Scientists have reported the discovery of a new family of corals off Costa Rica

Off the coast of Costa Rica, scientists have discovered a bright yellow coral, so unusual in structure and DNA that a separate family has been identified for it. Its colonies resemble trees over a meter high, and the name refers to the Elvish language from the works of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. How the find surprised the researchers and why it was called the "golden tree" among the stars is described in the Izvestia article.

Underwater garden at a depth of hundreds of meters

The Laurinque elenya coral was found on seamounts in the Pacific Ocean — in the area of Cocos Island and off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The samples were collected at a depth of 360 to 529 m during the 2019 and 2023 expeditions. To do this, they used a remote-controlled underwater vehicle named SuBastian.

On the rocky bottom, the researchers saw entire gardens of yellow branched colonies. Each such "tree" is a colony of small animals — coral polyps. Despite their external resemblance to plants, corals belong to animals. Polyps capture food with tentacles located around the mouth.

The surface of the rocks around the colonies was almost completely covered by ophiurians— marine animals that are close relatives of starfish. Against their background, the yellow branches resembled trees growing among a scattering of stars. It was this landscape that prompted scientists to name the new coral.

Why did coral get an Elvish name?

The genus name Laurinque comes from the word Laurinquë — "golden tree" in Quenya, one of the Elvish languages created by Tolkien. The specific name elenya means "starry" or "related to the stars" and refers to the ophiurians surrounding the coral.

According to her, at first she assumed that the find could be attributed to already known groups. However, a study of the coral's structure has shown that the usual classification does not suit it.

What puzzled scientists about the discovery?

To determine the coral's relationships, the researchers first examined three genes that are commonly used to classify these animals. The results turned out to be contradictory: the analysis of each gene indicated belonging to different families.

Scientists have found new species of inhabitants of the depths of the Caribbean Sea

Then the team moved on to a larger-scale comparison of multiple DNA sections. This approach makes it possible to restore evolutionary relationships for a larger number of traits than analyzing several individual genes.

The study showed that coral represents an independent evolutionary line. The family Eunicellidae turned out to be the closest to it, but the differences in DNA and structure were significant enough to separate the find into a separate family Laurinqueidae.

Thus, scientists have described a new species, genus and family at once. A family is a larger category that unites related genera. Therefore, the significance of the find goes beyond adding another name to the list of known corals: it helps clarify how different groups of these animals are related to each other.

Such coral gardens are also important for other ocean inhabitants. Their extensive colonies create a complex environment in which different deep-sea organisms can live. These communities are classified as vulnerable marine ecosystems. The discovery off Costa Rica shows that even large and notable inhabitants of the seabed can remain unknown to science for a long time.