Discovered After Two Decades: Bright New Aquarium Species Unveiled and Shown to Have Been Unnoticed for Almost Two Decades
In the ongoing quest to classify Earth's life, a team of researchers led by Dr. Michael Smith from the University of Queensland, Australia, made a significant discovery in 2023. They unveiled the new species of crayfish, previously known under names like "Blue Moon," "Hoa Creek," and "Irian Java" crayfish, which had been exported from Indonesia without a scientific name.
The colorful little crayfish, which had been kept in aquariums for over a decade, attracted attention due to its unique appearance. However, it was not strictly "new" in the traditional sense, as it was a reclassification. In 2025, the researchers discovered that the popular pet was actually multiple crayfish species with similar appearances.
The team's findings, published in the journal Zootaxa earlier this year, revealed that one of the species discovered had never before been identified in scientific literature. Closer scientific scrutiny was necessary to identify the unique characteristics of this species, which they named Cherax pulverulentus.
The crayfish species, Cherax pulverulentus, became popular worldwide in the early 2000s due to its blue and purple colours. Despite its popularity, it was not immediately recognized as unique. Thousands of discoveries are reclassifications of lifeforms previously believed to belong to a certain species, and Cherax pulverulentus is no exception.
Newly discovered animals, plants, fungi, and other forms of life are classified annually, with between 15,000 and 18,000 new species classified each year. The discovery and scientific naming of the previously unknown crayfish species adds to this ongoing quest.
The researchers, who ordered a shipment of the crayfish from Indonesia in 2023 to identify them scientifically, hope that their findings will contribute to a better understanding of the diversity of crayfish species and the ecosystems they inhabit. The quest to classify Earth's life is ongoing, and discoveries like this one demonstrate the importance of continued scientific exploration.
