''Bathynomus vaderi'' is a species of

giant isopod A giant isopod is any of the almost 20 species of large isopods in the genus ''Bathynomus''. They are abundant in the cold, deep waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.Lowry, J. K. and Dempsey, K. (2006). ''The giant deep-sea scaveng ...

found in the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...

off the coast of Vietnam near the

Spratly Islands The Spratly Islands (; zh, s=南沙群岛, t=南沙群島, p=Nánshā Qúndǎo; ; ) are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea. Composed of islands, islets, cays, and more than 100 reefs, sometimes grouped in submerged old atoll ...

. The species is named after the ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' character

Darth Vader Darth Vader () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was first introduced in the original film trilogy as the primary antagonist and one of the leaders of the Galactic Empire. He has become one of the most iconic villain ...

because of its facial structure resembling the character's helmet. The species was identified after researchers obtained numerous giant isopods from fishermen. ''Bathynomus vaderi'' can be up to 12.8 inches (0.325 m) in length and 2.2 pounds (0.997 kg) in weight, and is one of the largest known species of isopods. The species is predicted to have a similar habitat to the other giant isopod species '' Bathynomus jamesi''.

References

{{Portal bar, Crustaceans, Marine life Isopods of the Pacific Ocean Taxa named by Peter Kee Lin Ng Darth Vader Crustaceans described in 2025 Cymothoida South China Sea

See also

References