New species named in prestigious WoRMS Top 10

A recently identified deep-sea coral has been selected for the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) Top 10 Marine Species of 2025, making it one of the year’s most significant achievements in global marine taxonomy. 

The species, which is the first hard-coral species to be found attached to polymetallic nodules in the eastern Pacific Ocean, was discovered by an international research team led by Dr. Guadalupe Bribiesca-Contreras from the National Oceanology Centre (NOC) and Senckenberg scientist Dr. Nadia Santodomingo. 

The coral, Deltocyathus zoemetallicus or ‘Nodule Crown Coral’, was found more than 4,000 metres below the surface in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) of the Pacific Ocean. 

Its inclusion in the annual WoRMS Top 10 places it among a small group of standout discoveries chosen from thousands of newly described marine organisms each year. 

The 2025 list has been announced today (19 March 2026), coinciding with Taxonomist Appreciation Day. 

Dr Bribiesca-Contreras said: “It is an amazing honour to see Deltocyathus zoemetallicus chosen for the WoRMS Top 10! It was an incredible discovery, and it reminds us just how much of our ocean remains unknown and unexplored. 

“Each time we find a new species, it reminds us that even the deepest parts of our ocean are living ecosystems, and how vital it is that we continue to invest in research to explore and understand them further.” 

The species was first described in a study published in the ‘Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society’ in late 2025. It is the first known hard-coral species to live directly attached to polymetallic nodules – mineral-rich rocks that are the focus of growing international interest for deep-seabed mining. 

Read more about the species here: Hidden gems of the abyss: New Deep-Sea Coral Found Living on Nodules Targeted for Mining | National Oceanography Centre 

About the WoRMS Top 10 
The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) compiles and maintains an authoritative list of all known marine species. Each year, an international panel of taxonomists selects just ten newly described species for its celebrated Top 10 list. The selection aims to highlight remarkable, unusual, or scientifically significant marine life and to raise public awareness of the diversity of species being discovered. 

Competition for inclusion is intense: thousands are formally described annually, but only a handful gain a place in the Top 10.