A new species of amphipod, Ampelisca mississippiana has been recently described by Yousria Soliman and Mary Wicksten from Texas A&M University. The new species inhabits the head of the Mississippi canyon by 460 m depth and was discovered as part of the Deep Gulf of Mexico Benthos program leaded by Gilbert Rowe (Texas A&M University) under a grant of the US Mineral Management Service. Although small, less than 6 mm in length, these tubiculous crustaceans carpet the seabed, with densities up to 12000 ind./m². Its abundance and the stabilizing effects on sediments of the tube mats likely confer Ampelisca mississippiana a great ecological importance.

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Y. Soliman & M. Wicksten (2007) Ampelisca mississippiana: a new species (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Gammaridea) from the Mississippi Canyon (Northern Gulf of Mexico). Zootaxa 1389: 45-54.