‘Supergiant’ deep-sea creature found at fishing port is a new species — and a delicacy
At a fishing port in Taiwan, researchers bought four giant crustaceans hauled in as bycatch by a trawling vessel in the South China Sea.
The deep-sea dwellers, resembling supersized woodlice, were isopods, like lobsters, crabs and shrimp — and they are considered a delicacy in East Asia.
These specimens were not for eating, however, but for studying. Researchers later confirmed the catch was a new “supergiant” species, according to a study published March 31 in Biodiversity Data Journal.
Bathynomus paracelensis is a new supergiant Bathynomus species, measuring almost 9 inches long, the study said.
Bathynomus isopods are divided into two size-based groups, researchers said. Giant species are 5.9 inches or shorter, while supergiants are anything greater than 6.7 inches long.
This marks the third supergiant isopod species discovered in the South China Sea since 2017, according to researchers.
These prehistoric-looking creatures “attracted public attention” in 2023 when a chef in Taipei City placed one directly on top of a ramen dish, researchers said.
“The use of Bathynomus as a delicacy is controversial,” researchers said.
Bathynomus paracelensis, while technically a supergiant, is on the smaller side and has often been mistaken for juveniles of a different supergiant isopod species found in the region, according to the study.
Researchers said it is possibly an “intermediate” species between giant and supergiants.
Physical traits and DNA analysis were used to identify Bathynomus paracelensis as a new species.
The species has a hard, nearly flat exoskeleton made up of overlapping plates, a series of “hooks” and “spines” on its feeding appendages, and two antennae.
Researchers said many aquariums and museums now have Bathynomus exhibits to educate the public on their important role in the ecosystem by feeding on debris that falls to the ocean floor and recycling those nutrients back into the environment.
The specimens were caught just over 90 miles northeast of the Paracel Islands — a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea off the southern coast of China and partway between Vietnam and the Philippines.
The research team included Ming-Chih Huang and Tadashi Kawai.
This story was originally published April 1, 2025 at 1:02 PM with the headline "‘Supergiant’ deep-sea creature found at fishing port is a new species — and a delicacy."
