University of Otago palaeogenetics laboratory director Associate Prof Nic Rawlence said the pāua were known to look a little different from other pāua species for more than two decades, but it was only recently that DNA testing had shown it was a completely new species.
"We always knew it looked different, but given the variation you see in pāua across New Zealand, you’ve got to try to work out what is within-species variation and what is between-species."
He said zoology PhD candidate Kerry Walton had developed a pioneering new technique which was able to get ancient DNA out of pāua shells, which confirmed it was a new species.
These new methods allow short and damaged fragments of DNA to be extracted and sequenced with far greater efficiency than previous methods, unlocking the genetic secrets trapped in these precious specimens. The species, now officially called Haliotis pirimoana, is only found at Three Kings Islands, off the northern coast of the North Island.
Assoc Prof Rawlence said the discovery was very exciting.
"They’re so popular, they’re important for aquaculture, they’re important for the jewellery industry, they’re treasured species, so they tend to have a lot of research done on them."
Mr Walton said while most species would not yield commercial applications, such as the next big pharmaceutical, people depended on biodiversity for new materials and medicines.
"Research in these areas is underpinned by biodiversity research, and it is our responsibility to protect biodiversity for future generations." New species were still being discovered and more than one-third of known marine mollusc species were yet to be named, he said.
"With pāua being the cultural icon that they are, we hope this work will raise a few eyebrows and encourage people to look more closely the next time they are at the coast."
The name for the new species (pirimoana) was proposed by Ngāti Kuri and translates to "pāua that clings to the sea".
