Golden Pacific coral was so strange scientists created a new family for it

Colonies of Laurinque elenya. Image Credit: ROV SuBastian Scientists exploring deep-sea mountains beneath the Pacific Ocean off Costa Rica have discovered a striking ‘golden coral’ so different from known species that researchers created an entirely new family to classify it. The bright yellow, tree-like coral was found between 360 and 529 metres below the surface, growing on rocky outcrops covered with brittle stars. According to a study published in ‘ZooKeys,’ its physical features and genetic makeup made its position in the coral family tree difficult to establish. The researchers examined hundreds of genes to solve the mystery and confirmed that this coral represented a distinct evolutionary lineage. Named ‘Laurinque elenya,’ the species belongs to the newly created family Laurinqueidae. The discovery adds another piece to life in the deep ocean, where remote habitats continue to reveal species that have remained unknown to science.How did scientists find the unique golden coral deep beneath the Pacific off Costa RicaThe discovery emerged during scientific expeditions to underwater mountains, off Costa Rica in 2019 and 2023. These rocky environments lie far below the ocean surf...