Puerto Rico specimen reveals new giant isopod species
A crustacean collected in the 1980s and stored in a German university collection has been identified as a previously unknown species of Bathynomus after decades of being misclassified.
File photoThe short version
- Phys.org reports the specimen was acquired in the 1980s by paleontologist Dolf Seilacher at a research station in Puerto Rico and brought to the University of Tübingen
- Science X and Phys.org state that paleontology student Benedikt Kästle and Dr Ingmar Werneburg re-examined the specimen using modern imaging techniques and named it Bathynomus tuebingoborikensis
- Finway.com.ua reported the name combines 'Tübingen' with 'Boriken' the indigenous Taíno name for Puerto Rico
- Phys.org reports the species is a 'colossogiant' measuring 32.2 cm and is closely related to one found off Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula
Rediscovered in university collection
A giant isopod collected more than three decades ago off the coast of Puerto Rico has been identified as a new species. The specimen had been stored in the University of Tübingen's Paleontological Collection in Germany and was long considered to be Bathynomus giganteus. Phys.org reported
Paleontology student and isopod expert Benedikt Kästle and Dr. Ingmar Werneburg, curator of the Paleontological Collection and researcher at the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen, conducted the re-examination. They used state-of-the-art imaging techniques including computer tomography on the dried specimen. Phys.org reported
What the sources posted
Posts and statements below are the sources' own words, quoted as published. They are not independently verified.
The new species is very closely related to another giant species found off the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico.
The source's own statement, as quoted by Phys.org. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
Naming and evolutionary context
The new species has been named Bathynomus tuebingoborikensis. Finway.com.ua reported that the name draws on two elements: "boriken," the term used by the indigenous Taíno for Puerto Rico, along with a reference to the German city of Tübingen where the specimen was kept. finway.com.ua reported
Phys.org reports that giant isopods of the genus Bathynomus can grow up to 50 cm long and weigh several kilograms. The researchers' phylogenetic analysis indicates the group first appeared in the area that is today the Gulf of Mexico during the Miocene more than 15 million years ago. The Tübingen specimen measures 32.2 cm and falls into the category of 'colossogiants'. Phys.org reported
Where the sources differ
All three sources agree that a specimen from Puerto Rico long thought to be Bathynomus giganteus is a new species named Bathynomus tuebingoborikensis. Phys.org and Science X provide the most detail on the researchers Benedikt Kästle and Ingmar Werneburg the specimen's size the evolutionary history and the publication in Scientific Reports. Finway.com.ua adds the specific collection depth of 500 meters the exact etymology of the name and a quote about computer tomography but gives fewer details on the researchers' titles and the broader evolutionary timeline. The sources conflict slightly on emphasis with Phys.org stressing the importance of natural history collections while Finway.com.ua highlights modern technologies and re-evaluating collections.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not state the exact date in the 1980s when the specimen was collected or the precise research station in Puerto Rico. They provide no information on whether additional specimens of the new species have been found or whether further fieldwork is planned. The sources also do not mention any immediate next steps for research or conservation related to Bathynomus tuebingoborikensis.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published and last updated. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Reporting Puerto Rico specimen reveals new giant isopod species that went unrecognized for decades
- Reporting New species of giant isopods discovered near Puerto Rico
How we checked this
Phys.org published the most comprehensive account including quotes from the researchers and details of the evolutionary analysis. Finway.com.ua and Science X largely align with it but each adds or omits specific details such as the collection depth and the full name etymology. The description of the new species rests on the study by Kästle and Werneburg published in Scientific Reports.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.