Uroptychus cartesi. Photo by: Antonio Punzon/IEO.
Scientists have pulled up a tiny new species of ‘squat lobster’ from a deep sea mountain at 1,410 meters below sea level off the coast of Spain. Dubbed Uroptychus cartesi, this is only the fourth species in this genus from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, although there are over hundred unique species in the Pacific and Indian ocean. The new species measures just 5-7 centimeters.
Apart of Chirostylidae family, the new species is more closely related to crabs, though the family is commonly referred to as squat lobsters. Recovered off Galacia, Uroptychus cartesi was named after Spanish scientists Joan Cartes with the Barcelona’s Institute of Marine Sciences.
The new species was discovered by Spain’s INDEMARES program, which is exploring the country’s marine riches with a goal toward conservation. The species is described in the latest edition of ZooTaxa.
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