Researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California in San Diego were studying ways to protect the two known species of seadragons, the orange-tinted leafy seadragon and yellow and purple common seadragon. Related to the seahorse, the two species are native to southern and western coastal waters of Australia.
While engaged in their studies at the Western Australian Museum, they came across a pregnant male seadragon carrying dozens of babies with ruby-red coloring. This particular specimen had been caught off the Recherche Archipelago near Australia’s southern coast in 2007. The specimen was accessioned at the Western Australian Museum (WAM P33223.002) as a common seadragon. It was only after DNA sequencing that the uniqueness of this seadragon was recognized.
Since the initial finding, only three other examples of this unusual species have been found, including one from 1919. The new species was given the taxonomic name, Phyllopteryx dewysea. “All this time we thought that there were only two species,” marine biologist Nerida Wilson of the Western Australia Museum said in a press release. “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.”
The details of the new discovery were published in the journal Royal Society Open Science on Feb. 18. In describing the study, researchers noticed that in analyzing the DNA samples from the WAM P33223.002 specimen, it was immediately apparent that the DNA sequencing didn’t match other seadragons. The real breakthrough came after the scientists requested photos and the full specimen. What they saw was a totally new look for a seadragon.
Seadragons have long, thin snouts, and a slender trunk covered in spiny rings. The long, thin tail cannot be used for grasping, like the tail in seahorses. Their dorsal and pectoral fins are small and transparent, making their movements through the water awkward, causing them to tumble and go with the currents. They feed on small crustaceans, like mysids, or sea lice. The scientists believe the ruby-red seadragon lives in deeper waters than its cousins, and its coloration is a form of camouflage, helping it to survive.
