🗺️ Location: Bermuda
🧬 Scientific Discovery | 🕳️ Cave Biodiversity | 🦐 New Species
A New Species Emerges from Bermuda’s Hidden Underworld
Bermuda’s ancient Walsingham cave system has just revealed a fascinating new discovery—a previously unknown species of copepod crustacean, now named Tetragoniceps bermudensis. This tiny, aquatic creature was recently described by an international team of scientists from the University of Cambridge, the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, and Senckenberg am Meer German Center for Marine Biodiversity Research.
The full research findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys (2025).
🌊 What Are Copepods and Why Do They Matter?
Copepods are among the most diverse and abundant animals in marine ecosystems. These tiny crustaceans form a crucial part of the oceanic food chain, feeding everything from small fish to whales. While many are well-documented in open waters, copepods that live in subterranean or cave habitats remain poorly understood.
🕵️♀️ Discovery in Bermuda’s Roadside Cave
The newly named Tetragoniceps bermudensis was actually collected in 2016 from Bermuda’s Roadside Cave, nestled in the island’s limestone bedrock. However, its unique characteristics were only confirmed in 2024 after detailed morphological analysis.
Lead researcher Giovanni Mussini from the University of Cambridge explains:
“This is the first-ever cave-dwelling species of the genus Tetragoniceps discovered globally, and the first from Bermuda—a major addition to the island’s endemic crustacean diversity.”
🧬 A Living Fossil in a Fragile Habitat
The copepod may represent a primitive, early-diverging lineage, persisting in a secluded, predator-free ecosystem. This aligns with other ancient species found in Bermuda’s underwater caves, highlighting the island as a biodiversity hotspot for endemic cave fauna.
Only one egg-bearing female of the new species was found, making it difficult to assess its population. However, the researchers suggest its range is highly restricted, reinforcing its endemic and possibly endangered status.
⚠️ Threats to Bermuda’s Cave Ecosystems
The Roadside Cave and other cave systems in Bermuda face increasing threats from:
- Urban development
- Pollution and illegal dumping
- Vandalism and unauthorized human entry
- Disturbance by domesticated animals
These activities put the delicate subterranean biodiversity—including Tetragoniceps bermudensis—at risk.
The research team is calling for formal conservation measures and enforcement of protective laws to safeguard Bermuda’s cave ecosystems.
🔬 Why This Discovery Matters
This finding underscores the hidden, often-overlooked biodiversity that still exists even on densely populated islands like Bermuda. It also emphasizes the need for continued scientific exploration and conservation of fragile habitats.
📚 Further Reading
🔗 Mussini G., Khodami S., Martinez Arbizu P., Blanco-Bercial L.
“A new species of Tetragoniceps Brady, 1880 (Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Tetragonicipitidae) from an anchialine cave in Bermuda, with an updated key to the species of the genus”
Published in: ZooKeys (2025)
DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1239.144436