A two-week workshop identified 57 marine species new to science and five new genera from Argentina’s Mar del Plata Canyon. In July 2026, 20 taxonomists from Latin America and Europe gathered in Buenos Aires to examine specimens, most collected during a 2025 expedition. Livestreamed dives by the remotely operated vehicle SuBastian attracted more than four million viewers. An orange sea star resembling SpongeBob SquarePants character Patrick Star became a particular attraction, although it was not a new species and was left undisturbed.
The discoveries comprised 22 echinoderms, including sea cucumbers and feather stars; 20 copepods; 14 corals and sea pens; and one mollusk with a tusk-shaped shell. A sea cucumber nicknamed Loki for its two horn-like appendages lives 2,577 meters below the surface. Every copepod specimen examined proved new to science, yet 90% of those samples remain unexamined. The discoveries have not yet received formal scientific descriptions, which require peer-reviewed publication and reference specimens deposited in museums.
The canyon lies where the warm Brazil current meets the cold, nutrient-rich Malvinas current, creating conditions that support abundant life. Nevertheless, researchers recorded 29 pieces of litter across 10 dives, mostly plastic and some rubber. Much of the trash was fishing gear, leading them to suspect that most originated from activity at sea. The specimens will remain in Argentina’s national collections. The expedition team plans to explore a different canyon with Schmidt Ocean Institute in February and March 2027.
