A scientific team has officially described a new species of deep-sea cartilaginous fish in the Costa Rican Pacific. Discovered using three specimens collected off the coast of Puntarenas, the species has been given the scientific name Rhinochimaera costaricana.
It belongs to the chimaera family—mysterious fish closely related to sharks and rays, commonly known as “ghost sharks.”
The groundbreaking discovery was published on June 10 in the prestigious scientific journal Zootaxa. The project highlights a massive win for local academia, featuring a collaboration between the University of Costa Rica (UCR), the Costa Rican Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Incopesca), and the Federal University of Pará in Brazil.
A Major Milestone for Local Scientists
What makes this discovery even more remarkable is its leadership. Naidely Valeria Vidaurre Quesada, a Biology student at the UCR, served as the lead author of the scientific paper.
The full co-author team includes:
- Arturo Angulo (UCR Researcher)
- Alexander Salas Jiménez, José Miguel Carvajal Rodríguez, and Nixon Lara Quesada (Incopesca)
- Simoni Santos and Juliana Araripe (Federal University of Pará)
The new species was described using three male specimens measuring between 775 and 830 millimeters in total length. They were collected between 2000 and 2023 at striking depths ranging from 390 to 787 meters. The first specimen was found in 2000 near Isla del Caño, while the remaining two were recovered in 2023 off Cabo Blanco, Puntarenas.
What Makes Rhinochimaera costaricana Unique?
Until now, the Rhinochimaera genus only included three recognized species worldwide: R. africana, R. atlantica, and R. pacifica. The new Costa Rican species stands out due to a unique combination of morphological traits and genetic evidence.
Distinctive Features:
- Coloring: A dark brown body with nearly black fins.
- Anatomy: An elongated, paddle-shaped snout.
- Dorsal Fins: A larger, taller spine on the first dorsal fin and wider spacing between the dorsal fins.
- Tail: Fewer tubercles in the caudal region.
“According to the study, the genetic sequences of the specimens showed differences of 3.9% compared to R. africana, 4.5% compared to R. atlantica, and 4.7% compared to R. pacifica—percentages that firmly support its recognition as a entirely distinct species.”
To confirm the hypothesis, Vidaurre Quesada traveled to the Natural History Museum in London, supported by the UCR and the Deep Ocean Alliance, where she reviewed historical global archives to guarantee the species was truly new to science.
The Power of Institutional Collaboration
This discovery highlights the vital role of teamwork between national and international organizations. Biologists from Incopesca originally recovered and protected two of the three specimens during fisheries research expeditions.
By preserving these specimens and transferring them to the scientific collections at the UCR Museum of Zoology, they secured the vital evidence needed to unlock this deep-sea secret—and preserved it for generations of scientists to come.
