Aquatic creature pregnant with ‘big eggs’ found in Vietnam. It’s a new species
In a stream of northern Vietnam, a “yellowish” creature pregnant with “big eggs” moved through the clear water, or at least it tried to. But something caught it and pulled it to the surface.
Scientists looked at their catch. It turned out to be a new species.
A team of researchers visited several sites in Quảng Ninh province between 2018 and 2023 to survey freshwater aquatic life, according to a study published Aug. 26 in the peer-reviewed journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.
Using “hand nets,” researchers caught dozens of stream-dwelling shrimp, the study said. Intrigued, they took a closer look at the animals, analyzed their DNA and realized they’d discovered a new species: Caridina baitulong, or the Bai Tu Long shrimp.
Bai Tu Long shrimp are small, measuring less than half an inch in length, the study said. They have “well developed” eyes and a row of “irregular teeth.”
Photos show the “slightly yellowish to grey” coloring of the new species. Some shrimp have “black spots and stripes of irregular size over the whole body,” while others are mostly patternless, researchers said.
A few female Bai Tu Long shrimp were found pregnant with “big eggs” that had “developed eyes,” researchers said. The size of the eggs suggested the new species had “a landlocked life cycle.”
Bai Tu Long shrimp were found in streams with “mixed sand, gravel, and rock substratum, and clear flowing water from the forest,” the study said.
Researchers said they named the new species after Bai Tu Long bay where it was first discovered.
So far, Bai Tu Long shrimp have only been found in Quảng Ninh, a coastal province in northern Vietnam bordering China and the South China Sea.
The new species was identified by its body proportions, appendage length and shape and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 11% genetic divergence from related species.
The research team included Le Hung Anh, Thomas von Rintelen, Phan Thi Yen and Do Van Tu.
This story was originally published August 27, 2025 at 10:25 AM with the headline "Aquatic creature pregnant with ‘big eggs’ found in Vietnam. It’s a new species."
