Two Scripps-Named Marine Species Make Top 10 List

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• Brittany Hook- [email protected]

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• marine biology
• marine life
• deep-sea creatures
• new species
• biodiversity

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Glittery sea worms and sea squirts fit for The Lord of the Ringsuniverse might sound like pure fantasy, but they're very real creatures living in the deep sea. Some of these otherworldly ocean animals are even featured in the latest "Top 10 New Marine Species" list published by the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS).

Scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography described two of the new species - Iskra's glitter worm and the Elven abyss tunicate - that made the top 10 list.

Coinciding with Taxonomist Appreciation Day on March 19, 2026, the release of the 2025 list celebrates some of the most remarkable new species discovered or described in the past year. The recognition also shines a light on the vital contributions of taxonomists, who are responsible for classifying, naming and describing Earth's diverse living organisms.

Researchers often use remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to explore deep-sea environments and collect specimens, which are then preserved in museums or repositories, such as the renowned Scripps Oceanographic Collections. According to WoRMS, the top 10 list offers just a glimpse of the more than 2,500 new marine species identified in 2025.

"The ocean harbors an astonishing amount of biodiversity, much of which remains undiscovered, let alone named," said Greg Rouse, curator of the Benthic Invertebrate Collectionat Scripps Oceanography and a co-author on two of the papers describing the new marine species. "Discovering dazzling creatures like Iskra's glitter worm and the Elven abyss tunicate reminds us how important it is to protect our planet and its largely unexplored ocean ecosystems."

Iskra's glitter worm

Scientists exploring the seafloor off the coast of California have discovered a new species of shimmering, scale-covered worm, named Iskra's glitter worm(Photinopolynoe iskrae).

Found deep in the Pacific Ocean, these unique glitter worms were collected from the seafloor using ROVs. Iskra's glitter worm, along with six other new species of scaleworms, was officially described in a study published in Marine Biodiversityin November 2025. The research was led by Scripps Oceanography graduate students Avery Hiley and Kiirah Green, alongside Professor Rouse.

Iskra's glitter worm has been found in several unusual habitats: whale falls, where the bodies of sunken whales become entire ecosystems; wood falls, formed by drifting trees that sink to the seafloor; and methane seeps, patches of seafloor where gas leaks out from deep within the Earth's crust. Despite their apparent differences, these diverse deep-sea habitats are united in their reliance on chemosynthetic bacteria, rather than sunlight, to produce energy. Unlike most of its relatives, Iskra's glitter worm thrives across all three environments, offering unique insights into life in some of Earth's most unusual habitats.

"In addition to its stunning, iridescent scales, Photinopolynoe iskraewas a particularly special discovery because it is likely a habitat generalist compared to its close relatives," said Hiley, lead author of the study. "I was impressed that this species thrives across multiple deep-sea ecosystems with varying extreme conditions."

The name Iskra, meaning "spark," was chosen by high school student Maja Young from the American School in Warsaw. She named the new species after her childhood dog, following her win in the "Inspired by the Deep" competition, which challenged participants to explore how elements of the deep sea could inspire solutions for environmental issues on land.

The Schmidt Ocean Institute supported this research by providing ship time aboard its research vessel Falkor, as well as covering open-access publication costs. The U.S. National Science Foundation supported field collection and laboratory analysis for select expeditions in Costa Rica. Collection of other samples was enabled by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and the Ocean Exploration Trust.

The Elven abyss tunicate

The closest living relatives of vertebrates are, surprisingly, gelatinous filter feeders permanently glued to the seafloor. These creatures are ascidians - also known as sea squirts or tunicates - shaped much like Shrek's head, with two siphons resembling his ears: one sucks water in, and the other expels it.

Of the approximately 2,300 known species of sea squirts, members of the deep-sea family Octacnemidae are among the strangest. Living in the deep ocean, they face a world where food is scarce. Unlike their shallow-water cousins that filter feed on plankton, these tunicates specialize in catching larger prey. Rather than looking like one of Shrek's ears, their oral siphon has transformed into a large Venus flytrap-like structure, ready to trap unsuspecting prey like copepods and other small animals.

This remarkable survival adaptation is seen in specimens of the Elven abyss tunicate(Kaikoja undume) that were collected from depths of 2,000-4,000 meters (6,500-13,100 feet) off northern Western Australia in 2020. The species was described by Peter Mandre, then a graduate student at Scripps, and Professor Rouse in a study published in Diversityin December 2025.

The species name undumecomes from the Elven language of Middle-earth. Decades before The Lord of the Rings was published, author J.R.R. Tolkien wrote "The Markirya Poem" in Elvish, which includes the phrase "undumë hácala," translating to "abyss yawning." The researchers felt the name was a perfect fit, as the tunicate's oral siphon is typically open, yawning in the dark abyss while waiting for prey. In other words, copepods and small animals drifting in the deep "shall not pass" the creature easily.

"I stumbled upon the poem after reading about Tolkien's Quenya (Elvish) language," said Mandre, lead author of the paper and a current staff researcher at Scripps. "I love Middle-earth, especially The Hobbitbook and thought an Elvish species name would be wonderful - especially since the elves have this connotation of caring for the world they live in, a lifestyle we should all strive to contribute to."

The researchers also noted that Kaikoja undumeis a prime example of how the organisms inhabiting Earth's oceans can be as strange and alien as anything imagined in Tolkien's Middle-earth.

"The considerable transparency of these organisms is incredible. I know most people have a favorite color, but after working with these specimens, I can say I have a newfound appreciation for transparent/translucent animals," said Mandre. "The particular genus is rather weird considering how different the three species are. However, once we found the key traits they each share, the diagnosis was clear: a new Kaikojaspecies."

The discovery of the Elven abyss tunicate stemmed from the Schmidt Ocean Institute's expedition "Illuminating Biodiversity of the Ningaloo Canyons," led by Scripps Visiting Scholar Nerida Wilson aboard R/V Falkor.

Visit the World Register of Marine Species websiteto explore the full list of speciesthat made the top 10.