Princess Mononoke’s San inspires naming of deep-sea fish

A deepwater fish new to science has been named after San, the warrior princess from Studio Ghibli’s landmark animated film Princess Mononoke, due to its striking facial markings.

The new species, Branchiostegus sanae, was identified by Chinese researchers after they noticed its unique cheek stripes.

San, a princess raised by wolves, was the war-painted protagonist of Hayao Miyazaki’s 1997 animated film.

Princess Mononoke was a sensation in Japan and grossed over 19 billion yen (£100.4m) at the box office.

The newly discovered fish is a deepwater tilefish, belonging to the family Branchiostegidae.

As their name suggests, deepwater tilefish are found at extreme depths, with some species being found as deep as 600m below the surface.

Researchers from the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, the Chinese Academy of Science, Zhejiang University and Ocean University of China, used genetic analysis to confirm it as a new species.

Inspired by its resemblance to San, they chose “sanae” for the specific name as a tribute.

Lead author of the study Haochen Huang said: “In Princess Mononoke, San is a young woman raised by wolves after being abandoned by her human parents. She sees herself as a part of the forest and fights to protect it.

“The film delves into the complex relationship between humans and nature, promoting a message of harmonious coexistence between the two: something we hope to echo through this naming.”

Deepwater tilefish are commonly found in seafood markets across east and southeast Asia.

However their diversity remains relatively low, with only 31 described species in the Branchiostegidae family and 19 in the Branchiostegus genus.

“Finding a new species in this group is a rare and fortunate event, especially one as distinctive as Branchiostegus sanae,” said Haochen Huang.

Only three new species in the genus Branchiostegus have been identified in the last 34 years.

Specimens have been preserved in marine biological collections to help scientists learn more about them.