A new family of copepods, named Thalassodoridae, has been discovered by an international research team in the Irminger Basin, southeast of Greenland, at depths greater than 2,500 meters. This finding, published in the journal PeerJ, sheds light on the evolution of copepods, a group that has been poorly understood. The Monstrilloida order is particularly unique, with larvae that are parasitic and adults that do not feed while swimming freely. The discovery expands the known phylogenetic tree of this group, which previously included only the Monstrillidae family since 1852. The only known specimen of Thalassodoridae was collected at a depth of 2,537 meters and features distinctive anatomical traits, such as long rear-pointing antennules and previously unrecognized body structures. Dr. Nancy Mercado Salas emphasized that this discovery highlights the unexplored biodiversity of the deep sea and offers new insights into the biology and evolution of copepods. The new species has been named Thalassodoron bathyale, meaning 'gift from the deep sea.'