Researchers have named a newly discovered sea creature, Bathynomus vaderi, after the Star Wars universe’s Notorious Sith Lord Darth Vader.
Known as bọ biển or “sea bugs” in Vietnam, these newly discovered isopods fall into a subgroup called “supergiants,” which can grow up to 32.5 cm long and weigh up to a kilogram. Bathynomus vaderi’s name is derived from the creature’s head’s resemblance to the iconic helmet of the Star Wars villain, known for his prowess with the ‘dark side’ of the force.
Until 2017, local fishermen sold them as a “bycatch” product at a low cost instead of a main course. However, a recent rise in popularity in these creatures has resulted in their growing popularity. According to a statement from the research team behind the creature’s discovery, their seafood Sith Lord is now considered a local delicacy. They even claim that some locals have declared the deep-sea creature more delicious than lobster, widely renowned as the “king of seafood.”
Although Bathynomus vaderi has only been identified near the Spratly Islands in Vietnam, the researchers hope to continue their search for more specimens. They suspect this additional research “will probably confirm its presence in other parts of the South China Sea.”
Sea Food Market Purchase Leads to Discovery of Sith Lord Creature
To better understand the rise in culinary popularity of these local deep-sea creatures, staff members from Hanoi University purchased four living giant isopods from Quy Nhơn City in 2022. They sent two of the four specimens to fellow scientist Peter Ng from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum at the National University of Singapore. Given the impressive nature of Ng’s crustacean lab in Singapore and his vast experience studying creatures from the deepest local waters, including other members of the Bathynomus genus, the Hanoi researchers hoped he could identify it.
According to Ng, he immediately contacted fellow researcher Conni M. Sidabalok from the National Research and Innovation Agency Indonesia, whom he had previously worked with in describing a Bathynomus species living in Java. The duo also enlisted the help of Nguyen Thanh Son, the resident crustacean researcher from the Vietnam National University.
Credit: Rene Ong
Following a series of lab tests, the research trio determined in 2023 that they had likely discovered an entirely new species. Once the results were confirmed by genetic analysis, the team realized that they had also earned the right to name their deep-sea creature. Given its unusual, ominous-looking head, which they thought resembled the mask worn by Darth Vader, they chose to name it after the Sith Lord.
Urgent Need to Learn What Creatures Live in the Deep Sea
The researchers say that although the discovery of the Sith Lord species was a success, they note that more work needs to be done. For example, several industries that impact the local deep-sea environments these creatures call home could play a crucial role in maintaining their health and diversity.
“There is an urgent need to better understand our deep-sea biodiversity as humans increasingly endeavour to exploit this habitat for fisheries, oil and gas, and even minerals,” the researchers explain. “The sustainable fishery of giant isopods just adds to the many challenges we face. And the first step is to know what lives there.”
The research team also notes that discovering a species “as strange as Bathynomus vaderi” shows just how little we understand about the deep-sea environment. “That a species as large as this could have stayed hidden for so long reminds us just how much work we still need to do to find out what lives in Southeast Asian waters,” they conclude.
The study “A new species of supergiant Bathynomus A. Milne-Edwards, 1879 (Crustacea, Isopoda, Cirolanidae) from Vietnam, with notes on the taxonomy of Bathynomus jamesi Kou, Chen & Li, 2017” was published in ZooKeys.
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.