New elusive sunfish species discovered
Scientists have discovered a new species of gigantic ocean sunfish – that could weigh up to two tonnes – after it remained hidden for three centuries. Iconic ocean sunfishes are the heaviest and most distinctive of all bony fishes, with some species weighing in excess of two tonnes and growing to three metres in length. The newly discovered species, named the Hoodwinker Sunfish, is thought to approach a similar size, researchers said.
Marianne Nyegaard from Murdoch University in Australia uncovered the new species while researching the population genetics of ocean sunfish in the Indo-pacific region. Nyegaard, began her investigations after noticing genetic differences in sunfish samples from the Australian and New Zealand long line fishery. “A Japanese research group first found genetic evidence of an unknown sunfish species in Australian waters 10 years ago, but the fish kept eluding the scientific community because we did not know what it looked like,” Nyegaard said.
Researchers collected data from 27 specimens of the new species, travelling thousands of miles or relying on strangers to take samples of sunfish found stranded on remote beaches over a period of three years. “The new species managed to evade discovery for nearly three centuries by ‘hiding’ in a …read more
