Giant Isopod

Giant isopods have been recorded in the West Atlantic from the US state of Georgia to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.[1] The four known Atlantic species are B. obtusus, B. miyarei, B. maxeyorum, and B. giganteus, and the last of these is the only species recorded off the United States.[1][10] The remaining Bathynomus species are all restricted to the Indo-Pacific.[1] No species occurs in both the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific; previous records of B. giganteus from the Indo-Pacific are now considered misidentifications of other species.[1] Giant isopods are not known from the East Atlantic or East Pacific.[1] The greatest species richness (five species) is found off eastern Australia, but it is possible other regions that are not as well-sampled match this figure.[1] In general, the distributions of giant isopods are imperfectly known, and undescribed species may exist.[1]