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A new species of amphipod with a unique panda pattern was found in the intertidal zone of the Japanese coast. Credit: Ko Tomikawa/Hiroshima University ========================================================================================= The Melita panda, a newly classified amphipod species found in Japan, illustrates the critical role of taxonomy in biodiversity conservation. Identified by unique panda-like coloring and confirmed through molecular and morphological analyses, this species contributes to our understanding of coastal biodiversity. A crustacean species with distinctive black-and-white markings, reminiscent of a panda, has been confirmed as new to science decades after its initial discovery in Japan. Known as Melitid amphipods, these shrimp-like crustaceans are found...

One of the new OSD species – a hydrothermal vent limpet, Lepetodrilus marianae. Credit: Chong Chen, Hiromi Kayama Watanabe, and Miwako Tsuda ================================================================================= Ocean biodiversity is under significant threat due to global changes, but new initiatives like the Ocean Species Discoveries, coordinated by the Senckenberg Ocean Species Alliance, aim to rapidly describe and publish findings on marine species. This innovative approach reduces the usual decades-long delay in species description, directly contributing to the conservation efforts needed to protect vulnerable marine habitats and their undiscovered inhabitants. Accelerating Biodiversity Research Accelerating global change continues to threaten Earth’s vast biodiversity, including in the...