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New Species of Antarctic Dragonfish Discovered

A new species of Antarctic dragonfish, Akarotaxis gouldae or Banded Dragonfish, has been discovered in waters off the western Antarctic Peninsula by researchers at VIMS and William & Mary’s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences, including lead author Andrew Corso, who was a graduate student at the time.

The species, named in honor of the recently decommissioned Antarctic research and supply vessel (ARSV) Laurence M. Gould and its crew, exemplifies both the unknown biodiversity and fragile state of the Antarctic ecosystem.

Akarotaxis gouldae, a newly discovered species of Antarctic dragonfish, was named in honor of the recently decomissioned Antarctic research supply vessel Laurence M. Gould. (Image provided by Andrew Corso)

You can read more about this exciting discovery from VIMS News and NSF News.

And you can find the original paper describing this species in the journal Zootaxa,