Overview

• Bathylepeta wadatsumi has been officially described in Zoosystematics and Evolution after collection at 5,922 meters in the northwestern Pacific, setting a new depth record for true limpets.
• Scientists used JAMSTEC’s DSV Shinkai 6500 to observe and collect live specimens on volcanic rock 500 km southeast of Tokyo—the first in-situ encounter of any Bathylepeta species.
• Morphological examination, scanning electron microscopy, DNA barcoding and phylogenetic analysis confirm its distinct features and unusually large shell, measuring up to 40.5 mm.
• Observations of grazing traces suggest Bathylepeta wadatsumi plays a specialized role in sedimentary carbon processing within abyssal ecosystems.
• Researchers are urging expanded submersible-led expeditions to explore rocky abyssal habitats and uncover further deep-sea species diversity and ecological functions.