Discovered creatures include a fuzzy crab and a zebra-patterned lobster
By Lim Jun Xi
A 14-day survey of the unexplored deep seas off the southern coast of West Java, Indonesia, has yielded 12 new species previously unknown to science, say researchers from the the South Java Deep Sea Biodiversity Expedition 2018 (SJADES 2018).
Using trawls and dredges to sift through seabeds between 200 and 2,100 metres deep, the research team covered over 2,200 kilometres of open water over two weeks, examining more than 12,000 creatures.
Among the new species discovered are a crab with fuzzy spines and blood-red eyes, a lobster with a zebra-patterned shell and long arms, and a hermit crab with green eyes and orange-banded pincers. Over 40 of the collected species were previously not thought to live off the Indonesian coast.
Organised by the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), SJADES 2018 is the first joint deep-sea biological exploration by Singapore and Indonesia.
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