Story perspectives

New Species Discovered in Guam and Utah Expeditions

1/4/2026

Center

Rocha Explores Guam

Luiz Rocha, ichthyology curator at the California Academy of Sciences, led an expedition in Guam's twilight zone.
The expedition collected 2,000 specimens, including 20 new species.
Researchers used autonomous reef monitoring structures (ARMS) to gather data for eight years.
In Utah, researchers discovered a new nematode species, Diplolaimelloides woaabi, in the Great Salt Lake, which may serve as a bioindicator of the lake's health and warrants further study.

Right

Researchers Identify Species

The University of Arizona researchers report in Science Advances that more than 16,000 new species are identified annually, a historic high.
They show that over 10,000 new animal species, 2,500 plants, and 2,000 fungi are identified each year.
Extinctions are estimated at about 10 per year, far outpaced by new discoveries.
Advances in molecular analysis are likely to further improve species identification, especially among similar-looking organisms.

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Rocha Explores Guam

Luiz Rocha, ichthyology curator at the California Academy of Sciences, led an expedition in Guam's twilight zone.
The expedition collected 2,000 specimens, including 20 new species.
Researchers used autonomous reef monitoring structures (ARMS) to gather data for eight years.
In Utah, researchers discovered a new nematode species, Diplolaimelloides woaabi, in the Great Salt Lake, which may serve as a bioindicator of the lake's health and warrants further study.

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