The newfound tropical saw shark Pristiophorus delicatus, which sports a long, bladelike snout, scissors through waters off the Australian state of Queensland.

Scientists had few clues about the unidentified shark and ray specimens that were part of a recent DNA project spanning museums around the globe.

To determine the new fish species, the Australian team created a genetic ''barcode'' for each species according to fish taxonomist Peter Last.

''In some cases, what was thought to be a single species of shark turned out to be something like five species,'' Last said.