The newly-discovered coral species is now referred to as Psammogorgia hookeri

Feb 24, 2014 23:16 GMT  ·  By
Researchers announce the discovery of a new coral species in the Peruvian Pacific
   Researchers announce the discovery of a new coral species in the Peruvian Pacific

By the looks of it, scuba divers exploring the Peruvian Pacific are the ones to thank for the discovery of a new fiery-red coral species.

This previously undocumented species, a picture of which is available above, is described in a recent issue of the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK.

It is now referred to as Psammogorgia hookeri by the scientific community, and the colonies that scuba divers stumbled upon were recovered from a depth of about 25 meters (about 83 feet).

According to Science News, the area from where coral colonies belonging to this new species were pulled for research purposes is located in Peru's Paracas National Reserve.

Specialists say it is possible that Psammogorgia inhabits the Peruvian Pacific alone.

“This new species may be found nowhere else in the world,” explains Hector Guzman, a marine biologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

Needless to say, this makes protecting these waters all the more important.