A new deep-sea crustacean that bears a striking resemblance to “Alien” facehuggers has been identified in the Gulf of Mexico.
Bathynomus yucatanensis is a species of giant isopod, crustaceans that forage for food on the ocean floor. Their fourteen-legged segmented bodies resemble their much smaller relative, the louse.
The foothills of giant isopods have been attributed to deep-sea gigantism, the same phenomenon that leads to giant squid at the bottom of our oceans.
A group of Taiwanese, Japanese and Australian researchers set out to describe the new species of giant isopods and distinguish them from Bathynomus giganteus, the giant isopods found in the tropical waters of the western Atlantic. Their research was published in the Journal of Natural History on Tuesday.
The researchers collected specimens of the newly identified species in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. By comparing the massive crustaceans with others collected in Taiwan and Hong Kong, they were able to identify distinctive features such as their creamy yellow color and slimmer body proportions.
DNA analysis also showed that Bathynomus yucatanensis is distinct from its close relatives. But because the different species are quite similar, the scientists acknowledged that “there is a long history of misidentification of species in the genus.”
And there may be more massive isopods to come: The researchers noted that there may be more undiscovered species in the Atlantic Ocean.
Source: CNN Brasil
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