Health Alert – U.S. Embassy San Jose, Costa Rica (July 13, 2026) - U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica (.gov)

On a seamount off the coast of Costa Rica, researchers described a new species of octocoral, Laurinque elenya, and established a new family for it — Laurinqueidae. The corals were found at depths of 360 to 529 meters during dives in 2019 and 2023, ScienceAlert reports. Unusual colony structureColonies of this coral grow to more than one meter in height and up to 1.2 meters in width. They have a densely branching structure covered with unusually elongated polyps — the small animals that make up a coral colony. The polyps can partially retract into the branches, while the sclerites — the coral’s microscopic skeletal structures — are distinguished by a range of shapes. Such a combination of features had not previously been recorded in a single species of octocoral. The new taxon was named Laurinque elenya; the name comes from Tolkien’s Elvish language Quenya and means “golden tree of stars.” The golden coral branches grow above a bottom almost completely covered with pink brittle stars. More current news is available on the UA. News Telegram channel Telegram. Genetic analysis determined the familyInitially, an analysis of three genetic markers did not produce an unambiguous result.