Researchers from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) have found a tiny crustacean in an underwater cave off Malaysian Borneo's Sipadan Island, so distinct it needed an entirely new category.
Key takeaways
Researchers discovered a new crustacean species, Sipadanomolgus dissimilis, in a cave near Sipadan, Malaysia.
- The copepod was found in the Turtle Tomb cave at depths of 20-24 meters.
- A new genus, Sipadanomolgus, was created due to unique physical traits.
- The study was part of the Ocean Census initiative and published in the European Journal of Taxonomy.
Summarised automatically by AI from the original article by The Rakyat Post. AI can make mistakes, so check the original for details.
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Researchers have discovered a new species of tiny crustacean in a submerged cave off Pulau Sipadan, Sabah.
The copepod, which was given the name Sipadanomolgus dissimilis, was found at a depth of 20 to 24 metres below sea level near the cave floor of the Turtle Tomb, an underwater cave at the renowned diving site of Sipadan.
The team collected the specimen using a modified light trap deployed in the cave for roughly 24 hours on 3 August 2023.
