CENSUS OF MARINE LIFE RESEARCHERS DISCOVER NEW CRAB

Two researchers from the ChEss (Biogeography of Deep-Water Chemosynthetic Ecosystems) field project have discovered a new species of crab at the hydrothermal vents of the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge. The creature was discovered during a Census of Marine Life expedition to the Easter Island microplate last summer. Researchers have determined that the crab is new to science and belongs to a new family--Kiwaidae. The hairy, pale crab was named Kiwa hirsuta, after the goddess of shellfish (Kiwa) in Polynesian mythology. A report on the discovery has been published in the journal Zoosystema.