Deepwater discoveries: scientists find more than 110 new fish and invertebrate species in the Coral Sea

Brittlestars, sea anemones and a catshark among new-to-science species collected during expedition off the Queensland coast Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Marine scientists have discovered more than 110 new fish and invertebrate species in the Coral Sea – a figure they believe could exceed 200 as more are identified. The species were found in waters between 200 metres and 3km deep in the Coral Sea marine park, Australia’s largest marine protected area, which spans nearly 1m sq km to the east of the Great Barrier Reef. The new-to-science species – including brittlestars, crabs, sea anemones and sponges – were collected during a 35-day voyage on the CSIRO’s Investigator research vessel, which set sail from Brisbane last October. It travelled as far as Mellish Reef, about 1,000km off the Queensland coast. Dr Will White, a shark expert and the CSIRO voyage chief scientist, said the expedition set out to learn more about the area’s deepwater biodiversity, for which there was “very limited data”. Specimens collected on board were subsequently identified during what White believes were “likely the largest