New species of the giant deep‐sea isopod genus Bathynomus (Crustacea, Isopoda, Cirolanidae) from Hainan Island, South China Sea

Abstract

Several specimens of the giant deep-sea isopod genus Bathynomus were collected by a deep-sea lander at a depth of 898 m near Hainan Island in the northern South China Sea. After careful examination, this material and the specimens collected from the Gulf of Aden, north-western Indian Ocean, previously reported as Bathynomus sp., were identified to be the same as a new species to the genus. Bathynomus jamesi sp. nov. can be distinguished from the congeners by: the distal margin of pleotelson with 11 or 13 short straight spines and central spine not bifid; uropodal endopod and exopod with distolateral corner slightly pronounced; clypeus with lateral margins concave; and antennal flagellum extending when extended posteriorly reaches the pereonite 3. In addition, Bathynomus jamesi sp. nov. is also supported by molecular analyses based on mitochondrial COI and 16S rRNA gene sequences. The distribution range of the new species includes the western Pacific and north-western Indian Ocean.

Genome of a giant isopod, Bathynomus jamesi, provides insights into body size evolution and adaptation to deep-sea environment

“…The specimens of B. jamesi were collected by a deep-sea lander at a depth of 898 m near Hainan Island, in the northern South China Sea (17° 46.845′ N, 110° 38.217′ E). The specimens were identified as the species B. jamesi and kept in 75% ethanol and − 80 °C freezer [ 24 ]. The muscle of the legs of B. jamesi was collected for DNA extraction and genome sequencing.…”

“…Deep-sea expeditions provide excellent opportunities for us to uncover the unusual deep-sea creatures. During a recent expedition near Hainan Island in the northern South China Sea, a new deep-sea (a depth of 898 m) bathynomid species, Bathynomus jamesi Kou, Chen & Li, 2017, was collected and identified [ 24 ]. In this study, a high-quality genome assembly of B. jamesi was generated using PacBio sequencing technology.…”

Description of the supergiant isopod Bathynomus raksasa sp. nov. (Crustacea, Isopoda, Cirolanidae) from southern Java, the first record of the genus from Indonesia

“…The taxonomy of Bathynomus has been reviewed by Bruce (1986), Magalhães and Young (2003), with most recently by Lowry and Dempsey (2006). Two new species were added by Shipley et al (2016) and Kou et al (2017). The most recent review on Bathynomus fossils was done by Hyžný et al (2019) Ortmann, 1894 -6 males, 100, 120, 120, 128, 136, 145 mm;7 females, 88, 90, 94, 130, 130, 138, 145 Diagnosis.…”

“…The genus Bathynomus A. Milne-Edwards, 1879 inhabits the deep sea in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, with some species reaching large sizes in excess of 30 cm length (Lowry and Dempsey 2006). Nineteen extant species are known in the genus (Bruce 1986, Magalhães and Young 2003, Lowry and Dempsey 2006, Boyko et al 2008, Shipley et al 2016, Kou et al 2017. Lowry and Dempsey (2006) revised the Indo-West Pacific taxa and recognized 16 species, of which seven were categorized as "supergiants"; species maturing above 150 mm and reaching 500 mm in length.…”

“…The genus Bathynomus A. Milne-Edwards, 1879 inhabits the deep sea in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, with some species reaching large sizes in excess of 30 cm length ( Lowry and Dempsey 2006 ). Nineteen extant species are known in the genus ( Bruce 1986 , Magalhães and Young 2003 , Lowry and Dempsey 2006 , Boyko et al 2008 , Shipley et al 2016 , Kou et al 2017 ).…”