WoRMS press release: Ten remarkable new marine species from 2023
As for previous years, the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) has again released its annual list of the top-ten marine species described by researchers during the past year to coincide with World Taxonomist Appreciation Day on March 19th!
If you were unaware of this celebration of all the work that taxonomists do, you can find more here and here.
Every day in labs, museums, and out on fieldwork, taxonomists are busy collecting, cataloguing, identifying, comparing, describing, and naming species new to science. Over 300 taxonomists globally also contribute their valuable time to keeping the World Register of Marine Species up to date. Today is a chance for us at WoRMS to thank our taxonomic editors for this important task. We celebrate the work of taxonomists now with the WoRMS list of the top-ten marine species described in 2023 as nominated and voted for by taxonomists, journal editors and WoRMS users!
This top-ten list is just a small highlight of about 2,000 fascinating new marine species discovered every year (there were almost 2000 marine species described in 2023 and added to WoRMS, including some 330 fossil species). Each of these marine species has a story. This year the chosen species cover the weird, the bewildering and the astonishing! We feature, amongst others, a beautifully colored nemertean, a carnivorous sponge, and a giant extinct penguin.
Between 2008 and 2018, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) compiled an annual list of the 'Top Ten Species' described from ALL habitats and taxa. The oceans cover over 70% of the surface of our planet, and yet they still include the least explored regions. Although the ESF list often contained one or two marine species, we decided to pay homage to the ‘largest habitat on earth’ by producing our own list of the top marine species.
Curious about the actual list? Quickly check out the full press release on the LifeWatch website (see link below)!
Every day in labs, museums, and out on fieldwork, taxonomists are busy collecting, cataloguing, identifying, comparing, describing, and naming species new to science. Over 300 taxonomists globally also contribute their valuable time to keeping the World Register of Marine Species up to date. Today is a chance for us at WoRMS to thank our taxonomic editors for this important task. We celebrate the work of taxonomists now with the WoRMS list of the top-ten marine species described in 2023 as nominated and voted for by taxonomists, journal editors and WoRMS users!
This top-ten list is just a small highlight of about 2,000 fascinating new marine species discovered every year (there were almost 2000 marine species described in 2023 and added to WoRMS, including some 330 fossil species). Each of these marine species has a story. This year the chosen species cover the weird, the bewildering and the astonishing! We feature, amongst others, a beautifully colored nemertean, a carnivorous sponge, and a giant extinct penguin.
Between 2008 and 2018, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) compiled an annual list of the 'Top Ten Species' described from ALL habitats and taxa. The oceans cover over 70% of the surface of our planet, and yet they still include the least explored regions. Although the ESF list often contained one or two marine species, we decided to pay homage to the ‘largest habitat on earth’ by producing our own list of the top marine species.
Curious about the actual list? Quickly check out the full press release on the LifeWatch website (see link below)!
