Scientists of the  Schmidt Ocean Institute and the University of Costa Rica, aboard the institute's R/V Falkor, have discovered at least four new deep-sea octopus species in a 100-square-mile-sized area off Costa Rica. 

The international science team discovered the new species during two 2023 expeditions examining seamounts off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. 

The team found two octopus nurseries affiliated with hydrothermal springs during their first expedition in June. Six months later, scientists returned to the nurseries and confirmed they appeared to be active year-round. They also observed several other new octopus species away from the hydrothermal springs.

Both expeditions were led by Drs. Beth Orcutt of the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and Jorge Cortés of the University of Costa Rica.   

The four species were identified and are currently being described by Dr. Janet Voight, associate curator of invertebrate zoology from the Field Museum of Natural History, and Fiorella Vasquez from the Zoological Museum at the University of Costa Rica. 

One of the new octopuses is a new species of Muusoctopus and will be named Dorado Octopus after the initial location of discovery, a small outcrop of rock unofficially called El Dorado Hill. 

It is a related but distinct species from the Pearl Octopus found at Davidson Seamount in California in 2018, the site of another deep-sea octopus nursery. 

Of the four new Costa Rica species, only the Dorado octopus was observed brooding their eggs at hydrothermal springs. 

The discovery adds to evidence that the Muusoctopus genus has evolved to brood their eggs in warm springs on the seafloor. 

“Through hard work, our team discovered new hydrothermal springs offshore Costa Rica and confirmed that they host nurseries of deep-sea octopus and unique biodiversity,” said Orcutt. “It was less than a decade ago that low-temperature hydrothermal venting was confirmed on ancient volcanoes away from mid-ocean ridges. These sites are significantly difficult to find since you cannot detect their signatures in the water column.”

Over 160 deep-sea animal specimens collected from the December expedition will be archived at the Museum of Zoology at the University of Costa Rica, adding to the 150 specimens collected in June.

This marks one of the first times that all biological specimens will be housed within the Latin American country from which they were acquired following a deep-sea expedition, rather than being sent to the United States or Europe.

Housing the collection in Costa Rica enables local scientists and students to easily access samples for research, with the potential to inform regional management strategies for the deep sea.

“The impact of the R/V Falkor (too) expeditions on understanding the deep Pacific waters of Costa Rica will last into the future and hopefully create awareness that evolves into policies to protect the deep sea of the country,” said Cortés, “I hope that the expedition serves as an inspiration for new generations. We need more international collaborations to advance knowledge of our deep-sea heritage.”

Several other discoveries came from the expeditions. The science team found a thriving deep-sea skate nursery at the top of another seamount in Costa Rican waters, nicknaming the site Skate Park.

The team also located three hydrothermal springs in the region, 10 to 30 nautical miles from each other. The springs all have different fluid temperatures and chemistries from one another, indicating unique reaction processes are facilitating their formation.

“Schmidt Ocean Institute supports the global scientific community wherever Falkor (too) is operating,” said Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Executive Director, Dr. Jyotika Virmani, “Drs. Cortés and Orcutt formed a team that truly exemplifies international collaboration which empowers scientists within Costa Rica and enriches local knowledge and understanding of the Ocean. In 2024, we will be operating in waters off Peru and Chile and look forward to welcoming scientists from South America on board.”

Schmidt Ocean Institute, located in Palo Alto, California, USA,  was established in 2009 by Eric and Wendy Schmidt to catalyze the discoveries needed to understand the ocean.


----------
How could this discovery be useful in protecting octopuses?  We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com