NEW SQUAT LOBSTER SPECIES
A new squat lobster species has been identified in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. The sampled specimens were found in black corals (Tanacetipathes sp.) collected by Marissa Nuttall as part of a Deep Fish Habitat study in the sanctuary.
Two specimens of the new squat lobster species were found in one branch of a black coral sample. The scale shown is in millimeters. (Image: FGBNMS/Nuttall)
Uroptychus marissae, named for Marissa, was found in about 90 meters (295 feet) of water.
Unfortunately, when this specimen was removed from the coral, the two pincers fell off. This is a defense mechanism common to many crustaceans. The scale on the bottom is in millimeters. (Image: FGBNMS/Nuttall)
The paper on this new species, Uroptychus minutus Benedict, 1902 and a closely related new species (Crustacea: Anomura: Chirostylidae) from the western Atlantic Ocean, was published May 14, 2015 in Zootaxa.
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