![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Collage-of-the-24-new-Amphipod-species-identified-in-Clarion-Clipperton-Zone-credit-National-Oceanog.jpeg\")
Collage of the 24 new Amphipod species identified in Clarion-Clipperton Zone \u2013 credit, National Oceanographic Center, Southampton<\/p>\n Collage of the 24 new Amphipod species identified in Clarion-Clipperton Zone \u2013 credit, National Oceanographic Center, Southampton<\/p>\n
A recent international survey of a deep sea zone near Mexico turned up 24 species of shrimp-like animals called amphipods, including a whole new taxonomic family, called Mirabestiidae.<\/p>\n
The survey<\/a> took place in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) between Hawaii and Mexico, where a fractious seabed can range in depth from 10,000 to 20,000 feet.<\/p>\n Over 10,000 species of amphipods have been described by science, yet they\u2019re such a diverse order of animals, an expedition such as this can still scoop out handfuls of new ones\u2014and in all different colors too.<\/p>\n \u201cTo find a new superfamily is incredibly exciting, and very rarely happens so this is a discovery we will all remember,\u201d said Dr. Tammy Horton of the UK\u2019s National Oceanographic Center (NOC) in Southampton.<\/p>\n \u201cWith more than 90% of species in the CCZ still unnamed, each species described is a vital step towards improving our understanding of this fascinating ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n The NOC was joined by partners and aspiring scientists from all across Europe, as well as New Zealand and Canada, for a weeks-long taxonomy workshop organized at the University of Lodz, Poland, led by Dr. Anna Ja\u017cd\u017cewska.<\/p>\n The expedition and workshop were organized under the International Seabed Authority\u2019s Sustainable Seabed Knowledge Initiative (SSKI) which aims to describe 1,000 new species by the end of the decade in order to possess a better understanding of deep-seabed biodiversity when making decisions about deep-sea mining.<\/p>\n \u201cThe team\u2019s findings provide information that is crucial for future conservation and policy decisions, and it highlights how important it is for this work to continue,\u201d Dr. Ja\u017cd\u017cewska said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stretching 1.7 million square miles across the eastern Pacific Ocean, the CCZ was discovered by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1954. It\u2019s been an extremely well-surveyed area of the deep seabed, though that in itself isn\u2019t saying much, and indeed 42% of all known deep sea species were first described<\/a> in the CCZ.<\/p>\n The expedition uncovered a new family, called Mirabestiidae, and even a new superfamily Mirabestioidea, revealing completely new evolutionary branches. Two new genera were also discovered: Mirabestia\u00a0and\u00a0Pseudolepechinella.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Location-of-the-Clarion-Clipperton-Zone-credit-USGS-1024x673.jpg\")
Location of the Clarion Clipperton Zone \u2013 credit USGS<\/p>\n