Crustacean · isopod

Java giant isopod

Bathynomus raksasa

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic A single ocean

Depth

From 957 to 1,259 m, off southern Java

Size

About 33 cm, up to 36 cm

Diet

Scavenger, like other Bathynomus

Zone

The sea floor · 200 – 3,500 m

Key facts

• “Raksasa” means “giant” in Indonesian.
• It was described in 2020 after an Indonesian and Singaporean expedition south of Java, in the Indian Ocean.
• It is the first giant isopod collected in Indonesian waters.
• It is one of the “supergiant” isopods, which can reach 50 cm. It is a cousin of garden woodlice.

Verified sources

1. Sidabalok, Wong & Ng 2020, ZooKeys 947
2. Futurity, New giant isopod species

In the game: To observe

In the same zone

Seafarer’s ghost sharkChimaera willwatchi Coral Seamount blue sea cucumberPannychia taylorae Giant abyssal anemoneRelicanthus daphneae Snow crabChionoecetes opilio Sculptured shrimpSclerocrangon boreas Kolga sea cucumberKolga hyalina