CSIRO discovery: New glowing Lanternshark and Porcelain Crab species found in deep sea

Scientists have discovered two new deep-sea species, a lanternshark and a porcelain crab, based on specimens collected during a 2022 expedition aboard the CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator. The findings were described by separate research teams in papers published in September 2025.

Dr. Will White, an ichthyologist with the CSIRO Australian National Fish Collection, contributed to the description of the West Australian Lanternshark (E. westraliensis). Found at depths of up to 610 meters off Western Australia, this small species measures only 407 mm long.

Dr. White said, “Lanternsharks are bioluminescent, with light produced by photophores located on their belly and flanks, which is where their common name comes from.”

This is the third new shark species described from the same voyage, joining the Painted Hornshark and Ridged-egg Catshark.

Dr. Andrew Hosie, Curator of Aquatic Zoology from the Western Australian Museum, described the new porcelain crab. Found along the Ningaloo coast at depths to 122 meters, this small, pearly white-yellow crab lives symbiotically with sea pens, hiding among the host’s “leaves.”

“Porcelain crabs are known as filter feeders, feeding on plankton by using modified mouthparts with long hairs to sweep the water, rather than the typical crab method of grabbing and pinching food,” Dr. Hosie stated.

A bounty of new life, nearly 20 new species, has now been described from the 2022 voyage, including the Carnarvon Flapjack Octopus announced earlier in 2025. Remarkably, researchers estimate up to 600 new species remain to be described from the expedition.

Researchers hope to discover more species during an upcoming CSIRO-led voyage to survey the deep-sea biodiversity of the Coral Sea Marine Park, bringing together numerous partners to explore the ocean’s depths further.