Just 8 so far, but there’s more to come!

[New Paper] Names two new cleftclam species in the genus Thyasira from serpentine seeps on seamounts of Mariana Forearc! Both probably host chemosymbiotic bacteria.
Out now in Molluscan Research, FREE-to-read link for the first 50 readers: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/7FEDH...
doi.org/10.1080/1323...

[New Paper] @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social presents the concept of the SOSA @oceanspecies.bsky.social project, pushing for the acceleration of marine conservation through the synergistic interactions among a "triad": Taxonomy, Red Listing, and Public Engagement!
OPEN ACCESS: doi.org/10.1016/j.tr...

[New Paper] @royalsocietypublishing.org Biology Letters presents a global barcoding (180 individuals) of the deep-sea snail genus Phymorhynchus from hot vents & cold seeps, revealing few species with very broad and sometimes cosmopolitan distributions!
OPEN ACCESS: doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...

Scientists have uncovered five new species of deep-sea #limpets in the family Lepetodrilidae thriving around deep-sea hydrothermal vents along three underwater mountain chains in the Indian Ocean: royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article... @squamiferum.bsky.social #RSOS

Uproar Conservation Challenge Help vote to save endangered species with the Uproar Conservation Challenge. Each round a species moves on to compete for the big prize!

The Scaly-foot Snail ENDANGERED from deep-sea mining is now competing in the Uproar Conservation Challenge by Indianapolis Zoo and IUCN!
VOTE NOW and help the Scaly-foot Snail win the $10,000 grand prize towards its conservation:
www.indianapoliszoo.com/uproar-conse...

Results of deep-sea surveys surrounding methane seeps—out in "Ecosphere" ⤵️

Thanks!! Watch this space — more coming!

We made a press release!

Japan’s Deep Ocean Reveals Dozens of New Species from Landmark 2025 Nippon Foundation–Nekton Ocean Census – JAMSTEC Expedition Following the Ocean Census-JAMSTEC expedition, scientists have confirmed the discovery of 38 new species and identified 28 further potential new species across two of Japan’s most understudied deep-sea regions: the Nankai Trough and the Shichiyo Seamount Chain.

NEWS: Scientists from the Ocean Census and JAMSTEC have discovered 38 new species including deep sea polychaetes living in symbiosis with a marine sponge, ribbon worms and squat lobsters.

Read more: oceancensus.org/press-releas...

[New Paper] @molecology.bsky.social Resources presents "VEHoP", a new bioinformatics pipeline that can infer protein-coding regions from a diverse NGS data types (mixed OK!) and automate phylogenomic inferences!
OPEN ACCESS: doi.org/10.1111/1755...

@yunlong-li.bsky.social @kmkocot.bsky.social

Reliable Inference of Phylogenomic Relationship via Assembly‐Based Strategy Accommodating Raw Reads and Proteins Phylogenomics is a transformative approach in systematics, conservation biology, and biomedical research, enabling the inference of evolutionary relationships by leveraging hundreds to thousands of g...

[New Paper] @molecology.bsky.social Resources presents "VEHoP", a new bioinformatics pipeline that can infer protein-coding regions from a diverse NGS data types (mixed OK!) and automate phylogenomic inferences!
OPEN ACCESS: doi.org/10.1111/1755...

@yunlong-li.bsky.social @kmkocot.bsky.social

In this issue, Chen et al. present the first population genomics analyses of Indian Ocean hydrothermal vent animals, using eight populations of the scaly-foot snail (Chrysomallon squamiferum) distributed across three mid-ocean ridges. They show an asymmetric south-to-north gene flow driven by deep currents and aided by ghost populations. Their results also identify source-sink dynamics and dispersal barriers essential for conservation planning in the context of upcoming deep-sea mining. The scaly-foot snail is an iconic vent-endemic species famed for the iron-infused sclerites on its foot and functions as a flagship species in deep-sea conservation efforts.

NEW Issue is out!👇
www.cell.com/issue/S0960-...

As the world is being plunged into the abyss, we bring you some abyssal scaly-footed snails from the deep ocean.
www.cell.com/current-biol...

Plus it's #MolluscMonday

The sea pangolin! Now you tell us...😳

Chrysomallon squamiferum: what an amazing example of variation in appearance!

‼️Danger: deep ocean drilling can have unpredictable damaging effects on deep-sea biodiversity.

🔸the deep-sea might be far but perturbations occurring there are felt globally!

Our paper is on the COVER of @currentbiology.bsky.social !!!!
www.cell.com/current-biol...

Intricate chemosymbiosis in a widespread shallow-water thyasirid clam Widespread shallow-water thyasirid clams show metabolic integration with sulfur-oxidizing symbionts.

[New Paper] @science.org Science Advances reveals mechanisms of chemosymbiosis in the shallow-water clam Thyasira tokunagai, with carbon fixation rates estimated using radiocarbon. Thyasira clams are widespread globally -- a great model to study chemosymbiosis!
OPEN ACCESS: doi.org/10.1126/scia...

[New Paper] is on the COVER of @RSocPublishing
Royal Society Open Science! We name 5 new species of hot vent limpets from Indian Ocean -- phylogenetics indicate this family used Indian Ocean as a corridor to disperse from Pacific to Atlantic.
OPEN ACCESS: royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...

Nice work detailing some of the invertebrates found in cold seeps of the Sea of Japan, including a perfect scientific name for the newly described gastropod.

Not here! Very few species (like the ambient deep seafloor in Sea of Japan)…

[New Paper] Provides the first description of cold seep fauna in the Sea of Japan, revealing just a few species living in very cold water. We also found a new snail species -- named Provanna cocytus after the icy hell in Dante's "Divine Comedy"!
OPEN ACCESS: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/...

[New Paper] Presents chromosome-level genomes of two Alviniconcha hairy snail species from deep-sea hydrothermal vents! Combined with spatial transcriptomics, we reveal intricate details about its symbiosis with chemoautotrophic bacteria.
Read for FREE: rdcu.be/e38Fl
DOI: doi.org/10.1007/s114...

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.01.033

[New Paper] @currentbiology.bsky.social presents our population genomics study of the iconic Scaly-foot Snail: 125 genomes from 8 Indian Ocean hot vents! Deep currents drive South→North gene flow, while transform faults act as dispersal barriers.
READ FOR FREE: authors.elsevier.com/c/1mbW73QW8S...

Big heart. Iron foot.

Words to live by.

We made a press release! This paper was the result of a large-scale international collaboration where we gathered each population of the Scaly-foot Snail like Horcruxes in the Harry Potter series... it took years but it paid off!
www.jamstec.go.jp/e/about/pres...

We also used ocean current simulations to quantify larval dispersal! As Indian Ocean vents include ISA (Int'l Seabed Authority) contract areas of 4 countries (Germany, India, S Korea, China), our data will serve as baseline for environmental impact assessments & conservation.
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.01.033

[New Paper] @currentbiology.bsky.social presents our population genomics study of the iconic Scaly-foot Snail: 125 genomes from 8 Indian Ocean hot vents! Deep currents drive South→North gene flow, while transform faults act as dispersal barriers.
READ FOR FREE: authors.elsevier.com/c/1mbW73QW8S...

[New Paper] Reveals multiple emergence of symbiosis in alvinocaridid shrimps from deep-sea hot vents and cold seeps! Many of the 22 species studied show intermediate reliance on symbionts, illuminating steps towards full reliance.
Out now in @RSocPublishing Proceedings B: doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

[New Paper] From over 8000 nominations for the new chiton species naming competition with Ze Frank -- the winner is Ferreiraella populi ("chiton of the people")! The paper officially naming this species was just published: doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.14

@sigwartae.bsky.social @oceanspecies.bsky.social

Here’s a chance to name a new species we discovered!!