Rarely-seen gigantic crustacean may not be so rare after all
Embargoed until:
Publicly released:
2025-05-21 09:01
A 'supergiant' crustacean that is rarely-seen by people may actually live in over half the world’s deep oceans, say Australian researchers. The deep-sea creature, Alicella gigantea, reaches lengths of up to 34cm and is the largest-known species of amphipod - a crustacean group related to woodlice and more distantly to shrimp and lobsters. The researchers analysed nearly 200 records of Alicella gigantea, from 75 locations on the seabed, and say this single species is thriving at vast and extreme depths in 59% of the world's oceans.
Journal/conference: Royal Society Open Science
Research: Paper
Organisation/s: The University of Western Australia
Funder: The expeditions were funded by Inkfish and Victor Vescovo at Caladan Oceanic LLC. The analysis and
writing of this study were supported by the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre, funded by the Minderoo
Foundation and Inkfish, the Australian Academy of Science 2024 Thomas Davies Research Grant for Marine, Soil
and Plant Biology and the 2024–25 Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS), National Taxonomy Research
Grant Program (NTRGP).
Media release
From: The Royal Society
Giants of the deep - The supergiant amphipod, Alicella gigantea, may inhabit over half of the world's oceans
Alicella gigantea, the world’s largest amphipod, has long been considered rare due to infrequent sightings. However, new research reveals that this deep-sea giant is far more widespread than previously thought. By analyzing 195 records from 75 locations worldwide, scientists found that A. gigantea inhabits around 59% of the world’s oceans. Using genetic data from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, the study explores its global distribution and evolutionary history. These findings challenge past assumptions, showing that while rarely collected, A. gigantea is not rare—it is a remarkably widespread deep-sea species thriving across vast and extreme ocean depths.
Giants of the deep – A rarely-sighted “supergiant” crustacean may inhabit over half the world’s deep oceans. Researchers analysed nearly 200 records of Alicella gigantea, from 75 locations on the seabed. They predict this single species is thriving at vast and extreme depths in 59% of oceans. Reaching lengths of up to 34cm, A. gigantea is the largest-known species of amphipod a crustacean group related to isopods (woodlice) and more-distant decapods (shrimp and lobsters).
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