Five New Species of Crustaceans Discovered

During a recent expedition in Madagascar, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, the Philippines and French Polynesia, five new species of crustaceans were discovered in the waters of these regions.

The discovery was made by researchers from the Centre for Advanced studies of Blanes and the University of Barcelona (UB). The experts who studied the different crustaceans found that though they are different genetically, they are morphologically very similar. Apart from this, a new genus named Tridonthea was found. The five new species that were documented in the study belong to the Lauriea genus of the Galatheidae family. What made it different from the rest of the species are its long setae and its legs ending in a double spine.

This was led by Enrique Macpherson, researcher at the Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes and co-author of the study along with Aymee Robainas-Barcia from UB.

"The Triodonthea is a new genus that it genetically very different from the Lauriea species despite being very morphologically similar. The morphological differences are small to our eyes but reflect great inequalities on a species level," as explained to SINC by Macpherson, reports Phys.Org.

According to Macpherson, these species are mostly found in shallow waters and in areas of coral reefs and can be traced in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. But they are not present in the American Pacific. A few are endemic, as they reside only on archipelagos or in a very specific area, while others are spread from Madagascar to French Polynesia.

The researchers have explored the oceans to a depth of 5,000 m.