Though recently gaining the limelight as a superior alternative to lobster tail, a species of giant isopod is making headlines for another reason: it was never officially entered into the scientific ...

In recent years, the deep-sea giant isopod has also become a seafood delicacy in Vietnam, where it was discovered ...

The new species has been named Bathynomus vaderi, as its head resembles the distinctive helmet of Darth Vader from “Star Wars ...

Researchers exploring the wares of fishers in Vietnam discovered a “supergiant” sea bug species whose resemblance to Darth ...

In the depths of the South China Sea, a marine creature straight out of science fiction has been identified. This giant ...

A new study published in the ZooKeys journal tells the story of Bathynomus vaderi, a new "supergiant" sea bug species found ...

Researchers studying crustaceans in Vietnam have identified a new "supergiant" sea bug species that bears a surprising resemblance to a classic movie villain. Deep-sea sea bugs, or the Bathynomus ...

Dr. Nguyen Thanh Son holding a giant specimen of another species of giant isopod found in Vietnam (B. jamesi) that weighed 2.62 kg from a seafood market in Hanoi, October 2024. Image credit: Peter Ng.

Its head resembles Darth Vader’s helmet, and it is eaten by the Vietnamese. Bathynomus vaderi belongs to the genus Bathynomus — giant isopods (crustaceans also known as sea bugs or marine bugs), which ...

It looks like it came from a galaxy far, far away — and should have stayed there. Southeast Asian scientists sent people’s skin crawling after discovering a sea bug off Vietnam that’s so ...

‘The sustainable fishery of giant isopods just adds to the many challenges we face. And the first step is to know what lives there.’ ...