''Dulcibella camanchaca'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

amphipod Amphipoda () is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods () range in size from and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 10,700 amphipod species cur ...

in the

monotypic genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

''Dulcibella''. The species inhabits the Atacama Trench, and is found at depths of nearly in the

South Pacific Ocean South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

near

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

; this makes it one of the deepest-living

predators Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...

identified to date, being well adapted to the extreme conditions of the

hadal zone The hadal zone, also known as the hadopelagic zone, is the deep sea, deepest region of the ocean, lying within oceanic trenches. The hadal zone ranges from around below sea level, and exists in long, narrow, topographic V-shaped depressions. T ...

Discovery

The species was first observed during a 2023

oceanographic Oceanography (), also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific study of the ocean, including its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of top ...

expedition, in the process of installing the Integrated Deep-Ocean Observing System (IDOOS), a network of

sensor A sensor is often defined as a device that receives and responds to a signal or stimulus. The stimulus is the quantity, property, or condition that is sensed and converted into electrical signal. In the broadest definition, a sensor is a devi ...

s designed to aid scientific research within the Atacama Trench. The research team used

benthic lander A benthic lander is an autonomous observational platform that sits on the seabed or benthic zone to record physical, chemical or biological activity. Benthic landers have deployment durations from a few days (for biological studies) to sever ...

s to collect specimens from depths nearing 8,000 meters, and four specimens were used to describe the species. ''Dulcibella camanchaca'' was formally described in 2024 by

marine biologists Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms that inhabit the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology clas ...

Johanna Weston and Carolina González; the identification of ''D. camanchaca'' as a new species was confirmed through

DNA analysis Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

and detailed morphological examination. This discovery has contributed to the growing recognition of the Atacama Trench as a region of high biodiversity and

endemism Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

. Continued exploration of these regions may yield insights into the adaptations and biodiversity of organisms living in extreme conditions.

Description

''Dulcibella camanchaca'' is larger than most other amphipods found at similar depths, measuring approximately in length. It exhibits predatory behavior, using specialized

appendage An appendage (or outgrowth) is an external body part or natural prolongation that protrudes from an organism's body such as an arm or a leg. Protrusions from single-celled bacteria and archaea are known as cell-surface appendages or surface app ...

s to capture and consume smaller

crustacean Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthrop ...

s, which suggest an ecological role as an active predator in the hadal zone.

Notes

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q131424541, from2=Q131424539 Amphilochidea Taxa described in 2024 Monotypic amphipod genera Fauna of the Pacific Ocean Endemic fauna of Chile Species described in the 21st century