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A Student Found a New Giant Isopod That Had Been Mislabeled for Decades
Gizmodo • • science
Key Points:
- A giant isopod specimen collected in Puerto Rico in the 1980s, initially misidentified as Bathynomus giganteus, has been formally named a new species: Bathynomus tuebingoborikensis.
- This species belongs to the "colossogiants" group of Bathynomus isopods, which can grow up to 20 inches long and weigh as much as 5.7 pounds, living at ocean depths up to 8,200 feet.
- The Bathynomus genus likely originated in the Gulf of Mexico during the Miocene epoch over 15 million years ago and spread widely as marine conditions evolved.
- Researchers used advanced 3D micro-computed tomography to examine the specimen's detailed anatomy, particularly mouthparts, enabling clear differentiation from related species.
- The species name honors both Puerto Rico's indigenous Taíno name, Boríken, and the German city of Tübingen, reflecting the specimen's discovery and preservation history.
