A purchase at an urban Vietnamese fish market turned out to be a whole new species of giant isopod –with a bit of a dark side. The foot-long crustacean has been named Bathynomus vaderi and sports a head that resembles the iconic helmet of Darth Vader from the Star Wars.

The dark side of the ocean: a newly discovered species of giant isopod has been named after the Star Wars villain Darth Vader because of its

Giant isopods of the genus Bathynomus, which can reach more than 30 cm in length, are known as bọ biển or "sea bugs" in Vietnam. For the first time, one such species was described from Vietnamese waters and named Bathynomus vaderi.

A marine crustacean that looks like Darth Vader’s helmet has been recognised as a new species, but it could be under threat from trawling due to its popularity in Vietnamese restaurants

Deep in the waters off Vietnam’s coast, scientists have discovered a new species of giant isopod — a creature that looks like a massively oversized roly-poly or pill bug. Named Bathynomus vaderi after the iconic Star Wars villain,

Scientists working at a crustacean laboratory in Singapore have discovered a new-to-science species of “supergiant” isopod, and it’s an absolute wedge. Known as b bin or “sea bugs” in Vietnam, its angular noggin has inspired an out-of-this-world species name: Bathynomus vaderi,