A team of scientists has discovered a new species of crustacean living deep within the limestone caves of Bermuda in the North Atlantic Ocean.
The tiny copepod – a group of small crustaceans that live in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat on the planet – was found on a research trip into Roadside Cave, a tidal cavern in Walsingham District on the north-east coast of the island.
After studying the creature, the team say that their findings, published recently in the journal ZooKeys, shine a light on the extraordinary and often fragile biodiversity hidden within Bermuda’s subterranean environments.
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A rare find in a secret world
Copepods are some of the most widespread and abundant crustaceans in the world, forming a vital part of aquatic food webs.
But while many live in open seas, lakes and ponds, some species are found in more obscure habitats – such as Bermuda’s caves.
The new species was collected in 2016, but it wasn’t until a detailed analysis in 2024 that scientists confirmed it was entirely new to science. Only a single female, carrying eggs, was found – suggesting it may be extremely rare or limited to just a small area. The researchers named it Tetragoniceps bermudensis.
“The new species of copepod crustacean, Tetragoniceps bermudensis, is the first of its genus from Bermuda, as well as the first known cave-dwelling species of the genus anywhere in the world and only the second within its family, Tetragonicipitidae,” says lead author Giovanni Mussini from the University of Cambridge.
“This finding from Roadside Cave adds to the great diversity of endemic crustaceans (and other cave fauna) found in the island's network of limestone caves.”
Bermuda’s cave systems are home to species found nowhere else on Earth, many of them thought to be ancient survivors from a time when sea levels and ecosystems were very different. These animals have evolved in isolation, often without natural predators or competitors.
Like other creatures in Bermuda’s subterranean world, Tetragoniceps bermudensis could represent an early evolutionary offshoot, preserved in the stable, undisturbed conditions of the cave over millennia, say the researchers.
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Underground protection
The new discovery is exciting but also highlights the vulnerability of these unique underground habitats. Roadside Cave, where the species was found, is threatened by development, pollution, littering and disturbance by humans and pets, say the researchers, who are calling for the cave to gain formal protection.
Despite Bermuda’s small size and growing human footprint, its caves remain full of surprises, concludes Mussini. “The discovery of this species highlights that there remains a cryptic diversity of cave-dwelling species still to be discovered even in a densely populated island like Bermuda, whose hidden, underground biodiversity is all too often overlooked."
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