Bathylepeta wadatsumi, a deep-sea limpet, was observed by researchers from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC).
B. wadatsumi was observed at the world's deepest recorded habitat for a true limpet, located 5,992m deep while it was anchored to a igneous rock approximately 500km south-east of Tokyo, Japan.
JAMSTEC scientists used a manned submersible, Shinkai 6500, which is built to study and explore the seafloor for research purposes. An unusually large true limpet, extreme deep sealiving creature, was measured 40.5 mm in length with white radial shell streak.
Marine biologist and lead author in research Dr Chong Chen commented: “Even in an age of sophisticated remotely operated vehicles, there’s often an edge to the human eye on the ocean floor."
"Human-occupied vehicles (HOVs) like Shinkai 6500 gives opportunity to explore with intention and nuance, spotting lifeforms like Bathylepeta wadatsumi, that might otherwise be missed entirely,” Dr. Chen told the BBC Wildlife Magazine.
A particular species name was given as a gesture to modern pop culture, a name of popular manga series One Piece fish-man character 'Large Monk' as well as Wadatsumi hints to the god of sea according to Japanese folk tales.
The deepest animal ever discovered is Pseudoliparis swirei, a hadal snailfish, at a depth of 7,966 meters in Mariana Trench during 2014 deep sea reseach.