Bathynomus vaderi’s head resembles the helmet worn by Darth Vader from Star Wars.
Nothing embodies the mysteries and wonders of ocean life like a giant sea bug. Imagine a faint cloth the size of a moss drifting on the bottom of the sea. A team of researchers have identified a new species of sea bug, and it’s terrifying. They named it Bathynomus vaderi in honor of Darth Vader, the iconic villain from the Star Wars universe.
Bathynomus vaderi it’s not just a giant sea bug, it’s a “supergiant,” a designation reserved for the largest of its kind. They can weigh more than two pounds and reach more than a foot in length. The researchers formally described the new species in a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on January 14. Darth Vader’s inspiration came from the appearance of the sea bug’s head, which researchers thought looked like Vader’s distinctive helmet.
Sea bugs and pills are peas in a pod
Sea bugs are isopods like bugs, small gray animals commonly found in gardens. Ocean-dwelling versions like Bathynomus vaderi are absolute units compared to their earthly kin. “The large size of giant isopods is the result of a phenomenon known as deep-sea gigantism or abyssal gigantism, the tendency of deep-sea animals to grow to a much larger size than similar species in shallower waters. shallow,” Aquarium of the Pacific said. in an explanatory. Carnivorous marine isopods usually scavenge carcasses on the sea floor, but may also eat live prey.
Eating giant sea bugs
Conni Sidabalok examines individuals of Bathynomus vaderi at the Lee Kong Chian Museum of Natural History, … [+]
Isopods are crustaceans, part of a group that includes lobsters and shrimps. Sea bugs have become a trendy food in Vietnam. There are several sea bug recipe videos on YouTube that show how chefs prepare the critters. One has even been labeled a “nightmare food challenge.” It’s not something you expect to find on a standard seafood restaurant menu.
The growing seafood trade of sea insects is the reason for the discovery of Bathynomus vaderi. Researchers from Hanoi University took a series of sea bug specimens from Vietnamese fishermen and restaurants. Most were from a known species of sea bug, but the team found previously undescribed examples Bathynomus vaderi. Crustacean experts Peter Ng of the National University of Singapore, Conni Sidabalok of the National Research and Innovation Agency in Indonesia and Nguyen Thanh Son of the National University of Vietnam teamed up to study the new species.
Bathynomus vaderi comes from deep waters near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea east of Vietnam. The team expects that the species is likely to inhabit other parts of the South China Sea as well. “The discovery of such a strange species as Bathynomus vaderi in Vietnam highlights how poorly we understand the deep-sea environment,” ZooKeys publisher Pensoft said in a statement. “That a species as large as this could have remained hidden for so long reminds us how much work we still have to do to discover what lives in the waters of Southeast Asia.”
There are thousands of species of marine isopods, but the supergiant sea bugs are some of the most fascinating animals of their kind. They may look like alien sci-fi creations, but they are very much a product of their deep-sea environment. The description of newly discovered species is only the first step. Scientists would like to learn more about the range of animals and how the food trade may affect them. “Sustainable fishing of giant isopods only adds to the many challenges we face,” Pensoft said. “And the first step is to know what lives there.”
