A new mollusc species discovered!

The new species: Buccinum palssoni Fraussen, Delongueville & Scaillet, 2024.

A new mollusc species was recently discovered in the ocean around Iceland. Such discoveries are rare and in this case the result of a lot of hard work. The new species has been named after former Marine and Freshwater Research Institute´s (MFRI) employee Jónbjörn Pálsson and is called Buccinum palssoni Fraussen, Delongueville & Scaillet, 2024.

A fruitful collaboration

MFRI has previously reported on the fruitful collaboration between Jónbjörn Pálsson and Belgian zoologists Christiane Delongueville and Roland Scaillet, as can be seen in the reviews here and here. Now this collaboration has led to the discovery of a previously unknown species of gastropod. It is about 3 cm tall and belongs to the genus Buccinum.

It is rare for new species of such a size to be found at all, and it is likewise uncommon to have a species named after yourself. But the ocean is full of wonders, and anything can happen.

Pálsson worked for years at MFRI and has published numerous articles on marine biology and is co-author of the book “Icelandic Fishes”. Pálsson is well-deserved for this honor and the MFRI sincerely congratulates him.

On the right you can see Jón Sólmundsson fisheries biologist, Jónbjörn Pálsson, fisheries biologist who worked for decades at MFRI, and Svanhildur Egilsdóttir marine biologist, examining the þverhyrna, a new fish species that was found in Icelandic waters in 2022.