Bathynomus vaderi

{{short description|Species of giant isopod}}

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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}

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| image = Bathynomus vaderi paratype (Fig. 4).jpg

| image_caption = Bathynomus vaderi paratype

| image_alt = A photo collage of three colour images of the Bathynomus vaderi paratype

| taxon = Bathynomus vaderi

| authority = Ng, Sidabalok & Nguyen, 2025{{Cite WoRMS |id=1791043 |title=Bathynomus vaderi Ng, Sidabalok & Nguyen, 2025 |db=isopoda |access-date=28 January 2025}}

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Bathynomus vaderi is a species of giant isopod found in the South China Sea off the coast of Vietnam near the Spratly Islands. The species is named after the Star Wars character Darth Vader because of its facial structure resembling the character's helmet.{{Cite journal |last1=Ng |first1=Peter K. L. |last2=Sidabalok |first2=Conni M. |last3=Nguyen |first3=Thanh Son |author1-link=Peter Kee Lin Ng |date=2025-01-14 |title=A new species of supergiant Bathynomus A. Milne-Edwards, 1879 (Crustacea, Isopoda, Cirolanidae) from Vietnam, with notes on the taxonomy of Bathynomus jamesi Kou, Chen & Li, 2017 |journal=ZooKeys |language=en |issue=1223 |pages=289–310 |doi=10.3897/zookeys.1223.139335 |doi-access=free |pmid=39845498 |pmc=11751684 |bibcode=2025ZooK.1223..289N |issn=1313-2970}}{{Cite web |last1=Bassi |first1=Margherita |date=27 January 2025 |title=Researchers Identified a New 'Supergiant' Crustacean With 14 Legs—and They Named It After Darth Vader |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-identified-a-new-supergiant-crustacean-with-14-legs-and-they-named-it-after-darth-vader-180985900/ |access-date=2025-01-28 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250130124737/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-identified-a-new-supergiant-crustacean-with-14-legs-and-they-named-it-after-darth-vader-180985900/ |archive-date=30 January 2025 |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Bragg |first=Julianna |date=2025-01-17 |title=Giant 'Darth Vader' sea bug discovered off the coast of Vietnam |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/17/science/giant-sea-bug-darth-vader-vietnam/index.html |access-date=2025-01-28 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250213025749/https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/17/science/giant-sea-bug-darth-vader-vietnam/index.html |archive-date=13 February 2025 |url-status=live}} The species was identified after researchers obtained numerous giant isopods from fishermen. Bathynomus vaderi can be up to 12.8 inches (0.325 m) in length and 2.2 pounds (0.997 kg) in weight, and is one of the largest known species of isopods.{{Cite web |last=Lagatta |first=Eric |date=23 January 2025 |title=Newly-discovered giant sea bug resembling Darth Vader isn't as scary as it looks |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2025/01/23/giant-sea-bug-darth-vader-vietnam/77880224007/ |access-date=2025-01-28 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250213025938/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2025/01/23/giant-sea-bug-darth-vader-vietnam/77880224007/ |archive-date=13 February 2025 |url-status=live}} The species is predicted to have a similar habitat to the other giant isopod species Bathynomus jamesi.