ZooKeys
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In March 2026, a new deep-sea amphipod was described that was collected in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the eastern Central Pacific using a BX-650 box corer
https://oceaninstruments.com/product/bx-650-box-corer/
in conjunction with an epibenthic sled (EBS)
https://www.kc-denmark.dk/products/dredges/epibenthic-sledge,-80-x-30-cm.aspx7
.
Brief description:
Mirabestia maisie is unique among the Senticaudata amphipods in possessing conical mouthparts; an elongated and sickle-shaped third segment of the mandibular palp; a very slender second antenna with a short, three-segmented flagellum; an unusually simple first gnathopod combined with an unusually slender propodus of the subchelate second gnathopod; a coxa 6 strongly lobed toward the rear; a coxa 7 that is lower than coxa 5; and a disproportionately small and fragile telson.
The description could not specify the exact water temperature; here we have adopted information from another report, “
Insights into the abundance and diversity of abyssal megafauna in a polymetallic-nodule region in the eastern Clarion-Clipperton Zone”
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep30492
nor did the collections and analysis provide a clear indication of Mirabestia maisie’s diet.
Diet:
Deep-sea amphipods in the same region exhibit different feeding strategies: Some feed on organic matter bound in the sediment, while others hunt small worms and other invertebrates.
Mirabestia maisie The specialized mouthparts suggest that hunting small benthic invertebrates is the most plausible hypothesis—but this remains a conjecture and is not a confirmed finding regarding its diet!
Importance of amphipods:
All microorganisms, whether animals or algae, play a particularly significant role within the food chain.
As is well known, the small eat the large, but without the small, there would be no large!
Etymology.
The genus name Mirabestia (feminine) is derived from the Latin word “mirus,” meaning “wonderful” or “extraordinary,” combined with “bestia,” meaning “animal,” in reference to the wonderful and extraordinary morphology of this animal.
Etymology.
The species was named in honor of the first author’s younger daughter, “Maisie.”
Reference:
Horton, T., Valls Domedel, G., Stewart, E.C.D., & Thurston, M.H. (2026). A new superfamily and family of the infraorder Hadziida (Amphipoda, Senticaudata) based on a new genus and species from the Clarion–Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean. ZooKeys 1274: 271–291. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1274.140273
> This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
https://oceaninstruments.com/product/bx-650-box-corer/
in conjunction with an epibenthic sled (EBS)
https://www.kc-denmark.dk/products/dredges/epibenthic-sledge,-80-x-30-cm.aspx7
.
Brief description:
Mirabestia maisie is unique among the Senticaudata amphipods in possessing conical mouthparts; an elongated and sickle-shaped third segment of the mandibular palp; a very slender second antenna with a short, three-segmented flagellum; an unusually simple first gnathopod combined with an unusually slender propodus of the subchelate second gnathopod; a coxa 6 strongly lobed toward the rear; a coxa 7 that is lower than coxa 5; and a disproportionately small and fragile telson.
The description could not specify the exact water temperature; here we have adopted information from another report, “
Insights into the abundance and diversity of abyssal megafauna in a polymetallic-nodule region in the eastern Clarion-Clipperton Zone”
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep30492
nor did the collections and analysis provide a clear indication of Mirabestia maisie’s diet.
Diet:
Deep-sea amphipods in the same region exhibit different feeding strategies: Some feed on organic matter bound in the sediment, while others hunt small worms and other invertebrates.
Mirabestia maisie The specialized mouthparts suggest that hunting small benthic invertebrates is the most plausible hypothesis—but this remains a conjecture and is not a confirmed finding regarding its diet!
Importance of amphipods:
All microorganisms, whether animals or algae, play a particularly significant role within the food chain.
As is well known, the small eat the large, but without the small, there would be no large!
Etymology.
The genus name Mirabestia (feminine) is derived from the Latin word “mirus,” meaning “wonderful” or “extraordinary,” combined with “bestia,” meaning “animal,” in reference to the wonderful and extraordinary morphology of this animal.
Etymology.
The species was named in honor of the first author’s younger daughter, “Maisie.”
Reference:
Horton, T., Valls Domedel, G., Stewart, E.C.D., & Thurston, M.H. (2026). A new superfamily and family of the infraorder Hadziida (Amphipoda, Senticaudata) based on a new genus and species from the Clarion–Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean. ZooKeys 1274: 271–291. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1274.140273
> This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
