4 Standout Species Described in 2020

Scientific name: Plectranthias hinano
Family: Serranidae (includes anthias, sea bass, and grouper)
Discovered in: French Polynesia
Described by: Bart Shepherd, Senior Director of Steinhart Aquarium; Luiz Rocha, PhD, Curator and Follett Chair of Ichthyology; and collaborators

This vibrant little fish inhabits MCEs (Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems) in the Central Pacific Ocean at depths of around 300 feet. A team of deep-diving scientists collected a specimen using SubCAS, a groundbreaking Academy invention designed to safely transport fish from ocean depths to sea level. Travel plans not taking you to Tahiti anytime soon? Look forward to experiencing a kaleidoscopic array of mesophotic species in the Twilight Zone exhibit when the Academy reopens.

Scientific name: Chromodoris spp.
Family: Chromodorididae (includes nudibranchs)
Discovered in: Indo-Pacific region
Described by: Terry Gosliner, Senior Curator of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology, and Lynn Bonomo, master’s student, San Francisco State University

“The really big researchers are the ones who name species. I never thought I would name a species.” Lynn Bonomo was right. She didn’t name a nudibranch species—she named four. The new Chromodoris species she described display striking colors and eye-popping patterns that likely serve to warn would-be predators of the animals’ toxicity. Tune in to NightSchool on January 7 to hear Lynn and Terry discuss their discoveries.

Scientific name: Lyropecten terrysmithae
Family: Pectinidae (includes scallops)
Discovered in: Invertebrate Zoology & Geology collections
Described by: Charles Powell, II, Academy Research Associate; Chrissy Garcia, Collections Manager, Geology; Cheryl Millard

Comprising over 46 million specimens from microscopic bacteria to massive whale skeletons, the Academy’s scientific collections are a dazzling library of life. They’re also a frequent epicenter of discovery. During a review of fossil collections from institutions across California, Powell, Garcia, and Millard were able to pick up where mollusk expert Dr. Judy Terry Smith left off, describing an all-new, 11-million-year-old scallop species—and naming it after the pioneering paleontologist herself.

Scientific name: Yaksha peretti
Family: Albanerpetontidae (includes extinct amphibians)
Discovered in: Myanmar
Described by: Aaron Bauer, PhD, Research Associate, and collaborators

Fossils alone are a paleontological payday, but fossils in amber are the jackpot, preserving details of a specimen that might otherwise be lost to the ages. “To have this unique opportunity to look at a complete skull that is not deformed as many are gives us a look into the face of an animal that lived 100 million years ago,” explains Bauer. “It might be decades before another specimen of this quality appears.”