Sea creature with ‘prickles’ on its ‘eyeball skin’ discovered as new species
Thousands of feet down in the East China Sea, a diamond-shaped sea creature with “prickles” on its “eyeball skin” swam through dark waters, or tried to, at least. Something enveloped it and pulled it toward the surface.
Trawlers looked at the 2-foot-long animal in their net. They didn’t know it, but they’d just discovered a new species.
Trawlers off the coast of southern Japan dropped their nets in the Okinawa Trough several times between 1978 and 1980. Among the catch, they found three deep-sea ray fish known as softnose skates, according to a study published June 21 in the peer-reviewed journal of Ichthyological Research.
At the time, scientists identified the skates from Okinawa Trough as a new record of a known species. The specimens were put in an archive and largely forgotten — until they caught the attention of Ryo Misawa.
“I first noticed the existence of this potential new species during my time as a student at Kochi University, Japan,” study co-author Misawa told McClatchy News via email. He saw one of the skates from Okinawa Trough and thought “its body proportions differed in a subtle but noticeable way.”
Intrigued, Misawa and other researchers tracked down more specimens, took a closer look at the animals, and realized they’d discovered a new species: Bathyraja nansei, or the Nansei skate.
Nansei skates are considered “very small,” reaching about 2 feet long and 16 inches wide, the study said. Their diamond-shaped bodies are “remarkably broad and thin,” their heads are “rather small,” and their tails are “long and slender.”
Photos show the new species soon after being caught and after being preserved. In life, the skate is “almost entirely bluish-dark gray” with white thorns on its tail and edges.
Nansei skates also have “prickles” on their fins, snout, “eyeball skin” and between their eyes, the study said. Their bellies are “entirely smooth.”
The new species was caught at depths of 2,500 to 3,300 feet, but much about the new species’ lifestyle and behavior remains unknown.
“It is likely that, similar to other species of the genus Bathyraja, (Nansei skates) primarily feeds on crustaceans and fishes,” Misawa said.
“This new species has not been recorded since the 1980s, which is likely due to the fact that bottom trawl surveys in the Okinawa Trough were conducted more frequently during that period,” Misawa said.
Researchers said they named the new species after the Nansei Islands near the Okinawa Trough where it was first discovered and, so far, the only area where it has been found. The Nansei Islands., also known as the Ryukyu Islands, are in southern Japan and near Taiwan.
The new species was identified by its skin texture, overall size, body proportions and other subtle physical features, the study said. Researchers did not include a DNA analysis of the new species.
The research team included Misawa, Masato Moteki and Hiromitsu Endo.
This story was originally published June 26, 2025 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Sea creature with ‘prickles’ on its ‘eyeball skin’ discovered as new species."
