A newly discovered giant isopod has been named after Darth Vader of Star Wars, inspired by his iconic and distinctive helmet. The 32.5 cm-long sea bug, known as a "supergiant" was found off the coast of Vietnam.

Experts decided to name the species Bathynomus vaderi not only because its face looks like Darth Vader's helmet, but also because the creature is thought to live around 1000 metres underwater, where it is extremely dark.

Bathynomus vaderi, a newly discovered giant isopod in Vietnam, is now a popular delicacy and highlights the urgent need to study and sustainably manage deep-sea ecosystems. Giant isopods of the genus Bathynomus,

Researchers newly identified a “supergiant” sea bug species off the coast of south-central Vietnam, but scientists worry about its vulnerability to overfishing.

Discover Bathynomus vaderi, a newly identified giant isopod species from Vietnam’s deep seas, named after Darth Vader.

"That a species as large as this could have stayed hidden for so long reminds us just how much work we still need to do to find out what lives in Southeast Asian waters." In recent years, sea bugs have become a Vietnamese delicacy.

Giant isopods, which belong to the Bathynomus genus, can grow to be over 11 inches, but the biggest ones reach nearly 20 inches in length . Bathynomus vaderi's size puts in the su