Lukas VFN πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡ΊSep 1, 2024

#NewSpecies of #fish from #Antarctica highlights its threatened ecosystem https://phys.org/news/2024-08-species-antarctic-dragonfish-highlights-threatened.html

Akarotaxis gouldae, a new species of #Antarctic #dragonfish from the western Antarctic Peninsula https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5501.2.3

"a population of #dragonfishes may have become isolated within deep trenches under #glaciers, surviving on food pushed in by the moving ice. Once the glaciers retreated, this subpopulation had become distinct enough to be reproductively incompatible with Akarotaxis nudiceps"

New species of Antarctic dragonfish highlights its threatened ecosystem

A new species of Antarctic dragonfish, Akarotaxis gouldae or Banded Dragonfish, has been discovered in waters off the western Antarctic Peninsula by researchers at William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). The species, named in honor of the recently decommissioned Antarctic research and supply vessel (ARSV) Laurence M. Gould and its crew, exemplifies both the unknown biodiversity and fragile state of the Antarctic ecosystem.

Phys.org
Lukas VFN πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡ΊJul 24, 2024

When searching for light and a mate in the deep, dark sea, male #dragonfish grow larger eyes https://phys.org/news/2024-07-deep-dark-sea-male-dragonfish.html

Sexually dimorphic eye size in #dragonfishes, a response to a bioluminescent signalling gap https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0165

Like many creatures that inhabit the dark #DeepSea, dragonfish survive thanks to numerous adaptations, including glowing #bioluminescence. But females are not quite as bright as males... male #fish have evolved larger eyes to find females who produce less light.

When searching for light and a mate in the deep, dark sea, male dragonfish grow larger eyes, scientists discover

A small but ferocious predator, the male dragonfish will apparently do anything for love. Or at least to find a mate. A study by researchers at Boston College found that the eyes of the male dragonfish grow larger for mate-seeking purposes, making the dragonfish an anomaly in vertebrate evolution. The team report their findings in the journal Biology Letters.

Phys.org