Isopod Update

I linked to an article about the giant isopod (Bathynomus giganteus). The article was incorrect on several issues, and the most prominent mistake from that post was with the supposed size (I didn't check the literature, I assumed the author had done so.  Sorry for the bad information).  A quote from a worker on deck suggested that the specimen was over 2.5 ft long.  Published literature places the average length at ~0.9-1.2ft, and MacAvoy et al. 2002 claims the largest specimen in collection is ~1.6ft. It is possible that this specimen is the largest ever seen, but it is more likely that the guy on deck overestimated the size.  For a fantastic article that corrects many of the mistakes circulating in the main stream media about this creature check out the Deep Sea News blog.

1. MacAvoy, S. E., R. S. Carney, C. R. Fisher, and S. A. Macko. 2002. Use of chemosynthetic biomass by large, mobile, benthic predators in the Gulf of Mexico. Marine Ecology Progress Series 225:65-78