Paraliparis selti explained

Paraliparis selti, the blue Atacama snailfish, is a species of deep water snailfish that is native to the south-east Pacific Ocean hadal zone 6,714 meters under water in the Atacama Trench (Peru–Chile Trench). P. selti is 83 millimeters in length total and 75.9 millimeters in standard length. its one of the 200 species of snailfish discovered in the southern hemisphere.^[1]

Description

Paraliparis selti has low large blue eyes similar in appearance to shallow water snailfish species. The main pigmentation of Paraliparis selti is blue but turns a dusky color when preserved.^[2] The head lacks any head flaps or barbels. P. selti has a deep rounded snout with it becoming bluntly rounded apron preservation.^[3]

Morphology

Paraliparis selti is distinct from other snailfish in the same area due to it having 65 vertebrae and 12 abdominal vertebrae which is more than many other snailfish species. P. selti also has a comparatively low number of pectoral fins only having 18.^[4]

Naming

When P. selti was discovered in 2022, scientist named the new species Paraliparis selti with "Paraliparis" being its genus and the species name, "selti" meaning blue in the Kunza language (an extinct language in northern Chile and Peru).^[5]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Source . News Staff / . 2022-10-13 . New Deep-Sea Snailfish Species Discovered in Atacama Trench Sci. News . 2022-10-17 . Sci.News: Breaking Science News . en-US.
2. Web site: Geneseo . State University of New York at . A small trench-dwelling fish makes a splash in deep-sea evolution . 2022-10-22 . phys.org . en.
3. Linley . Thomas D. . Gerringer . Mackenzie E. . Ritchie . Heather . Weston . Johanna N. J. . Scott-Murray . Amy . Fernandez . Vincent . Canto-Hernández . Jhoann . Wenzhöfer . Frank . Glud . Ronnie N. . Jamieson . Alan J. . 2022-10-01 . Independent radiation of snailfishes into the hadal zone confirmed by Paraliparis selti sp. nov. (Perciformes: Liparidae) from the Atacama Trench, SE Pacific . Marine Biodiversity . en . 52 . 5 . 56 . 10.1007/s12526-022-01294-0 . 1867-1624. free . 2022MarBd..52...56L .
4. Linley . Thomas D. . Gerringer . Mackenzie E. . Ritchie . Heather . Weston . Johanna N. J. . Scott-Murray . Amy . Fernandez . Vincent . Canto-Hernández . Jhoann . Wenzhöfer . Frank . Glud . Ronnie N. . Jamieson . Alan J. . 2022-10-01 . Independent radiation of snailfishes into the hadal zone confirmed by Paraliparis selti sp. nov. (Perciformes: Liparidae) from the Atacama Trench, SE Pacific . Marine Biodiversity . en . 52 . 5 . 56 . 10.1007/s12526-022-01294-0 . 1867-1624. free . 2022MarBd..52...56L .
5. Web site: A Small Trench-Dwelling Fish Makes a Splash in Deep-Sea Evolution . 2022-10-17 . www.newswise.com . en.