Bayside high schooler discovers new sea creature

Staten Island native Sadie Burke (left) and Bayside native Cherie Qu at the 6th Annual Student Research Colloquium of the NYC Science Research Mentoring Consortium, where they presented research describing two new species of burrowing anemones. Photo courtesy of the AMNH/M. Shanley.

By Jonathan Sperling

A Queens high schooler from Bayside has been credited with helping to discover a new species of sea creature, the American Museum of Natural History revealed Thursday.

Cherie Qu is a co-author of a new study published in the science journal American Museum Novitates, which describes Scolanthus shrimp and Scolanthus celticus, a previously undescribed species of burrowing sea anemones.

The creatures measure around 1.5 centimeters long and inhabit the Whittard Canyon, a deep-sea valley off the coast of Ireland.

Qu, a research intern at the AMNH, is a senior attending Bard High School Early College in Long Island City. Her co-author on the study is Reed College freshman Sadie Burke, who is from Staten Island.

The two women assisted AMNH biologists Drs. Luciana Gusmão and Estefania Rodriguez on the research, conducted in 2019 as part of the Science Research Mentoring Program. The  initiative allows students to conduct scientific research under the mentorship of AMNH scientists.

Gusmão and the students analyzed the morphology and genetics of each organism in order to identify them as new species.

The research team decided to name Scolanthus shrimp after the SRMP program, where participating students are informally known as ‘srmpers.’ Scolanthus celticus is named for the Celtic Explorer, the research vessel that collected the anemone specimens by way of a remote operated vehicle 3,000 feet below the sea’s surface.