A team of ichthyologists from the California Academy of Sciences has identified a new damselfish species in the deep-sea coral reefs of the Maldives. Published in their paper in the journal ZooKeys, the team detailed how they discovered numerous examples of the fish on an expedition that involved exploring deep-sea coral reefs in the Maldives. The team named the new species of damselfish Chromis abadhah.

The fish, averaging 6.9 cm in length, features a pale blue underside with a white top, a common two-tone adaptation for deep-sea camouflage. Found near crevasses, close to sea sponges indicated that the C. abadhah is popular among predators.

The team noted that the deep-sea reefs face fewer risks from the acidification due to the increasing amounts of carbon dioxide in the air in comparison to shallow reefs. However, deep-sea reefs are threatened by human activities, including discarded nets, trash, and bleaching, etc. The discovery of C. abadhah highlights the ecological significance of these unexplored habitats.

Featured Images: ZooKeys