still hides vast numbers of undescribed species, and every sampling cruise can bring surprises.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 海蛇尾，Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0，摄影：California Department of Fish
