【The Devil in Miss Jonas (Der Teufel in Miss Jonas)】

Armored isopods crawl on The Devil in Miss Jonas (Der Teufel in Miss Jonas)the seafloor, feasting on fallen carrion. And they can grow quite big.

So big, in fact, scientists reference the largest types as "supergiants." Biologists have identified a new such species, Bathynomus vaderi, named for its resemblance to Star Wars' Darth Vader — though, rest assured, these deep sea animals aren't evil Siths.

They reach a foot long, making them appear as striking 14-legged critters. And in recent years, they've apparently become a delicacy in Vietnam, as they're caught by ocean trawlers.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

"Some go as far as claiming it’s more delicious than lobster, the 'king of seafood,'" notes a press release about the discovery from Pensoft Publishers, a science literature publisher. "Some outlets and restaurants even advertise the saleof these 'sea bugs' online on various social media platforms, including how best to cook them!" the release added.

SEE ALSO: The deep sea footage scientists filmed in 2024 is jaw-dropping

The research has been published in the science journal ZooKeys. The four Bathynomus vaderi specimens described came from dealers in coastal Quy Nhơn in south-central Vietnam, and were fished from the South China Sea.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

The new identification underscores the great biodiversity of the ocean — much of which we know little about or have yet to find.

"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," the release noted.

---

Related Stories

---

• A dominant shark lurks in the deep, dark ocean. Meet the sixgill.
• There's an eerie mystery sound in the ocean. It could be a conversation.
• Scientists discover ancient shark swimming in a really strange place
• Why the U.S. will get a whole lotta sea level rise
• Amazing creature found 27,000 feet under the sea. Here's how it survives.

One of the study's authors, Nguyen Thanh So, holding another species of "supergiant" isopod in October 2024. Credit: Peter Ng Two Bathynomus vaderi indiviuals. Credit: Rene Ong

Ocean research organizations are now vigilantly documenting and mapping the deep sea. Scientists want to shine a light — literally and figuratively — on what's down there.

The implications of knowing are incalculable, particularly as deep sea mineral prospectors prepare to run tank-like industrial equipment across parts of the seafloor. For example, research expeditions have found that ocean life carries great potential for novel medicines. "Systematic searches for new drugs have shown that marine invertebrates produce more antibiotic, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory substances than any group of terrestrial organisms," notes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

• Shopping
• Deals
• Social Good
• Digital Culture
• Games
• Life
• Tech
• Science

• Who is SpaceX's first moon passenger, Yusaku Maezawa?
• Best grocery deal: Spend $20 and get $5 off at Amazon
• Best security deal: The 8
• Amazon Big Spring Sale 2025: Best Apple deals on iPads, MacBooks, and more still live
• New panda mom doesn't know she has twins thanks to sneaky zookeepers
• You won't see Elon Musk smoking weed in public again, NASA admin says
• What is Vcore and How Does It Help with Overclocking?
• Final Fantasy XV Mega CPU Battle
• Best robot vacuum deal: Save $320 on Shark Robot Vacuum and Mop
• Things AMD Needs to Fix

• 'Rocket League' is really growing this year
• Netflix wants to start selling you merch
• Han Solo, meet Fleabag? Millennium Falcon may gain a CGI character
• 'This is Us' showed us Rebecca and Jack's wedding, and yup we're crying
• Scientists find a 'giant' new species. It's a delicacy.
• 'Pokémon Go' has a bunch of goodies lined up for Valentine's Day
• E3, gaming's biggest annual trade show, is now a public event
• Gamers donated over $70,000 to get 'Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3' to Evo 2017
• Supplier that built the Note7's explosion
• This is what Mr. Darcy would have actually looked like — and it's not pretty

• SpaceX's BFR has a new name. Elon Musk is calling it Starship.
• The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones are on sale for $100 off
• Elon Musk makes request to Reddit CEO to take down posts he didn't like
• Amazon Big Spring Sale 2025: Best deals under $50
• Mac Mini M2 Desktop deal: Save $100 at Best Buy
• Best robot vacuum deal: Save $320 on Shark Robot Vacuum and Mop
• Amazon Big Spring Sale 2025: Best portable speaker deal
• Switch 2 Nintendo Direct: Everything announced
• You won't see Elon Musk smoking weed in public again, NASA admin says
• Why Building a Gaming PC Right Now is a Bad Idea, Part 1: Expensive DDR4 Memory

• Things AMD Needs to Fix
• Amazon Big Spring Sale 2025: Save $20 on Amazon Echo Show 5
• Amazon Big Spring Sale 2025: Save $20 on Amazon Echo Show 5
• How to Secure Your Android Phone and Get the Most Out of Smart Lock
• Tennessee vs. UCLA 2025 livestream: How to watch March Madness for free
• TikTok ban looms in U.S. Here's the latest.
• Researchers map the koala genome in the name of saving the species
• Who is SpaceX's first moon passenger, Yusaku Maezawa?
• Mac Mini M2 Desktop deal: Save $100 at Best Buy
• Best gaming laptop deal: Save $400 on the HP Victus 15 with Ryzen 5 and Radeon RX 6550M