This “golden tree” coral was too strange for any known family
Scientists have identified a new genus and family of deep-sea coral off the coast of Costa Rica, named 'Laurinque' after J.R.R. Tolkien's Elvish language. The discovery was made using remotely operated vehicles during expeditions to explore seamounts.
Why it matters
Identifying new marine species helps researchers better understand deep-sea biodiversity and the evolutionary history of ocean ecosystems.
Scientists surveying underwater mountains off Costa Rica have identified a remarkable new coral that is unlike any known coral family. Its genetic makeup and physical features were so distinctive that researchers created an entirely new family to classify it. The bright yellow coral, which has a branching, tree-like appearance, was discovered between 360 and 529 meters below the Pacific Ocean's surface. The findings are reported in the open-access journal ZooKeys .
Some colonies grow more than a meter tall. Researchers collected specimens using the remotely operated vehicle SuBastian during expeditions in 2019 and 2023 aboard the research vessels Falkor and Falkor ( too), which are operated by the Schmidt Ocean Institute. The expeditions explored seamounts near Isla del Coco and along Costa Rica's Pacific margin.
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