GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS — Scientists have formally described a new deep-sea octopus species, Microeledone galapagensis, first observed in 2015 during a deep-sea expedition near Darwin Island in the Galápagos archipelago. The bright blue octopus, approximately the size of a golf ball, was discovered at a depth of about 5,800 feet below the ocean surface during a mission aboard the E/V Nautilus.

The expedition, conducted in partnership with the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galápagos National Park Directorate, collected one specimen and recorded video footage of two others. Researchers at the Charles Darwin Research Station later identified the octopus as unusual among dozens of deep-sea specimens they examined.

Janet Voight, curator emerita of invertebrates at the Field Museum in Chicago and lead author of the paper published in the journal Zootaxa, said, "Right away, I knew it was something really special. I'd never seen anything like it." Because only one specimen was available, scientists used micro CT scanning instead of traditional dissection to examine internal structures, a method that preserved the rare type specimen.

Salome Buglass, a marine scientist and former researcher at the Charles Darwin Foundation, co-authored the paper and emphasized the broader implications of the find. "Every new species helps us better understand these hidden ecosystems and why protecting them matters," Buglass said.

Alexander Ziegler, researcher at the University of Bonn and senior author of the study, noted that the micro CT scans revealed detailed internal anatomy without requiring contrast agents. "What really struck me was that the scan of the little octopus revealed so much information on its internal organ systems," Ziegler said.