Recently, scientists discovered and confirmed a new bright blue species of small octopus in the deep sea of the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador, reminding people that there is still a large amount of unknown life lurking in the deep sea. The archipelago, world-famous for its unique biodiversity, already hosts thousands of endemic species of plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth, such as giant tortoises and marine iguanas, and now this new discovery adds to the region's status as a "treasure trove of species."
The formal description of the new species was published in the taxonomic journal Zootaxa. The research team pointed out that this small octopus is not only eye-catching in appearance and small in size, but also significantly different from known octopus species in anatomical characteristics and phylogenetic relationships, so it was confirmed to be a new species never seen before in science.
This little octopus was first discovered during a deep-sea scientific expedition in 2015. At that time, the scientific expedition team took the research vessel "E/V Nautilus", jointly with the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park Service, to conduct deep-sea exploration in the waters near Darwin Island. Darwin Island is one of the northernmost islands in the Galapagos. It is named after the naturalist Darwin, whose ecological observations provided important inspiration for the formation of the theory of evolution.
During the investigation, when researchers used a remote-controlled submersible robot (ROV) to investigate an underwater mountain at a depth of about 5,800 feet (about 1,773 meters), a bright blue small octopus moving slowly on the seafloor suddenly appeared in the camera lens, causing scientists on board to exclaim: "It's so small!"
After returning to land, the researchers sent a large number of deep-sea biological specimens collected on this voyage to the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos for identification. Among the many specimens, this small blue octopus, which is only about the size of a golf ball, is particularly eye-catching. After comparison, it was found that it did not match any known species.
To further confirm its identity, the researchers contacted octopus expert Janet Voight of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and sent her photos of the specimen. Voight recalled that she realized at first sight that this was a "very special" specimen because she had never seen an octopus in similar form.
After completing pre-processing at the Galapagos Research Station, the octopus specimen was fixed and preserved in alcohol and formalin, and then sent to Chicago for systematic research by Voight's team. Since this is the only specimen currently known, how to obtain sufficient internal structure information without destroying the specimen has become a major problem in research.
Traditionally, describing a new octopus species requires detailed observation of key features such as its mouthparts, beak and tooth-like structures, which usually have to be dissected to see. But given the specimen's uniqueness and rarity, Voight expressed reluctance to permanently damage it by dissecting it.
To solve this problem, Voight teamed up with Stephanie Smith, director of the Field Museum's X-ray Computed Tomography Laboratory, to use micro-CT technology to non-destructively scan the specimens. Smith pointed out that CT imaging does not require incision of specimens and is particularly suitable for the detailed study of such type specimens, so they often have the opportunity to "virtually open" these rare and exquisite specimens.
CT imaging reconstructs a highly detailed three-dimensional digital model by integrating thousands of X-ray slices, allowing researchers to observe internal structures from all angles without actual dissection. Scans of this little blue octopus clearly revealed many key anatomical features of its mouth and internal organs, providing a decisive basis for confirming its species identity and clarifying its evolutionary relationship with other octopuses.
Alexander Ziegler, a scientist at the University of Bonn in Germany who participated in the study, said that he was particularly surprised that the CT scan of this specimen still obtained extremely clear soft tissue images without using heavy metal contrast agents. This greatly simplifies the three-dimensional modeling of relevant internal organs and also demonstrates the potential of micro-CT in the study of rare molluscs.
After systematic morphological and imaging analysis, the research team named this new species "Microeledone galapagensis". For Voight, this discovery not only expands human understanding of the diversity of deep-sea octopuses, but is also a personal milestone. After more than 40 years of studying octopus evolution, this is the first time she has officially published a systematic description of a new octopus species as the first author.
Voight said that there are very few people on earth who can see these small octopuses that live in the deep sea with their own eyes, and she feels very lucky to be able to "encounter" them and conduct research. She also emphasized that if all the land on the earth were put together, the area would still not be enough to cover the entire Pacific Ocean. There are still large areas of the vast ocean that have not been explored.
Salome Buglas, a marine scientist who participated in the expedition and thesis work, pointed out that when they were sorting out dozens of deep-sea specimens collected during this voyage, this tiny blue octopus immediately attracted everyone's attention. Because they thought it was "unusual", the team made up their mind to seek out suitable experts from various sources to help identify it, and did not hesitate to spend time and energy transporting specimens across countries.
Buglas said she would be willing to repeat the process again and again if the effort resulted in a better understanding of the ocean's most precious life forms. In her view, such discoveries remind people that there are still a large number of areas in the Galapagos deep sea that have not been touched by science. The confirmation of each new species helps humans better understand these hidden ecosystems and also highlights the importance of protecting them.
The research team emphasized that deep-sea exploration and the discovery of new species not only have academic value, but are also directly related to the formulation of marine protection policies. As human activities continue to extend into the deep sea, effective protection can only be achieved if we first understand what life forms there. Otherwise, many unique species may face threats before they are even recognized.
The related paper "A new Microeledone species from the Galapagos Islands and a revised diagnosis of the family Megaleledonidae" was co-published by Voight, Smith, Buglas, Ziegler and others, and was published in the journal "Zootaxa" on May 25, 2025. This article not only provides a detailed description of Microeledone galapagensis, but also revised the diagnostic characteristics of the octopus family Megaleledonidae, which has important reference significance for future classification studies of related taxa.